Education for Developing and Sustaining a Health Care Workforce for Disaster Readiness

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Care Workforce Education

Background:

• The U.S. requires a prepared health care and public health workforce for timely disaster response.
• Current disaster readiness education programs are limited, costly, and may not be competency-based or accessible.
• Nurse leaders can advocate for diverse learning options to bolster workforce preparedness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review challenges and opportunities in expanding evidence-based education and training for health care workforce disaster readiness.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of existing disaster readiness education programs.
• Analysis of barriers to access, cost, and educational technology utilization.
• Examination of the role of nurse leaders in advocating for improved training.

Main Results:

• Existing disaster readiness programs are insufficient in number and scope.
• Barriers include cost, lack of competency-based curricula, and limited accessibility.
• Opportunities exist to leverage educational technologies and expand program offerings.

Conclusions:

• There is a critical need to expand access to high-quality, evidence-based disaster readiness education for the health care workforce.
• Nurse leaders play a vital role in advocating for and supporting these educational initiatives.
• Addressing current challenges will strengthen national capacity to respond to public health emergencies.