From COVID-19 to Hurricane Helene: Rethinking the Role of Nursing Students in Crisis Response.

Western Carolina University (WCU) nursing students, alongside faculty and licensed nurse volunteers, played pivotal roles in the community's response to Hurricane Helene's devastating impact. Drawing on WCU's experience, this article examines the successes and challenges of integrating nursing students into emergency response efforts and emphasizes the need for strengthened pre-planning and academic-practice partnerships, the implementation of readiness checklists, and the development of a centralized registry to clarify student roles and identify preceptors during emergencies.