Nursing students' perceptions about disaster nursing.

Man-made or natural disasters are occurring more frequently in the United States and around the world. It is important that all nurses in all specialties be prepared to care for people affected by disasters. This article reports a descriptive study that sought to explore nursing students' perceptions about disaster nursing and to use the findings to suggest recommendations for building the discipline of disaster nursing. Results of this study indicate that nursing students had the following gaps of knowledge regarding disaster nursing: (1) an incomplete definition of disaster nursing; (2) lack of recognition about the importance of knowing community resources, having mock disaster drills, and utilizing disaster planning models; and (3) lack of perception that all nurses could play a significant role in disaster situations. The authors recommend that disaster nursing be taught by nursing faculty as a specialty in nursing programs.