Dyson College of Arts and Sciences
Issue link: http://dysoncollege.uberflip.com/i/128987
Box 2: Responding to the Call for Action It's What We Do Barbara Krajewski, DNP, FNP, RN Orthopedic Trauma Nurse Practitioner Member of a Federal Response Team It is really interesting, the role of the nurse during a disaster. It depends upon the nurse, the nurse's background, and whether the nurse is working for a private institution or the Federal Government. I have worked for both, but mostly the Federal Government. The first disaster that comes to mind is Hurricane Katrina. We were a part of a federal disaster team. The role of the disaster nurse was different in the first two weeks. These weeks we were trouble-shooting and managing patients' blood pressure, feeding them, and improving their hygiene. It was very stressful; the occurrence just happened and people had no place to go. They were displaced from their families and home with no drinking water. We set up clinics and portable hospitals and we treated people that came in; some of them stayed. We also received patients from hospitals and nursing homes who were displaced because there was no water, medications, or health care providers and the sanitation was also a problem. Also, because that disaster was long, there was a next phase. Once the people were in safer circumstances, the next phase began: to immunize those who assisted. These were the people who were working within the open sewage and the water and mold, and those working in the homes, such as the visiting nurses, electrical workers, plumbers, any person working within the infrastructure. Nurses were responsible for almost every aspect of the patient including physical, emotional, and psychological support. In a disaster, you offer support when you can. In the first phase it is difficult for it is more "treat and go, treat and go." You offer support when you can. Due to the volume and the magnitude of the number of people you are caring for, it is difficult. You do not have time to deal with the emotional and psychological part. There are just too many people. You do the best you can to get the general population through. You can only provide so much with the allotted time. It is during the time when we were immunizing people during the clean up—after the initial influx—when we spent more time talking about where they were, what happened, where their family is, where they are staying, when was the last time they slept in an bed or took a shower. This was when we could spend time with patients and they began to grieve. People were still in shock. Nurses work in a team all of the time. We are used of working with all different types of individuals who may be in the health care arena or in the private sector. An example is nurses working with the ambulance corps to transfer people out of there to a safer environment. Or working with the Department of Health to find out about infections and where they are coming from and how to treat them. We also worked along with physicians, EMS, and fire department collectively to improve patient outcomes. I presently work in a hospital and I work in teams all the time. I work with a head nurse, social worker, and staff nurses, dietary, and respiratory staff. We work collectively for the patient. It is what we do. 54