JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tiffany Morris and Karin Pitzel, both nursing students at the University of North Florida, have taken a class in which they learned how to use protective gear.
But with two nurses in Texas diagnosed with Ebola virus after treating a patient with the disease, Morris and Pitzel said the lessons they learned are more important now than ever.
"When this comes to mind and you know that it's so close, you know that that's the most important thing that you can do to protect yourself and to protect them," Morris said.
From the classroom to the hospital, nurses from around the country spoke out Thursday at a news conference saying preparation is key to protect those treating patients with diseases like Ebola.
They outlined a three-point plan aimed at preventing the spread of Ebola to nurses.
First, infection control protocols and worker preparedness are needed in all health care facilities.
Second, the nurses union said there has to be dedicated teams of willing staff to be trained to care for patients suspected of having Ebola: doctors, nurses, lab workers, even housekeeping.
And third, union members said front-line providers must have a voice and be involved in development and implementation of plans.
Li Loriz, director of the UNF School of Nursing, said preparation is vital.
"I think that with the advent of Ebola that we might be relooking at standard precautions and maybe come up with maybe some more stringent rules or maybe tightening it up a little bit more," Loriz said.
Nursing professor Danna Morris makes sure her students at Florida State College in Jacksonville understand training and communication at every level is vital to their safety.
"It is just that, so that we can close those gaps, and it's not just everybody along the top rung -- the doctors and advanced practice practitioners -- knowing the information," Morris said. "And it's not filtering down to those who are actually at the bedside."
And despite the risks nurses face, Morris and Pitzel said they are ready for the challenge.
"When you decide to be a nurse, you take it all in," Morris said. "There's all kinds of diseases, all kinds of things that you can contract, but you just have to put that out of your mind and put the patient care No. 1 and yourself and make sure that you take care of both."