When it comes to disaster nursing a nurse must be prepared both professionally and personally, to take on any responsibility that they may face. A nurse can have many roles when it comes to a disaster and the role the nurse plays can change at any moment. Some of the few roles that a nurse can have during a disaster is being a leader, manager, or a team member. Another role of the nurse during a disaster is being able to communicate with other team members and victims. Communicating is a key aspect of providing proper care in any situation, especially during a disaster. The nurse should be able to communicate the status of patients and incoming patients with the proper team members. A nurse should also communicate to delegate task and what the priorities are during a disaster.

When I read this statement over, I had many different thoughts about this. If a disaster does take place a nurse needs to be prepared mentally, physically, and emotionally. Before a nurse can take care of patients, the nurse needs to take care of themselves. If a disaster were to happen, I think it would be important for the nurse to take a step back and have a self-talk before immediately jumping into the action. Once the nurse starts going there really is no time to stop and at the point the patient is the primary responsibility, so the nurse must prepare themselves in all aspects to be able to put the patient first.