American
Association of Colleges of Nursing Leads Efforts to
Further the Education of Nurses to Combat Bioterrorism
AACN
Represents Nursing Education at Capital Hill Forum on Bioterrorism
Held Today with Leaders of National Health Care Associations
WASHINGTON, D.C., November 1, 2001 - The American Association
of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) applauds Senators Bill Frist
(R-TN) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) for their recognition of
the important role health professionals play in caring for
victims of bioterrorism. AACN is pleased to join with the
Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and other
national organizations to better prepare health care professionals
to respond to bioterrorism and other mass casualty events.
AACN believes that every effort must be made to prepare both
practicing health professionals and students in the educational
pipeline to respond to emergency situations.
Nurses
along with other health care providers will be on the front
lines of any emergency response effort. AACN recognizes that
nurses must be educated as responders to nuclear, biological,
and chemical mass casualty events. Therefore, AACN is working
through strategic partnerships and collaborative efforts to
identify competencies to address these needs.
International
Nursing Coalition for Mass Casualty Education
Since
March 2001, AACN has been actively involved in the International
Nursing Coalition for Mass Casualty Education (INCMCE), a
group of national nursing, accrediting, and health organizations
convened to create the resources needed to train nurses to
provide emergency care during bioterrorism-related mass casualty
events. Though nursing has always been a key part of the nation's
emergency response system, many currently practicing nurses
have no training in or experience with emergency preparedness.
The goals of the Coalition are to:
- Increase
awareness and knowledge of all nurses about weapons of mass
destruction and bioterrorism-related mass casualty events
that could result from school or workplace violence, bombs
or radiation release, or disasters of a nuclear, biological,
or chemical nature;
- Design
competencies for integration into nursing education for
students and continuing nursing education for practicing
nurses as well as advanced practice content for nurses who
will play strategic or leadership roles in response to bioterrorism,
and;
- Establish
a clearinghouse for information and Web links for nurses
about weapons of mass destruction and bioterrorism-related
mass casualty events.
AACN,
in its work with INCMCE, is leading the efforts to develop
competencies for both practicing nurses and those new to the
profession to prepare them to respond effectively to bioterrorism
or other mass casualty events. AACN staff is leading the efforts
of a wide array of specialty groups to develop competencies
for nurses in emergency rooms, critical care settings, community
health care agencies, and other settings to assure that nurses
are prepared to provide quick response in times of bioterrorism
emergencies. AACN will also work to assure that the programs
of study preparing basic and advanced practice nurses are
incorporating these important elements into the curriculum.
Formed
by Vanderbilt University with support from the Office of Emergency
Preparedness, the INCMCE includes representatives from the
military, public health agencies, accrediting and regulatory
bodies, the practice community, and law enforcement agencies
including the FBI. AACN in collaboration with the Coalition
has made a commitment to research the issues related to bioterrorism-related
mass casualty events fully, locate interested partners, establish
standards, and share vital information on a national and international
level.
Reaching
Out to the Larger Health Care Community
To further
support the preparation of nurses, AACN is exploring ways
to link with other national groups around the country engaged
in emergency response education. AACN welcomes the opportunity
to participate in the AAMC-sponsored Health Education Coalition
on Bioterrorism scheduled for November 28, 2001 to develop
a collective educational response to biological, radiation,
and chemical terrorism. The association is also monitoring
federal response efforts and actively seeking out new ways
to:
- Disseminate
competencies and curricular models to the nation's nursing
schools;
- Focus
attention on nursing in the national discussion on the education
of emergency responders;
- Enhance
the association's Web site and email newsletter to share
key links and Internet resources with the larger nursing
community;
- Communicate
regularly with schools about national efforts to prepare
for and respond to bioterrorism-related mass casualty events;
- Host
discussions and issues forums at AACN's conferences and
meetings; and
- Seek
out federal and private funding sources to improve nursing
education in the area of emergency response.
AACN is
very concerned about the current state of nursing education
and believes that all nurses must receive training to respond
to nuclear, biological, and chemical emergencies as part of
their basic education.
The American Association of
Colleges of Nursing is the national voice for university and
four-year-college education programs in nursing. Representing
more than 570 member schools of nursing at public and private
institutions nationwide, AACN's educational, research, governmental
advocacy, data collection, publications, and other programs
work to establish quality standards for bachelor's- and graduate-degree
nursing education, assist deans and directors to implement
those standards, influence the nursing profession to improve
health care, and promote public support of baccalaureate and
graduate nursing education, research, and practice. See http://www.aacn.nche.edu.
CONTACT: Robert Rosseter
(202) 463-6930, x231
rrosseter@aacn.nche.edu
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