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As hurricane season peaks and nurses prepare for emergencies ranging from hurricanes and wildfires to other natural disasters, clinical readiness is only part of what they need. Nurses also need to prepare for how disasters can affect their own well-being.
Nurses involved in disaster response typically receive training and participate in drills designed to prepare them to care for patients during a crisis. But Kristi Reguin-Hartman, DNP, APRN, ACNS-BC, chief nursing officer for Sigma Nursing, says a significant training gap remains around nurse well-being.
“Nurses involved in disaster response and recovery are typically quite well-prepared clinically, including annual education and drills to review and incorporate new evidence-based information and best practices. However, there can be a significant professional training gap when it comes to nurse wellbeing,” Reguin-Hartman told Nurse Approved.
That gap can become particularly important during prolonged emergencies, when nurses may face increased workloads and repeated exposure to stressful or traumatic situations while remaining focused on caring for others.
To address that need, Sigma Nursing, in partnership with Johnson & Johnson, developed “Disaster to Recovery: Prioritizing Nurse Wellbeing,” a free program available to any nurse that provides 9.5 contact hours. The training focuses on the psychological, emotional, and ethical challenges nurses can face before, during, and after disasters.
Disaster Preparedness Starts Before the Emergency
Disaster preparation often emphasizes the clinical skills nurses need to respond to patient surges and rapidly changing conditions. Reguin-Hartman says psychological preparation should begin before a crisis, too.
“It is hard to plan for the unexpected, but we know that nurses will risk their own psychological and physical selves when they care for others. Courses like this, taken in advance of challenging situations, prepare nurses to be stronger going into a crisis, provide tools to sustain themselves while navigating the stressors and increased workload during a disaster, and even back-to-back crises, and facilitate a more holistic recovery afterward.”
The program uses a three-phase framework that begins before a disaster. In this first phase, nurses learn stress recognition, psychological readiness, and decision-making under uncertain conditions, while developing personalized resilience plans that address sleep, nutrition, social support, boundaries, and coping strategies.
“Building resilience is key, and we all know that doing our best to optimize sleep, nutrition and ongoing social support creates a strong foundation. What I love about this program is it helps nurses actually design that in a way that works for them,” Reguin-Hartman said.
Sigma has also made three 10-minute microlearning videos available on the course registration page, including one focused on developing a personal resilience plan.
When the Nurse Caring for Everyone Else Needs Help
During a disaster, recognizing when stress is becoming overwhelming can be difficult, particularly for nurses concentrating on immediate patient needs.
“When disasters strike, nurses are often primarily focused on caring for patients and others and addressing immediate situational needs. It can be very hard to take a step back from a critical event, and say, ‘How am I?’ But it might be easier to say to a trusted colleague, ‘How are you?’ and also ‘How do you see me doing?’”
Warning signs nurses should watch for can include anxiety, fatigue, hyperactivity, insomnia, and an overall feeling that something is not right, Reguin-Hartman said. Nurses who recognize those symptoms should reach out for help.
Peer support can be particularly important during and after difficult events.
“We need to keep our social connections strong, and having a trusted counterpart to debrief or sit in silence with after difficult events can be greatly beneficial,” she said.
During the disaster phase, the program covers Psychological First Aid principles, crisis communication, peer check-ins, micro-breaks, and strategies for coping during a shift. It also addresses ethical decision-making when resources are limited and offers leaders guidance on supporting team morale and mental health.
Recovery Does Not End When the Disaster Does
The effects of responding to a disaster may continue after the immediate emergency has passed.
The program’s post-disaster phase addresses grief, moral injury, trauma symptoms, and other post-disaster reactions, along with pathways to counseling and peer support. It also covers structured debriefing, mentoring, self-assessment, and long-term self-care planning.
The approach treats recovery as part of disaster preparedness rather than something to consider only after a crisis. For nurses, the takeaway is clear: prepare to enter an emergency, sustain themselves while caring for patients, and recognize when they may need support afterward.
Disaster Preparedness Is Not Just for Emergency Nurses
Reguin-Hartman says disaster preparedness should not be limited to nurses working in emergency departments or formal disaster-response roles.
“Nurses are widely regarded and trusted as leaders in their communities. So as the frequency and severity of natural disasters continues to rise, it is unfortunate but increasingly true that all nurses should really think about disaster preparedness and how to maintain their own wellness.”
The program is relevant to nurses working in disaster response and recovery, emergency and trauma care, critical care, flight and ground transport, medical-surgical nursing, pediatrics, public health and rural health, but Reguin-Hartman says its intended audience is broader.
“Our program is a powerful new addition to fully preparing all nurses, not just nurses working in disaster response & recovery, emergency and trauma, critical care, flight and ground transport, medical-surgical, pediatrics, public health, and rural health.”
For nurses who may suddenly find themselves responding to a hurricane, wildfire, or other emergency, preparation can begin long before the first patient arrives. That preparation should include not only how to care for patients during a crisis, but how to recognize when the nurse providing that care needs support, too.
