Graduation Year
2020
Document Type
Senior Thesis
Degree
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Primary Major
Nursing
Primary Minor
Public Health
Thesis Advisor
Patricia Harris, PhD, RN, CNS
Abstract
Emergency preparedness is an essential step in mitigating negative impacts of disasters, especially in an area affected by wildfires, power shutoffs, earthquakes, and flooding. Dominican University of California resides within Marin County, and has experienced emergencies in the past. Students are expected to prepare themselves to survive independently for 3-5 days. As previous research has shown, college students often do not meet this expectation. This proposed study will assess the current preparedness levels of students living on Dominican’s campus. It will also determine how perceptions of emergency readiness contribute to actual preparedness. Data collection was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, threatening internal validity. A summary of previous studies interrupted by disaster has been included in place of data analysis, with parallels noted between preparation procedures for future natural disasters, local emergencies, and pandemics.