Improving Emergency Department Surge Capacity in Disasters - Conception of a Medical Student Disaster Volunteer Corps

Abstract

Introduction: Civil emergencies occurring with little warning can quickly produce mass casualties. To develop an Emergency Department's surge capacity, medical student involvement in the disaster response has been advocated. Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore is located in proximity to Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and represents an untapped manpower resource. With appropriate training, medical students can be leveraged upon as ready and reasonably qualified manpower. Aim: This review provides a snapshot of the conceptualization and setting up of the Disaster Volunteer Corps (DVC) program. We discuss the overall strategy and benefits to stakeholders, emphasizing the close symbiotic relationship between academia and healthcare services. Methods: Duke-NUS medical students will be recruited to receive training from SGH emergency physicians. The frequency