The Elm

Maryland Responds is the online registration system for medical and public health volunteers for the state of Maryland. The site allows you to register as a responder willing to provide services during a disaster or emergency situation. The registration system will collect basic information about you and your professional skills.

Interested nurses should take the Road to Readiness (R2R) training for the Maryland Responds program.

The R2R initiative was developed to help Maryland Responders complete the steps required for volunteer deployment. All Maryland Responders, regardless of professional background, must complete the R2R steps to be eligible for participation in Maryland Responds deployments and to be protected by state liability coverage during deployments.

Important Information for Faculty About Student Volunteers and Student Employment

Please note that a special program is currently being developed at the state level specifically for nursing students. All nursing students in Maryland will receive information on this once it has been operationalized. In the meantime, please remind students who seek your guidance of the following:

• No volunteer activity is covered by the malpractice insurance that the School provides for its students.
• No volunteer activity can be considered part of a student’s educational program, nor can a volunteer activity be used to obtain credit and/or clinical hours.
• In addition, if a student takes a paid position with a health care provider, they should be advised to check with their employer regarding malpractice insurance, as once again, the School’s malpractice insurance does not cover them in an employment situation.