Linda MacIntyre
Opening Keynote
From impact to recovery: Preparing future nurses for their roles in disasters
This session explores disaster readiness and recovery, emphasizing ethical responsibilities of nurses and their roles before, during, and after disasters. Participants will examine practical approaches to disaster readiness, including personal preparedness, understanding local risks, and recognizing the value of knowing neighbors before emergencies occur. The presentation highlights learning effective triage strategies and the importance of assessing an individual’s strengths and listening to promote recovery. Attention is also given to nurses’ well-being, incorporating disaster education throughout the curricula, and how faculty readiness supports student learning and confidence in disaster nursing.
Jamla Rizek
Preparing nurses for the front line: A dialogue on disaster preparedness and response
This session provides an in-depth look at how nurses navigate mass casualty incidents and the complex landscape of disasters based on real-world scenarios. Participants will explore the essential phases of disaster response and recovery, gaining insight into the critical decision-making and coordination required in disaster settings. The presentation highlights the diverse and indispensable roles nurses play—from rapid assessment and lifesaving intervention for affected communities. Emphasis is placed on how faculty can prepare students for clinical readiness, interprofessional collaboration, and compassionate care, offering a comprehensive understanding of how nurses contribute to resilience and effective disaster management.
Michelle L. Aebersold
Debra Spunt Lecture
Building Grit: Using Immersive Resiliency Simulations to Enhance the Capacity to Rescue
This lecture will frame resilience as a capacity that is intentionally fostered through the purposeful design of simulation experiences. Nurse educators are in a unique position to create the learning environment to shape the ability of future nurses to
not just survive but thrive in a difficult and challenging healthcare landscape.
Drawing from my extensive experience in developing and facilitating immersive simulation experiences that span the topics of bullying, effective communication and teamwork, clinical decision making, disaster training, and responding to emergencies, this session provides a scalable roadmap for educators. Through stories and exemplars, I will outline a three-step process to use simulation-based education to develop 1) Grit (sustained vigilance), 2) Resilience (cognitive recovery) and 3) Moral courage (advocacy and speaking up for safety). By moving beyond surviving the storm toward thriving, this lecture challenges nurse educators to intentionally design simulation experiences to reshape resilience and recovery —preparing nurses not only to withstand complexity, but to act decisively and ethically when patient safety depends on it most.
