Nursing Students Get Red Cross Disaster Training
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| Red Cross volunteer instructor, Kathy Wawryzniak, RN, presented a day-long workshop for NHTI nursing students on Red Cross response to disasters and the role of healthcare professionals. |
CONCORD - Mar 16, 2007 - The entire graduating class of nurses from the NH Technical Institute (NHTI) learned about disaster response and how to become a Red Cross disaster volunteer.
On February 9, in a first-ever collaboration between NHTI, the chapter in Concord and a volunteer instructor from the Central VT & NH Valley Chapter, 87 nursing students participated in the day-long workshop on the operation of a disaster relief event, the essential roles of health professionals and how to develop a plan of action for further involvement in Red Cross Disaster Health Services. The clinical workshop was a series of presentations, class discussions and small group activities where participants resolve complex disaster scenarios.
After this course, the students met with the chapter's volunteer director in Concord and prepare a written plan describing their actions for further volunteer involvement in Disaster Health Services.
"This workshop was an excellent opportunity for healthcare professionals to learn the importance of a disaster response," said Susan Rivet, Director of Volunteer Services for the Concord Area Chapter & Greater White Mountain CSDU. "We hope that several of these nurses will choose to continue as disaster volunteers with the Red Cross."
The American Red Cross offers the "Health Services Response Workshop" to prepare licensed or certified health professionals for volunteer work in Red Cross services either in their local chapter jurisdiction or to be deployed to other areas needing help in major disasters.
Shirley Rennie, Director of NHTI Health Services and Professor of Nursing, came up with the idea for this course after meeting with disaster services staff from the Concord Area Chapter. The February course was a pilot project; the chapter looks forward to continuing this partnership with NHTI to offer this clinical/volunteer opportunity.
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