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Volunteer Opportunities for Registered Nurses
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Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMATs)
Medical Reserve Corps - White House Volunteer Initiative
American Red Cross (Red Cross)
Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMATs)
The National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), through the U.S. Public Health Service, fosters the development of Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMATs). A DMAT is a group of thirty-five professional and paraprofessional medical personnel designed to provide emergency medical care during a disaster or other event. DMATs deploy to
disaster sites with sufficient supplies and equipment to sustain themselves for 72 hours
while providing medical care at a fixed or temporary medical care site. In mass casualty
incidents, their responsibilities include triaging patients, providing austere medical care,
and preparing patients for evacuation. In other types of situations, DMATs may provide
primary health care and/or may serve to augment overloaded local health care staffs.
Under the rare circumstances that disaster victims are evacuated to a different locale to
receive definitive medical care, DMATs may be activated to support patient reception and
disposition of patients to hospitals. DMATs are designed to be a rapid-response element
to supplement local medical care until other Federal or contract resources can be
mobilized, or the situation is resolved. In addition to the DMATs, teams have also been established in the following specialty
areas: burn; pediatrics; crush medicine; mental health; veterinary medicine; mortuary
services; management; and weapons of mass destruction. DMAT members are required to maintain appropriate certifications and licensure within
their discipline. When members are activated as Federal employees, licensure and
certification is recognized by all States. Additionally, DMAT members are paid while
serving as part-time federal employees and have the protection of the Federal Tort Claims
Act in which the Federal Government becomes the defendant in the event of a
malpractice claim. Additional information:
Medical Reserve Corps - White House Volunteer Initiative
During the State of the Union address, President Bush launched USA Freedom Corps. The goal of this initiative is to provide opportunities and create incentives for Americans to become involved in serving their communities and country through volunteering. Specific to health care providers, this opportunity could come through the community-based Medical Reserve Corpswhich are now under development. The objective of the Medical Reserve Corps is to harness the strength of healthcare professionals to augment
local health care capacity during an emergency. This project is being managed under the
auspices of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of
Health and Human Services. Additional Information:
American Red Cross (Red Cross)
The American Red Cross (Red Cross) responds to more than 67,000 disasters per year. While
some are very large, high-profile events, most are single-family disasters such as fires.
Regardless of the type and size of the disaster, the first Red Cross responders are from the local
chapters. Assistance from neighboring chapters, or even from across the country will be
provided if a disaster is too large for a local unit to handle. Consequently, registered nurses
wanting to become involved with Red Cross normally start at the local Red Cross chapter, where
they can receive the appropriate training and gain local experience. All disaster workers must be current in first aid and take an introductory course, Introduction to Disaster Services. This course, which can be done as a home study or as a 3-hour course in a classroom setting, is a prerequisite for all other disaster training. For Disaster Health Services (DHS), there are two specific courses: Disaster Health Services Overview(3.5 hours, home study option) and Disaster Health Services Simulation (full day). Registered nurses must also have current CPR certification. Those registered nurses with experience and training in mental health may want to take the two-day course, Disaster Mental Health Services. In addition, there are numerous other training opportunities for other roles within a disaster situation, i.e., damage assessment and public affairs. Registered nurses serving in DHS or Disaster Mental Health Services must have an active
nursing license to practice in a specific state or territory. While individuals from a variety of
health disciplines are recruited to work in DHS, registered nurses and physicians are the only
ones who can assume supervisory positions in this function. The Red Cross is currently studying
ways in which to expand the use of advanced practice registered nurses in disaster preparedness
and response. he length of time for deployment is dependent on whether the event is a local disaster or in
another area. If the assignment is away from the local chapter area, the Red Cross strongly
prefers at least a two-week commitment to the deployment. This time frame allows for a
sufficient orientation to the disaster site and work time to make the deployment feasible from a
fiscal and administrative perspective. he Red Cross offers many opportunities for registered nurses. For example, registered nurses
with extensive Red Cross disaster experience may be recruited for key leadership positions and
special assignments, such as the Aviation Incident Response Team, which is trained to respond
to aviation disasters, and to implement Red Cross responsibilities under the Federal Family
Assistance Plan for Aviation Disasters. Other selected opportunities with the Red Cross within
disaster preparedness and response are as follows: Additional Information: American Red Cross
12300 Twinbrook Parkway, Suite 360
Rockville, Maryland 20853
Telephone - 1-800-USA-NDMS
Fax - 301-443-5146 or 1-800-USA-KWIK
www.usafreedomcorps.gov.
www.citizencorps.gov/medical.html.
www.redcross.org
Click on "Find your Red Cross" and enter your zip code
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