Charting a course into the unknown: Banda Aceh, Indonesia, tsunami, 2004.
OBJECTIVE
My journey as an Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurse, aboard the USNS Mercy, providing humanitarian aid to victims of the December 2004 tsunami is the focus of this paper.


OBJECTIVE
To offer insights about healing and recovery that I learned from my time with the victims of this disaster that may be applicable to future disaster situations.


METHODS
The author's personal experience of being a volunteer.


CONCLUSIONS
My contributions focused on providing mental health care to victims of the tsunami as well as the development of a program of psychosocial intervention and education for children affected by the disaster.
Anderson
Karen M
KM
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in Philadelphia, PA, USA. andersonk@email.chop.edu
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000458:organization & administration; D004190:Disasters; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007214:Indonesia; D007391:International Cooperation; D008603:Mental Health; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D009720:Nurse Clinicians / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology*; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration; D012066:Relief Work / Q000458:organization & administration; D012767:Ships; D014481:United States / Q000208:ethnology; D014838:Volunteers / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology*