1. Nurses can have various important roles in response to disaster emergencies.

1. Nurses can have various important roles in response to disaster emergencies. During disaster emergencies, the need for healthcare services may increase, depending on the nature and severity of the disaster. According to Northeastern University (2023), nurses are key during disaster emergencies as they can fill many diverse roles such as triage and assessment, infection control and disease prevention, direct medical treatment, mental health support, etc. The specific legal requirements for nurses or health care practitioners to respond to disaster can differ from state to state. Some states may legally require nurses to report for duty during disaster emergencies, while others may take volunteers. While most states have set aside plans to be activated during emergencies, most rely on other local health related departments to deploy personnel. In the state of California, public workers and emergency responders such as police officers and firefighters may be required to report for duty. According to the Emergency Management Department of LA County (n.d.), all public employees in the State of California are considered disaster service workers, meaning they are required to work as a disaster service worker during times of emergency. Public workers take an oath or affirmation prior to resuming employment duties acknowledging their duty and willingness to upholding and protecting the constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of California (n.d.).
References
A nurse’s responsibility in a disaster. Northeastern. (2023, January 20). https://absn.northeastern.edu/blog/nurses-responsi…
Disaster Service Worker Program for Public Employees. Disaster Service Worker Program for Public Employees | Emergency Management Department. (n.d.). https://emergency.lacity.gov/dsw/disaster-service-…
2. In California, “A licensed nurse who, in good faith, provides emergency care at the scene of an emergency which occurs outside the nurse’s employment will not be held legally responsible for acting or failing to act. They can be held legally responsible if acting with extreme carelessness”(ELI, para. 1, 2022). The law does not require nurses to respond in disaster situations. In terms of contractual responsibility, “However, nurses not only have an ethical obligation to care for others but also to care for themselves. Provision 5 of the Code states that the nurse owes the same duty to self as to others. This conflict of obligation is especially prominent during times of disaster when nurses are put in the position to provide care to critically ill or wounded patients for extended periods of time”(ANA, para. 1, 2023). Nurses must care for others, but must also care for themselves and their well-being during times of emergency. It is a complicated situation, but a nurse must use their best judgment and decide how to act, whether it’s helping others or helping themselves and their family. Before, I was not very familiar with the nursing laws in California, but I have been going through several articles and will put these laws into memory. I need to know these laws because if I work in California, I need to know what actions to take during a disaster and if I’m making the right choice according to the laws of California. Overall, it’s important to know the nursing laws of your state, what laws apply during a disaster, and understand the legal and ethical choices a nurse must make at the time.
EmergencyLawInventroy. Displaying information for Nurse located in California for State of Emergency. (n.d.). https://legalinventory.pitt.edu/display-laws?role=Nurse&state=CA&scenario=State+of+Emergency&exportpdf#:~:text=Enforcement%2C%20EMT%2C%20or%20RN&text=A%20firefighter%2C%20law%20enforcement%20officer,acting%20or%20failing%20to%20acLinks to an external site..
Nurses’ roles and responsibilities in – ana enterprise. Who will be there? (n.d.). https://www.nursingworld.org/~4af078/globalassets/docs/ana/ethics/endoflife-positionstatement.pdf