A Letter to My Students

Hello students!  I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce you to a topic that I am passionate about.  It is through this that I hope to inspire you to be passionate about a topic and to inspire that passion into each other.

I had to put this blog together for a course requirement when I was obtaining my Master’s in Nursing Education through Roberts Wesleyan College.  My instructor wanted us to develop a blog for a topic we could see ourselves teaching.  Well, that was easy for me in that I already am a certified instructor for Decontamination, Disaster Life Support, and Advanced Disaster Life Support; so you see why I chose this subject.   

 

Well, before this course I knew I was a very good instructor with an excellent track record for students who completed my courses with passing grades and certifications.  What Dr. Treschuk (my instructor) showed me (through the use of the computer only – no classroom time was used during this course) was that I will become an exceptional instructor who utilizes up-to-date, current, and innovative avenues of teaching.  No more using just boring PowerPoint presentations and standing in front of the class lecturing.  

Through the use of Voki and  

Stikz Movie
           by: Glad2brn

                                      

I can personalize a video just for you.  With the utilization of GlogsterEDU and Blogger (we are using blogger now for this blog presentation); I can present information in a new, fun, and informative context.  Prezi and adding audio to a PowerPoint presentation will help you not to lose interest in the topic.  If, during our time together you come across areas that you feel you need further help with we can utilize Skype to “talk” in person.  There are many other ways in which to present information to each other, so                                     

explore the possibilities together.  I can guarantee, you will have fun and you will learn.

PPE and Triage - What you can expect

    

 For our final week of this blog I would like to share with you the final components to a good disaster preparedness.  When you are subjected to an emergency you may experience people who are wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) or if you are a healthcare worker you may have to don this equipment to provide care and keep yourself safe. 

     The unpleasant part of a disaster is the triage process.  No one wants to be in the unpleasant position of determining who gets care and who is left until later.  When we entered into the job of healthcare worker we entered with the realization that we would care for individuals and it is extremely hard to leave a person when they need us the most.  But, many man hours would be needed to care for that one individual and during an emergency man hours are hard to come by.  We must do the most care for the greatest amount of people.  

     So, in parting I would like to share the following with you: 

 

Visit the CDC at http://emergency.cdc.gov/preparedness/ and learn what you can do to prepare for an emergency.  Think now, Prepare yourselves, and Act accordingly in an emergency and you might just save the lives of yourself and family members.

Natural Disaster and Mass Casualty

Natural Disasters can range from Earthquakes to Winter Weather and with each different variety comes different information that you need to know.  Please check out the links I have provided for you concerning Natural Disasters and chose the one you need information for.  May 23, 2011 is ingrained in the memories of many who live and work in Joplin, Missouri.  That is the day the Category 5 Tornado hit.  Are you going to be ready?

 Mass Casualty happens after a major event whether it is chemical/biological terrorism or a natural disaster.  You need to be prepared as to what to do during and after to keep yourself and your family safe.  If you are a citizen, there is information for you specifically on what to expect from the emergency and healthcare workers.  This is something you may see.

Truck used to transport patients to hospital.

  If you are a healthcare worker there is information for you specifically on what to expect when handling the mass casualty.  As with the last blog post I am including free CEU’s for healthcare workers to use.

            Please I ask you to be prepared, check out the information and save the lives of yourselves and families.  To be knowledgeable is to be safe.

Chemical and Biological Terrorism

Biological attacks are the use of biological products or pathogens to harm human beings in order to cause mass hysteria and to change how governments work/interact (as seen in the 1984 Salmonella poisonings in Oregon).  Chemical attacks are the use of chemicals to cause the same reaction (as seen in the Tokyo Sarin attack); but chemical spills can also illicit the same type of response in the community and require the same type of reaction from the responders.

So, how can we as citizens become better prepared?  By doing research, learning about incidents and what to do when they occur.  This does not make us doomsdayers but makes us prepared citizens in the modern world.  As Healthcare Professionals we should be enlightened to the many facets that we could be subjected to on a daily basis.  We need to be educated and are always looking for CEU's so I supplied you with a few.  Enjoy! 

As you view the video please notice the differences of approach from emergency workers to biological threats versus chemical threats.  There are distinct differences in how each threat is handled.

Disaster Preparedness

       The main idea of disaster preparedness is to enhance life safety when a disaster; chemical/biological, natural disaster, or mass casualty occur.  When we prepare for disaster we improve our response activities as well as our coping capabilities.  The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) defines preparedness as “the leadership, training, readiness and exercise support, and technical and financial assistance to strengthen citizens, communities, state, local, and tribal governments, and professional emergency workers as they prepare for disasters, mitigate the effects of disasters, respond to community needs after a disaster, and launch effective recovery efforts” (2012).  FEMA has instituted the National Incident Management System (NIMS) as the "comprehensive, nationwide, systematic approach to Incident Management" (2012) so that all entities are following the same rules, the same set-up of incident command, the same avenues for requesting help from the government, and the same process of recovery efforts across the nation.

Preparedness. (2012, October 19). Retrieved December 4, 2012, from Federal Emergency Management Agency: http://www.fema.gov/preparedness/