Content area
Background
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and the Future of Nursing 2030 report emphasize the need for nursing students' competence in disaster care. Academic service-learning is a practical pedagogical approach for developing these skills that bolsters population health and leadership competencies.
Method
The Red Cross developed nine Academic Service-Learning (AS-L) modules that integrate training and hands-on experiences in disaster preparedness, response and recovery, well-being, diverse blood donation, case management, and immunizations and global health. Self-scored pre- and postquestions were developed to assess students' knowledge and confidence in skill application.
Results
Ongoing evaluation shows promising preliminary results in student learning and community engagement. Active faculty participation significantly improved student learning outcomes.
Conclusion
The Red Cross AS-L initiative augments nursing students' disaster and community health competencies through practical training and immersive experiences that align with evolving health care needs and AACN competencies. [J Nurs Educ. 2025;64(4):265–268.]
Details
Critical Thinking;
Educational Development;
Competence;
Nurses;
Curriculum Development;
National Programs;
Emergency Programs;
Experiential Learning;
Nursing Education;
Active Learning;
Educational Methods;
Armed Forces;
Interpersonal Competence;
Leadership Role;
Educational Change;
Medical Evaluation;
Faculty Development;
Decision Making Skills;
Health Needs;
Labor Force Development;
Cultural Awareness;
Learner Engagement;
Educational Facilities Improvement;
Educational Strategies
Students;
Nursing education;
Collaboration;
Curricula;
Leadership;
Learning activities;
Blood & organ donations;
Immunization;
Nurses;
Armed forces;
Active learning;
Emergency preparedness;
Knowledge;
Service learning;
Workforce;
Community service;
Disasters;
Critical thinking;
Forest & brush fires;
Mass casualty incidents;
Clinical outcomes;
Health care;
Public health