Ten nursing students visited New York City, New Jersey and Washington, DC for the TOMODACHI J&J Disaster Nursing Training Program 2024 as part of the TOMODACHI J&J Disaster Nursing Training Program 2024 from August 5 to 16.
Beginning in June, the participants underwent four pre-training sessions to acquire basic knowledge about disaster nursing, leadership, the Great East Japan Earthquake and other topics before traveling to the United States. During the training, the participants learned about the role of nurses in various scenarios including both natural disasters such as Hurricane Sandy and other disasters such as the September 11 terrorist attacks.
In New York, Council Leader Ms. Julie Azuma (Different Roads to Learning, Inc., JALD ‘13) hosted a dinner for the students, affording them the opportunity to meet and interact with members of the New York region. In New Jersey, the participants visited Johnson & Johnson’s headquarters as well as areas affected by Hurricane Sandy.
On the last day of their tour of the United States, the participants attended a reception to commemorate the success of the program in Washington, DC. The reception was joined by Minister Masaru Sato, Minister and Head of Chancery at the Japanese Embassy in the United States, MaryAnne Hilliard Esq, Executive Vice President of Children’s National Hospital, and Ms. Susan Morita, Co-Chair of USJC.
Ms. Mao Ogawa and Ms. Rin Yasuda delivered speeches on behalf of the ninth cohort. “[The trip to the U.S.] made me realize that healthcare workers and local community members have the same desire to save as many lives as possible,” Ms. Ogawa shared. “Moreover, I learned that understanding patients is the fundamental nursing principle, and it is universally understood. Therefore, I again realized my commitment to always help those having a difficult time, no matter where or who I am.”
“I had a chance to learn about community-based support such as food banks. That made me understand deeply the non-nursing support systems for disaster recovery,” Ms. Yasuda said. “It is also important for disaster nursing to collaborate with various professions. So, I would like to learn more about the importance of cooperation in recovery-phase support.”
The students will prepare for the project presentation at the World Society of Disaster Nursing, which will be held in Hyogo Prefecture in November, as they prepare to use what they have learned abroad to give back to the community.