Emergency Preparedness

Emergency Preparedness Hospitals are required to have an emergency preparedness plan in place.

You should receive proper training regarding your responsibilities in the event of an emergency. Emergencies can range from minor to severe, and you should feel prepared to handle whatever may come your way. If you don’t feel that you have received proper training, alert your supervisor or human resource department and ask for additional trainings.

Types of emergencies  Weather related emergency- many people remember Hurricane Katrina. This was a disaster that was in fact predicted ahead of time alerting the public and officials, and yet the level of preparedness was minimal at best. The main issue was that no one anticipated the severity of this disaster. Hospitals were flooded, as staff tried to evacuate patients there were no means of transportation, nowhere to take the patient’s and highways were blocked as evacuations were underway. Patients lost their lives, medical personnel lost their licenses and careers based on responses. Regardless of where the blame lies it did not work, this emergency preparedness plan was inadequate for this big of a situation. Lessons were learned regarding this disaster, and when hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast hospitals and medical facilities were much better prepared. Preparing yourself personally for a weather related emergency means making sure you have adequate supplies for 2 to 3 days straight if needed. Packing a small emergency bag filled with change of clothes, deodorant, other essentials, and don’t forget several days worth of required medications. Anything that you use on a daily basis, pack a version of it, it can be a small sample size run a small bottle just have it ready to take with you if a weather disaster is predicted. Make sure you arrange for childcare or pet care in advance in case you are not able to return home for several days. 

Medical emergencies can literally shut a hospital down. It may become necessary to isolate and restrict comings and goings. Depending on which side of the isolation you happen to be on, you could be required to remain in place for several days. Have a list of contacts on your phone just in case an emergency of this type should occur. Call appropriate names and make any arrangements necessary so that you can concentrate on the emergency in hand. Again, having that extra bag of emergency items can come in handy. If possible store this extra

bag at work, and replace items every now and then as needed.

Related: Understanding and Preventing Hospital-Acquired Infections 

Unfortunately, emergencies can now come in the form of attacks, either domestic or terroristic. Your facility should have trained you and what to do in the event of an emergency. No one should live in fear, however, being aware of your surroundings and reporting suspicious behavior is simply the way of the world, and could assure the safety of many.

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Always keep a small flashlight on hand. In the event of a power outage generators should kick in, however, it may take several minutes and depending on your patient that could seem like a lifetime. Having an adequate lighting supply will assure you can see what you’re doing them a calm patient.

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Don’t forget emergencies that can occur in route to and from work.

Having a few supplies in your vehicle could save your life, or the life of someone else.

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A first-aid kit, don’t forget to change supplies as they become outdated

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Jumper cables

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A gallon jug of water (during winter weather)

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Blankets, hats, and gloves (during winter weather)

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Snacks, such as crackers and nuts, anything, in the event you are stranded.

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If you live near water, a window break device is very important.

Should your vehicle become submerged, you can use this device to escape, saving valuable time trying to determine a way out.

Related: The Top 10 Complaints from Nurses Much of emergency preparedness is based on common sense; however, if you have not encountered an emergency it’s often difficult to realize just how bad things can be. Pay close attention to trainings and seminars regarding emergency preparedness, and make a list yourself of possible scenarios and what you may need for yourself and even others around you.

Don’t forget the list of contacts that you may need to alert regarding family obligations, including pets.

In the event of an emergency in a hospital or medical facility, remember the patients look to you for security. It’s important that you can remain calm and know that you have everything taken care of, so that you can assure the patient that you have as much control as possible. Some simple measures and a little planning can make everything snap in place in the event of an emergency.

Related: Leading Registered Nurse, Hope Hutslar, RN, will be Honorably Mentioned in the Worldwide Leaders in Healthcare Please follow us on Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest and Twitter