CDP training helps nurse through pandemic
Artemiza Vega, a nurse and clinical supervisor at Dignity Health St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Artemiza Vega, a nurse and clinical supervisor for emergency services at Dignity Health St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, relied on training she received from FEMA’s Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) to help manage intake and treatment of patients at the facility.
In 2018 and 2019, Vega attended the CDP’s Hospital Emergency Response Training for Mass Casualty Incidents (HERT), Framework for Healthcare Emergency Management (FRAME), Healthcare Leadership for Mass Casualty Incidents (HCL) and Personal Protective Measures for Biological Events (PPMB) courses.
“I developed a true appreciation for the incident command system and how it is focused on unity and working toward a goal of collaboration with different agencies. It helped me better understand why we needed to be collectively prepared, because a disaster happens to the whole community,” said Vega.
When COVID-19 came to her area in 2020, Vega had one day to create a plan to triage and treat COVID patients, while maintaining the safety of other patients and the hospital staff.
“My HERT training helped guide my decision-making process and identification of resources available to me. I used my training with HERT and HCL as the framework and adapted as needed,” she said.
As the number of patients grew, both clinical and non-clinical staff members from other units were assigned to Vega’s Emergency Department. She quickly transitioned to the use of Support Staff Job Action Sheets, detailing who staff members should report to and what tasks they were expected to perform.
In the past two years, Vega has completed the CDP’s Hazardous Materials Awareness Distance Learning, Hazardous Materials Operations and Barrier Precautions and Controls for Highly Infectious Disease courses.
“The education and training I received at the CDP have not only been used in developing a response to COVID, but it also helped me with everyday challenges in my department and increase efficiency,” she said, adding that personal accounts shared by instructors made the training more relatable to the students.