Charles Darwin College (CDU) Well being Science Course Coordinator Angela Sheedy stated trendy nursing programs wanted to incorporate an all-hazards method to catastrophe coaching to make sure new nurses are ready for something. Credit score: Charles Darwin College
Australian nurses have responded to a whole bunch of catastrophe occasions during the last six years, however new analysis led by Charles Darwin College (CDU) suggests they nonetheless aren’t prepared for the influence of disaster. The work is revealed within the journal Well being Emergency and Catastrophe Nursing.
Nearly one catastrophe occasion each 10 days has occurred in Australia since 2019.
A catastrophe is taken into account to be an occasion that disrupts human populations by way of pure or man-made disasters, or communicable illness outbreaks.
Research lead creator Angela Sheedy, who’s the Well being Science Course Coordinator at CDU, stated it grew to become clear in the course of the pandemic that nurses have been a reactive workforce throughout that public well being emergency—fairly than proactive—regardless of being the biggest cohort of well being care professionals to take care of the aftermath of a catastrophe.
Ms. Sheedy pointed to the Hunter Valley bus crash, Bondi Junction buying heart stabbing, and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) contamination as different examples of current disasters.
“Australian-trained nurses are among the best in the world but we are experiencing disaster events more frequently, and this directly impacts nurses working in the acute care and emergency setting,” Ms. Sheedy stated.
“Better-prepared nurses mean better outcomes for communities in disaster responses.”
However the range of contemporary catastrophe occasions because of local weather change, radicalization and terrorism, and public well being challenges makes being ready for something a sophisticated endeavor.
Ms. Sheedy stated catastrophe response coaching was not presently obligatory for bachelor-level nurses and stated this was leaving graduates with out the resilience to adapt to many real-world eventualities.
“The inclusion of disaster responses with an all-hazards approach needs to be included in the Australian curriculum, but this takes time,” she stated.
“We have to begin considering and planning practical methods to organize our well being workforce for catastrophe responses.
“Providing our nurses with access to all-hazards education and training aligns with the world today.”
Extra info:
Angela Daybreak SHEEDY et al, We all know we should be extra catastrophe ready, however what does this appear like for the Australian nurse?, Well being Emergency and Catastrophe Nursing (2025). DOI: 10.24298/hedn.2024-SP08
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Can Australian nurses actually be prepared for something? (2025, Could 22)
retrieved 22 Could 2025
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