Abstract
Healthcare students are key resources after nuclear disasters. Healthcare students at Fukushima Medical University volunteered after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima nuclear accident. At the time of the disaster, healthcare students, who were in a position between medical and non-medical people, listened to the various concerns and worries of victims. Specifically, they established the Fukushima WILL – a disaster medical club. These activities have continued for about 10 years after the Fukushima disaster. In this paper, we introduce lessons from and perspectives for healthcare student volunteer activities during disasters. When volunteering, healthcare students needed to acquire sufficient medical knowledge and skills as well as display effective communication skills considering the background of the affected people. In addition, to respond to potential future disasters, healthcare students need to proactively, independently, and repeatedly learn about diseases that are likely to occur in shelters and how to prevent them. Seminars and workshops should be implemented to ensure students are taught these lessons and provided daily training on disaster response.
Highlights
Healthcare students at Fukushima Medical University volunteered after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima nuclear accident
The Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, subsequent tsunami, and the nuclear power plant accident resulted in massive human losses (i.e., 15 899 direct deaths; 2529 missing persons as of June 10, 2020 (National Police Agency, 2020); indirect deaths (3739 as of December 27, 2019 (Reconstruction Agency, 2019)) and economic damage to capital stock (16–25 trillion Japanese yen; 130–200 billion Euro (Cabinet Office, 2011))
Anderson et al (2016) investigated Fukushima Medical University (FMU) students and found that the experience of volunteering after the Great East Japan Earthquake was associated with enhancing personal growth but not negative psychological effects, making healthcare students a potentially essential resource for volunteering in the aftermath of a major disaster
Summary
The Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, subsequent tsunami, and the nuclear power plant accident resulted in massive human losses (i.e., 15 899 direct deaths; 2529 missing persons as of June 10, 2020 (National Police Agency, 2020); indirect deaths (3739 as of December 27, 2019 (Reconstruction Agency, 2019)) and economic damage to capital stock (16–25 trillion Japanese yen; 130–200 billion Euro (Cabinet Office, 2011)). Natural and nuclear disasters forced the evacuation of some residents in Miyagi, Iwate, and Fukushima prefectures. This catastrophic event had a severe and ongoing impact on the physical and mental health of the local population through changes in living conditions and other factors (Kako et al, 2014). Anderson et al (2016) investigated FMU students and found that the experience of volunteering after the Great East Japan Earthquake was associated with enhancing personal growth but not negative psychological effects, making healthcare students a potentially essential resource for volunteering in the aftermath of a major disaster. As the importance of healthcare students’ volunteer activities in disaster situations is increasing, it is essential to. We discuss the lessons learned from and perspectives for healthcare volunteer activities during a nuclear disaster
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