Developing Disaster Nursing Competencies Through Academic Service-Learning

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and the Future of Nursing 2030 report emphasize the need for nursing students' competence in disaster care. Academic service-learning is a practical pedagogical approach for developing these skills that bolsters population health and leadership competencies.

The Red Cross developed nine Academic Service-Learning (AS-L) modules that integrate training and hands-on experiences in disaster preparedness, response and recovery, well-being, diverse blood donation, case management, and immunizations and global health. Self-scored pre- and postquestions were developed to assess students' knowledge and confidence in skill application.

Ongoing evaluation shows promising preliminary results in student learning and community engagement. Active faculty participation significantly improved student learning outcomes.

The Red Cross AS-L initiative augments nursing students' disaster and community health competencies through practical training and immersive experiences that align with evolving health care needs and AACN competencies. [.