Citation

Ponampalam R, Pong JZ, Wong XY. World J. Crit. Care Med. 2021; 10(5): 163-169.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Baishideng Publishing Group)

DOI

10.5492/wjccm.v10.i5.163

PMID

34616653

PMCID

PMC8462026

Abstract

Disasters resulting in mass casualty incidents can rapidly overwhelm the Emergency Department (ED). To address critical manpower needs in the ED's disaster response, medical student involvement has been advocated. Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School is in proximity to Singapore General Hospital and represents an untapped manpower resource. With appropriate training and integration into ED disaster workflows, medical students can be leveraged upon as qualified manpower. This review provides a snapshot of the conceptualization and setting up of the Disaster Volunteer Corps - a programme where medical students were recruited to receive regular training and assessment from emergency physicians on disaster response principles to fulfil specific roles during a crisis, while working as part of a team under supervision. We discuss overall strategy and benefits to stakeholders, emphasizing the close symbiotic relationship between academia and healthcare services.

Language: en

Keywords

Disaster response; Medical education; Disaster medicine; Medical students; Volunteers