The current literature on protection motivation indicates only approximately 40% of emergency nurses felt prepared to provide care to patients potentially infected with Ebola virus. This article contributes to the understanding of protection motivation. Our study found that response efficacy and self-efficacy predicted emergency nurses' proactive protection motivation and perceived vulnerability, response cost, and knowledge predicted their passive protection motivation. Key implications for emergency nursing practice found in this article are: health system administrators are encouraged to provide continual education that will increase emergency nurses' capacity, skills, resources, understanding of pathophysiology, and use of protective equipment; to ensure job security; and to provide family and/or childcare support, professional practice insurance coverage, and paid leave for incidents owing to Ebola infection.

The study showed that the IBM constructs are useful for predicting intentions toward performance of a professional behavior. The inclusion of self-efficacy, underlying beliefs, and salience of the behavior was new and unique contributions to the existing body of knowledge.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess physician assistant students’ knowledge about the screening, transmission, management, and prevention of Zika virus infection. Background: It is important for health care providers in the United States to recognize the symptoms of Zika so that they can screen, diagnose, and or treat persons exposed to or infected by the virus. Physician assistant students, on completion of their educational program and passing their board examinations, provide care for patients in primary care or specialty settings where they may treat patients who either have the virus or post-virus exposure. Methods: A convenience sample of 37 students enrolled in a physician assistant studies program in the Midwestern United States completed an in-person self-administered paper-and-pencil questionnaire that tested their knowledge about Zika virus infection. Results: All the respondents knew that the disease is of viral origin; however, only 89% knew that mosquitoes were the natural host. Primary modes of transmission were identified as sexual contact and blood transfusion (47% and 44% of respondents respectively); 47% incorrectly identified amniotic fluid as a transmission mode. More than half (61%) knew that health care providers should ask pregnant women about any possible virus exposure before and during pregnancy at each prenatal visit. Most respondents knew that muscle/joint pain (67%) was one of the symptoms of Zika infection, but only 39%, 25%, and 19% also identified low-grade fever, maculopapular rash, and conjunctivitis respectively as other symptoms. Some participants incorrectly identified antivirals (44%) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (36%) rather than the recommended treatments of pain relief (30%) and fever relief (42%) medications for clinical management of the disease.

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