Success Stories

ORAU Supports CDC Radiological Terrorism Training Efforts for Physicians and Clinicians

The potential for terrorism that would result in mass casualties and place an incredible strain on our public health system is very real in America today.

To address this issue, Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its Radiation Studies Branch in the National Center for Environmental Health to develop a Web-based and CD-ROM training program to prepare clinicians to respond locally to mass casualties with potential radiological injuries.

As a result, ORAU created a two-hour interactive training known as Radiological and Nuclear Terrorism: Medical Response to Mass Casualties. 

Designed for medical doctors and registered nurses in hospital emergency service settings, the training includes a series of lectures on potential radiological incidents, response planning, decontamination principles, triage and treatment.

In a series of simulated patient case studies depicting hypothetical radiological terrorism incidents, the program concludes with an opportunity to apply new knowledge and decision-making skills. Additional resources include a self-test and a computer setting’s guide.

To date, more than 500 clinicians have completed either the online or CD-ROM course for continuing medical education credit, and in two years, the training Web site has been visited by more than 44,000 visitors around the world.