Mass Casualty Scenario – Case Study Assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to further explore professional nursing practice through the lens of global health and technology / informatics. You will read a scenario and then answer four related questions.  Each question should be one paragraph in the paper. You may need to outside resources to support your answers.

This will be a written paper (minimum of 4 pages including the title page – so 2 pages of content with 1 page the title page and 1 page the Reference page) with a thorough response to each question with title page (reference page is required).

Scenario:

You have just arrived for your 7P to 7A shift at the level one trauma center where you have worked for 2 years as a registered nurse.  The charge nurse summons you into a room where you find the rest of the staff huddled around a cell phone on the stretcher.  The voice (a federal law official) coming through the phone is explaining what sounds to be like a bad situation.  There is a hijacked airplane, coming from Egypt, being escorted by the military to your local international airport with 276 passengers and crew. There is potential that the aircraft will crash upon landing due to the short runways, however, if it lands safely, you are told that the hijackers have released an unknown substance throughout the plane which has caused passengers and crew to experience shortness of breath, headaches, blurry vision and hypersalivation.  Federal and state resources have been staged at the airport and are preparing for the worst.  Your hospital is the closest facility and will be caring for the majority of the patient’s and potentially, the rescuers.  As the phone call ends, the charge nurse, along with several of the hospital’s administration, inform you that you will be activating the hospital’s mass casualty plan.  In the event that the plane lands safely and the scene becomes secured, there is going to be a major surge in your ED’s patient population.  Please answer the questions below regarding the scenario.

1. What is a mass casualty situation and how do you define it?
2. Provided that there is a variety of cultures and creeds represented by the airplane passengers, what strategies would you employ ion caring for these patients in a globally sensitive, and culturally aware manner?
3. What are some triage tools that could be used to assure that these patient’s are properly cared for by the correct healthcare team? How does technology play a role in getting this accomplished?
4. As the situation unfolds, you are told that no staff is allowed to leave, given the current crisis. What are your thoughts on being mandated to stay in situations like these?  How do you help some of your distraught co-workers cope with the thought of being “required” to stay?

The process is provided below.

• A title page is required and NOT INCLUDED in the minimum page count. (Reference page is required).
• Be sure to answer all of the questions with sufficient detail (providing examples, etc.)

Summary / Concluding Paragraph:

Describe how working through this scenario might prepare you for a mass casualty scenario in real-world nursing practice?  What did you learn? What do you plan to incorporate into your professional practice because of this exercise?

Misc. Notes:

The paper will be graded using the Writing Rubric.

Writing Rubric / Grading Criteria

Definition and (Possible Points)
APA (10)	0-4	5-7	8-10
Title page headings, citations &reference page (if required), font, layout, margins.	Several errors in title page, headings, citations, reference page, font, layout, and/or margins that are minimal distractions but do not affect overall flow and readability of the paper.	Minimal APA errors in title page, headings, citations, reference page, font, layout, and/or margins that do not distract from the content or readability of the paper.	Consistent adherence to APA criteria in title page, headings, citations, and/or reference page. Font, layout, and/or margins adhere to APA format.
Introduction (10)	0-4	5-7	8-10
	The introduction does state the paper’s purpose but is convoluted and not engaging. The introduction does not clearly state the topic or preview the structure and content of the paper.	. The introduction states the main topic but does not adequately preview the structure of the paper.	The introduction clearly describes and states the main topic and previews the structure and content of the paper.
Organization / Structure (10)	0-4	5-7	8-10
	Poor organization, some ideas are not fully or consistently developed. Transitions are awkward at times but the flow not maintained.	Writer demonstrates logical sequencing of ideas through well-developed paragraphs; transitions sometimes used to enhance organization.	Writer demonstrates logical and subtle sequencing of ideas through well-developed paragraphs; transitions used to enhance organization and flow of information.
Body (40)	0-13	14-27	28-40
	Required content not developed with background and the current state of the clinical evidence.	Some required content systematically developed with background and the current state of the clinical evidence.	All required content is thoughtfully and systematically developed and relevant with background and the current state of the clinical evidence.
Conclusion (10)	0-4	5-7	8-10
	The conclusion does not summarizes the contents of the paper.	The conclusion summarizes the contents of the paper but does not effectively summarize the significant conclusions in an interesting manner.	The conclusion reviews the main points of the paper and clearly and effectively summarizes significant conclusions in an interesting manner.
References (10)	0-4	5-7	8-10
	Number and quality of references does not meet syllabus / guideline expectations.	Number and quality of references meets syllabus / guideline expectations.	Number and quality of references exceeds syllabus / guideline expectations.
Grammar / Spelling (10)	0-4	5-7	8-10
	Greater than 11 errors in punctuation, capitalization, spelling, sentence structure, or word usage with minimal impact on or distraction from the content of the paper.	6-10 errors in punctuation, capitalization, spelling, sentence structure, or word usage, which do not affect or distract from the content of the paper.	5 or less errors in punctuation, capitalization, or spelling. No errors in sentence structure or word usage.