Effectiveness of a University’s Active Shooter Preparedness Program: An Evaluation

Abstract

Background:

Comparing 2018 to 2022, active shooter incidents (ASIs) increased by over 66% from 30 to 50 shootings, respectively. There are limited data on the effectiveness of currently available active shooter preparedness programs. This quality improvement (QI) project evaluated the effectiveness of the 2022 active shooter training (AST) for staff and faculty of a large southeastern university’s School of Nursing (SON).

Methods:

Survey participants were SON faculty and staff recruited via emails sent pre- and post-AST. An online survey was used to obtain the participants’ demographics, knowledge regarding the recommended actions for responding to ASI, and confidence in their ability to react appropriately. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Findings:

Information was obtained from 141 survey responses (80 pre- and 61 post-survey responses). Overall, group confidence in the ability to react to ASIs increased from pre- to post-training. Correct responses to knowledge-based questions based on the training increased by 7.8% in the post-training survey. Post-survey respondents indicated a 33.6% increased accurate response to the question, “What is the correct response to an active shooter?”

Conclusion:

The SON AST effectively improved the readiness and confidence of the trainees in case of such a future shooting incident. Future AST should integrate didactic and simulation aspects into programs for further efficacy.

Application to Practice:

Active shooter incident instruction in the workplace and further evaluation of the effectiveness of training programs should become a national priority. Occupational health nurses are well suited to help evaluate and improve AST effectiveness.