Question

You are RN in charge of the emergency department when a local school shooting occurs. Your facility is expecting 20 victims with various injuries. Consider the role of the RN in managing this situation, including assembling the facility’s Critical Incident Team. Initial Discussion Post:

- Identify 3 members of the Critical Incident Team

- Discuss what their role would be during this mass casualty incident (MCI)

- Discuss the ETHICAL dilemmas that may develop during this situation and how you will manage them for yourself and your team

Answer 1

Ans.) The three members of the “Critical Incident Team” would include an experienced doctor, a nurse and a disaster medical officer.

Experienced Doctor – He/she will be responsible for first examination of the victims and make a decision that how the victims are treated. They will decide the best possible treatment for the victims at that time.

Nurse - Upon activation of the Emergency Management Plan, the Emergency Department Nurse will open the disaster cabinet. Nurse should have to be ready with all the necessary medication, equipments and other supplies.

Disaster Medical Officer – During the crisis, Disaster Medical Officer is in absolute direction of all accessible emergency clinic medicinal faculty and assets during a crisis. The ED Senior Attending Physician on obligation fills in as DMO until ICC is operational. His duties incorporates the executives of disaster tasks and work process, not to be supplanted by an expert or mandate of outside organizations taking an interest in said debacle at emergency hospital site.

In my opinion, during medical emergency, apart from everything the foremost important thing is to save the victims. At this time one should only think about how to save the victim without wasting any time on ethical dilemmas. Sometimes, situations are bit tricky but still I would suggest that saving life should be initial objective.