Preparing Nurses Internationally for Emergency Planning and Response

Competency-based education provides an international infrastructure for nurses to learn about emergency preparedness and response. The International Nursing Coalition for Mass Casualty Education (INCMCE) has developed competencies for all nurses, as well as online modules for meeting those competencies. In addition, other curriculum resources are available that range from face-to-face classes, web-based modules, and electronic journals, to complete pre-packaged materials. The author of this article describes competencies needed for emergency preparedness identified by Columbia University, Vanderbilt University, and the International Nursing Coalition for Mass Casualty Education, as well as various curriculum resources for emergency planning and response and also processes to prepare nurses for emergency responses. Examples of international "Best Practices" feature programs that provide examples of innovative educational strategies for preparing nurses for emergency response are presented. The author concludes that while curriculum resources are widely available, a better centralized clearinghouse could be made available for both faculty and students.