Nurses have experienced some of the most intense moments in nursing history during the COVID-19 pandemic. They worked to protect the public, often at the risk of their own physical and mental health. Yet, many nurses expressed that they did not feel equipped or trained to respond to this pandemic.

Nurses are on the frontline of public health emergencies, including pandemics, environmental disasters, and mass casualty events. The nursing workforce must be prepared to respond to these events, and be protected as they respond. In this episode, frontline nurses share about their experiences responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and other public health emergencies, and explore how nurses should be strengthened, prepared, and protected for the next emergency.

In this episode, we hear from:

Angela Gray, public health nurse, Nursing Director for Berkeley County and Morgan County Health Departments

Dr. Michael McGinnis, Leonard D. Schaeffer Executive Officer of the National Academy of Medicine

Dr. Roberta Lavin, nurse practitioner, Professor and PhD Program Director at The University of New Mexico

Derek DaSilva, intensive care unit nurse

Marcus Henderson, psychiatric mental health nurse

For more information on this topic, we encourage you to read The Future of Nursing Report 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. You can access the full report here.

The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the official policies, recommendations, and stances of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.