title: Nurses as Leaders in Disaster Preparedness and Response--A Call to Action.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop a vision for the future of disaster nursing, identify barriers and facilitators to achieving the vision, and develop recommendations for nursing practice, education, policy, and research.
  
  
  METHODS
  A series of semistructured conference calls were conducted with 14 national subject matter experts to generate relevant concepts regarding national nursing workforce preparedness. An invitational daylong workshop hosted by the Veterans Emergency Management Evaluation Center, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, was held in December 2014 to expand and refine these concepts. Workshop participants included 70 nurses, emergency managers, and a broad range of public health professionals. Conference call notes and audiotapes of the workshop were transcribed and thematic analysis conducted to outline a vision for the future of nursing in disaster preparedness and response, and to articulate an agenda for nursing practice, education, policy, and research to achieve that vision.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The group developed a vision for the future of disaster nursing, and identified current barriers and opportunities to advance professional disaster nursing. A broad array of recommendations for nursing practice, education, policy, and research, as well as implementation challenges, are summarized in this article.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This project represents an important step toward enhancing nurses' roles as leaders, educators, responders, policymakers, and researchers in disaster preparedness and response. Nurses and the health and human service organizations that employ them are encouraged to engage in an expansive national dialogue regarding how to best incorporate the vision and recommendations into their individual lives and the organizations for which they work.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nurses comprise the largest healthcare workforce, and opportunities exist to strengthen disaster readiness, enhance national surge capacity, and build community resiliency to disasters.
authors: Nu Beta, Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Department of Community and Public Health, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, and Center for Refugee and Disaster Response, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors: Tener Goodwin
authors: TG
authors: Veenema
authors: Clinical Investigator and Senior Program Manager, Veterans Emergency Management Evaluation Center, Office of Public Health, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, North Hills, CA, USA.
authors: Anne
authors: A
authors: Griffin
authors: Senior Project Director, Veterans Emergency Management Evaluation Center, Office of Public Health, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, North Hills, CA, USA.
authors: Alicia R
authors: AR
authors: Gable
authors: Alpha Eta and Beta Alpha, Chief Nurse, American Red Cross, Washington, DC, USA.
authors: Linda
authors: L
authors: MacIntyre
authors: Assistant Surgeon General and Regional Health Administrator, Region IX, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors: Radm Nadine
authors: RN
authors: Simons
authors: Program Manager/Emergency Preparedness, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Nursing Services (ONS), Special Projects and Public Health Emergency Preparedness, Washington, DC, USA.
authors: Mary Pat
authors: MP
authors: Couig
authors: Co-Director, Vanderbilt Program in Disaster Research and Training, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
authors: John J
authors: JJ
authors: Walsh
authors: Associate Dean for Academic Programs, University of Missouri-St. Louis, College of Nursing, St. Louis, MO, USA.
authors: Roberta Proffitt
authors: RP
authors: Lavin
authors: Director, Veterans Emergency Management Evaluation Center, Office of Public Health, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Associate Adjunct Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, and School of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles, North Hills, CA, USA.
authors: Aram
authors: A
authors: Dobalian
authors: Alpha Zeta, Associate Dean for Research and Anna C. Maxwell Professor of Nursing Research, Columbia University School of Nursing and Professor of Epidemiology, Columbia University of Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA.
authors: Elaine
authors: E
authors: Larson
mesh_terms: D003226:Congresses as Topic; D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004638:Emergency Treatment / Q000451:nursing*; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D024802:Nurse's Role; D014481:United States
keywords: Competencies; curriculum; disaster; education; nursing; policy; practice; preparedness; public health emergency; research; scope of practice