To learn more about volunteering for a disaster response team, visit www.ndms.fema.govjack.beall@dhs.gov
How to Prepare For Deployment
Dr. Joseph A. Scott, who serves on both a disaster medical assistance team and an international medical/surgical response team, offered tips for physicians preparing for deployment:
▸ Update your immunizations before heading into the field.
▸ Get packed. Physicians should carry cash, water, food, protective clothing, medications, flashlight, batteries, sleeping bag, gasoline, insect repellent, and their credentials, Dr. Scott said. Credit cards will be useless if the power is out. Physicians need to carry enough of their own supplies that they don't end up becoming victims themselves, he said.
▸ Take care of your own mental health. This means making sure that your home and work situations are under control during deployment, he said. Make sure in advance that colleagues can cover your shifts. This will go a long way toward making you more effective during deployment, he said.