Disastrous events can occur at any time in our lives, whether we are involved as a victim or a caregiver for such an event. The role of healthcare professionals, nurses and staff is important in ensuring appropriate patient care, especially during rapid and sudden events. These events are categorized as mass casualty events (MCE) and are known to overwhelm the local resources of surrounding facilities with injured or ill patients requiring immediate care (Smith, 2010). Recent incidents such as the Boston Marathon bombing (2013), Hurricane Katrina (2005), and the Chatsworth Metrolink collision (2008) are examples of this. Preparing as a clinician for a disaster begins with knowing your personal and family preparedness plan. The American Nursing Association (ANA) provides disaster competency guidelines for nurses, ensuring that nurses can make quick and effective decisions in such times (Smith, 2010). These competency guidelines can be found in the ANA white paper “Adapting Standards of Care in Extreme Conditions: Guidance for Professionals During Disasters, Pandemics, and Other Extreme Emergencies.” The literature contains six key recommendations: “(1) Registered nurses and other health care professionals should prepare themselves and their families for potential emergencies, including the possibility that the health care professional will be absent for extended periods of time. periods in case of emergency. (2) Registered nurses and other health care professionals must use their professional competence to provide the best care possible given the resources and physical conditions in which they work. (3) Health care facilities and other practice sites must provide opportunities for professional decision-making...... middle of paper ...... and an organizational chart. This allows all staff to understand what their roles are at the time of the incident and who you are communicating sensitive information to as well. If no direction or communication is given, the facilities provided run the risk of victims attempting to enter their homes to seek care, which can exhaust resources and oversaturate hospitals. Therefore, hospital triage is implemented to assess whether the patient's condition has worsened or remained stable, whether a decontamination process is necessary, or whether the person seeking help is a family member looking for a victim. These procedures ensure that patients inside the hospital before the incident are protected from potentially harmful exposure to contaminating agents and other measures. Additionally, hospitals and healthcare facilities are a source of information for victims, the media and their family members..