How to be Prepared as a Disaster Nursing – An Interview Study With Nursing Students in Indonesia

Background: Indonesia is home to approximately 400 active volcanoes located on three different tectonic plates, which put it at risk of natural disasters. Accordingly, healthcare in emergencies and disasters is of great importance in Indonesia. Therefore, this study aimed at describing nursing students’ experiences of nursing education in disaster nursing in a university in Indonesia. Materials and Methods: This qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach was conducted by semi-structured interviews with eight nursing students from a university in Indonesia. Results: One category, namely, “Being prepared for a natural disaster”, and three subcategories, namely, “Feeling prepared in nursing”, “Managing limitations in nursing education” and “Managing uncertainty in nursing”, were identified. Nursing students considered that theory in disaster nursing was valuable; however, they lacked reality-based education to feel be prepared to perform the required tasks as forthcoming nurses. Conclusion: Increased and repeated practical training using case studies in nursing education is important for improving nursing students’ preparedness in disaster nursing