1. Core Competencies for Disaster Nursing
This research aims to clarify fundamental competencies for disaster nursing practice
to be achieved upon completion of fundamental nursing education. This research
process comprises the following stages.
Stage 1: Development of the framework
The framework of fundamental competencies was developed based on the framework
described in a report of the nursing education study group of the Ministry of
Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan ("Achievement Targets
for Undergraduate Students upon Graduation, toward Enhanced Practical Nursing
Skills and Abilities") as well as the "ICN Framework of Competencies for Generalist
Nurses," developed by the International Council of Nurses and "Educational
Competencies for Registered Nurses Responding to Mass Casualty Incidents,"
developed by the International Nursing Coalition for Mass Casualty Education
(INCMCE).
Stage 2: Identification and structuring of the contents
Stage 2 is to identify and structure the contents of fundamental competencies. The
contents were identified and structured through repeated discussions among
researchers who have experience in disaster nursing practice, based on existing
documents, disaster nursing activity reports, and disaster nursing care guidelines
developed by the Nursing Care Methods Development Project of the COE Program.
Framework and contents of fundamental competencies
Fundamental competencies are expressed as the results of integrating knowledge,
skills and judgment, and in line with the definition of "Competency" by ICN.a
Fundamental competencies are roughly classified into five categories, as shown in
Figure 1. Each of these five fields can be further classified into two to seven
subcategories. Each of these subcategories comprises detailed items that explain the
contents.
a ICN defines "competency" as a level of activity that expresses an effective
application of knowledge, skill, and judgment.