Preparing Nurses for Disaster Management

This book addresses issues in disaster preparedness specific to nurses in a host of practice sites. Through a compilation of research, nurses' personal experiences in disaster and trauma care, firsthand accounts from the authors and other experts in bioterrorism and disaster preparedness, this book introduces users to basic disaster nursing and works to help prepare them for a wide spectrum of settings and situations that are relevant in today's world. It includes a pocket flip chart that serves as a quick guide to fast facts imperative to nurses in responding to disasters of all kinds. Nursing Students and Nursing Professionals.

Dotti C. James, PhD, RN is an Associate Professor at Saint Louis University School of Nursing. She traveled as part of a team to the Henrietta Szold Hadassah Hebrew University School of Nursing and the Hadassah Medical Centers in Israel to learn about preparing health care providers to manage mass casualty events. She has spoken at area colleges, hospitals, skilled-care facilities, and professional and first responder organizations about various aspects of preparing for and responding to terrorism. She is currently a faculty member in the Disaster Preparedness Online Certificate Program for Nurses, covering topics such as organization of the disaster response, management of casualties, and considerations for vulnerable populations. Dr. James coordinates the online and onsite Perinatal Nursing Graduate Specialty. Her research interests include developing an evidence base for intrapartal nursing interventions, the effectiveness of educational strategies and techniques, and nursing attitudes and awareness about victims of violence. She has received awards for Excellence in Classroom Teaching from Saint Louis University and the Emerson Electric Company. Dr. James has served in leadership roles in local, regional, and national professional organizations, and is a contributing author to three texts.

Joanne C. Langan, PhD, RN is an Assistant Professor at Saint Louis University School of Nursing. She received a BS in Education from Quincy University and a BSN from the University of Southern Mississippi. Dr. Langan earned MSN and PhD degrees in Nursing Administration and a Nursing Education Certificate from George Mason University. While a faculty member at GMU, she was the Co-Project Director for the Washington Regional Academic and Community Consortium and the Project Director of the Partnerships for Quality Education. At Saint Louis University, Dr. Langan is the coordinator of the traditional students' Public Health Nursing course. Research and areas of interest include Faculty Practice and nursing student learning, the Nursing Shortage, Community Partnerships in Graduate Medical and Nursing Education, and Disaster Preparedness. She is a contributing author for two Community-Based Nursing Practice books. She was a member of a team who received intensive education at the Henrietta Szold Hadassah Hebrew University School of Nursing and the Hadassah Medical Centers in Israel and is developing modules and curriculum as a faculty member of a Bioterrorism/Disaster Preparedness Certificate Program. Dr. Langan is a consultant/member of the Emergency Preparedness Team at St. Joseph Hospital of Kirkwood.