Program Overview

Nursing plays an important role in the healthcare system, including as hospital leadership. As well, Disaster Nursing is critical to the success of each phase of the disaster cycle; mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Nursing must therefore have a seat at the table when a hospital or healthcare system undertakes the steps necessary for an efficient and well-prepared All-Hazards disaster response system. The Disaster Nursing Fellowship provides a comprehensive education that emphasizes the role of nurses in all phases of the disaster cycle, as taught by seasoned and experienced faculty. The Disaster Nursing Fellowship follows the same methodology as our other fellowship programs, combining the Disaster Medicine didactic curriculum with experiential nursing-based rotations, research, and field work, and takes a deep dive into the methodology and science behind emergency management, as it applies to the healthcare industry.

​The ubiquitous and unpredictable nature of disaster, including natural, accidental, and intentional events, mandates that healthcare systems be prepared to quickly and seamlessly switch gears from routine operations to crisis management when disaster strikes. It is imperative that those in leadership have an understanding of the principles of healthcare emergency management to effectively prepare for and respond to these low frequency high acuity events. Nursing plays a significant role in healthcare leadership, with many high-level administrators coming from a nursing background. The Disaster Nursing Fellowship is the ideal educational program to provide necessary training and experience required for these leadership roles.

​Graduates of this program are prepared to take leadership roles in healthcare-focused emergency management activities, and are also trained in field disaster response. This allows for a more comprehensive understanding of the broader regional disaster operations involving multiple responding agencies, and how healthcare fits into that response. This fellowship training provides a path for nurses interested in disaster preparedness and response to take leadership positions in hospitals, healthcare systems, state and federal public health agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and international policy bodies like the World Health Organization and World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine. Disaster preparedness is the greatest service a public health system can provide for its patients, and through Disaster Nursing leadership, healthcare can fulfill its vital role in the overall regional disaster preparedness and response system.