Evaluation of Nurses' Competency, Motivation, and Stress Levels in Disaster Management

Objectives This study was conducted to determine the relationships between nurses' competency, motivation, and stress levels in disaster management, as well as to shed light on the establishment of effective disaster management programs. Methods In our research we used a correlational, descriptive, cross-sectional design. The sample of the study was composed of 498 nurses working in Turkey. The Descriptive and Professional Characteristics and Disaster Experiences of Nurses form, the Competencies for Disaster Nursing Management Questionnaire, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Nurses Job Motivation Scale were used in data collection. Results Nurses' disaster management competency and motivation levels were found to be adequate, and their stress levels were found to be moderate. A weak positive correlation was found between disaster management competency and motivation, but a weak negative correlation was found between stress levels. Age, education level, experience level, training in disaster nursing, and knowledge of duties and responsibilities in disasters were associated with significant differences in terms of disaster competency and its dimensions, motivation, and stress levels. Conclusions The study found that nurses' disaster experiences impacted their competency, feeling of preparedness, and stress and motivation levels, and motivation was found to be a predictor of increasing competency.