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Leavitt, Suzanne E.

Nursing

2005

MS

The purpose of this study was to determine how the events of September 11, 2001 (9/11) have impacted the role of public health nurses in emergency response. This exploratory descriptive study addresses how the events of 9/11 changed the role of the public health nurse in emergency response. The data collection tool utilizes the emergency preparedness core competencies developed by Gebbie (Gebbie & Merrill, 2002). These competencies were used to develop survey questions for public health nurses to evaluate their competency in emergency preparedness prior to and after 9/11. The survey was distributed to public health nurses via two email listserves. Demographic data were analyzed and the percentages for each response category of emergency response preparedness prior to and after 9/11 was calculated along with the mean and the standard deviation. The student's t-test was used to compare means for each competency from the two time periods. The reliability of the instrument was established using Cronbach's Alpha. The result of this survey illustrate that the competency level of the public health nurse in emergency response has changed following the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center Towers and the Pentagon on September, 2001. This study establishes a baseline of knowledge of the self reported emergency response competency level of a sample of public health nurses.