Every day it seems there is another disaster in the news. Hurricanes, floods, wildfires, earthquakes, shootings, bomb explosions and infectious outbreaks leave horrible destruction and loss in their wake and nearly always require the services of doctors and other health care professionals.
As a prospective medical student, it's a fair question to ask the medical schools where you are applying what they offer in terms of disaster preparedness. But keep in mind that not all offer robust training in this area.
After 9/11, the Association of American Medical Colleges along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that medical schools work with other health care disciplines to prepare students for bioterrorism. As part of disaster-response training, some schools have set up lectures, online modules and practice sessions based on hypothetical chemical spills, mass transit casualties and other accidental events.
Over time, shootings at high schools and colleges have led to active shooter response training. Today active shooter response training sessions are required in many hospitalsand medical schools, including Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeonsand Case Western Reserve University's School of Medicine.
In 2012, an article in the journal Prehospital and Disaster Medicine estimated that about 20 percent of the medical schools surveyed required some type of disaster training coursework. For example, since 2002, first-year medical students at Thomas Jefferson University's Sidney Kimmel Medical College have been required to take disaster training.
But while only a small percentage require this training, some schools have developed voluntary courses. Texas A&M Health Science Center, for example, hosts a Disaster Day each year to train prospective medical students.
The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine previously taught medical students by randomly assigning them to various professions, such as physician, nurse, transporter or social worker. This approach was helpful to understand more clearly what others in diverse roles would be doing and how to support them. Teams of four would then compete to see how efficiently they could correctly treat their assigned group of patients.
Naturally, everyone hopes that disaster preparedness won't be necessary, but there are few, if any, who feel the plans aren't critical. Many medical students are eager for disaster training, and given that disasters are an increasingly common occurrence, it is clear that medical schools need to provide such training.
Be sure to inquire at the medical schools you're considering about the disaster-preparedness training they may offer. If the schools don't currently offer training in this area, don't hesitate to ask what, if any, plans they have to add courses on this topic.
If you land at a school that doesn't offer such training, consider taking a course in emergency medicine. Most schools also have interest groups in every specialty in which students match in their final year, and emergency medicine should be among them.
Disaster medicine and emergency preparedness residencies and fellowships are likewise available once you complete medical school.
Finally, once enrolled in medical school, consider asking emergency department personnel who is in charge of disaster planning. You could ask to meet with them and request they present to the class. You could also inquire about observing a planned drill.
The bottom line: If you have a particular interest in disaster training, you may have to seek out opportunities or even create them yourself. Although this requires extra work, your efforts will not only enhance your own knowledge and skills but also build your reputation as a leader. source: usnews
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