The state of emergency preparedness and disaster management response education and training in American medical schools: Preparing the future generations of medical professionals

Evaluation of a Disaster Preparedness Curriculum and Medical Students’ Views on Preparedness Education Requirements for Health Professionals

“…Most interestingly, concerning questions about previous training, over the course of the curriculum, over 70% of participants consistently believed that “disaster preparedness and management [training activities] be mandatory for license renewal.” 12 Although most entered the curriculum with limited previous disaster training and emergency drill experience, the importance of preparedness concepts may have been extremely relevant to them as the global pandemic was a recent event. They saw physicians, frontline providers in a disaster, 4 manage pandemic treatment and may have perceived a high need for all physicians to learn and continue to practice preparedness and response skills— readying for the next emergency.…”

“…3 Because physicians provide care on the front lines in disasters, and medical students possess some crucial skills that may be of assistance in disaster situations, medical students should be offered more training in disaster preparedness and response during their medical education. 4 Training generally supplemented the core curriculum and demonstrated improvements in student disaster knowledge, attitude, and skill, with a couple noting increases in student perceived willingness to volunteer in some form during an emergency. Training taught through both didactic and clinical methods, including practical exercises, simulations, and crisis awareness activities, was deemed best practice.…”