--- title: Ebola: 85% of Nurses Lack Training, Poll Finds description: More than 8 out of 10 nurses say they have received no training sessions related to the Ebola virus, according to a new survey canonical: https://time.com/3501997/ebola-nurses-training-poll/ author: Dan Kedmey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-10-13T15:29:09.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T10:44:44.367Z article:section: Health og:title: Ebola: 85% of Nurses Lack Training, Poll Finds og:description: More than 8 out of 10 nurses say they have received no training sessions related to the Ebola virus, according to a new survey og:url: https://time.com/3501997/ebola-nurses-training-poll/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt65c88253d565107b/6987604b0b72e37b836dafaf/457128324.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Health Care Worker In Dallas Tests Positive For Ebola Virus og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ebola: 85% of Nurses Lack Training, Poll Finds twitter:description: More than 8 out of 10 nurses say they have received no training sessions related to the Ebola virus, according to a new survey twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt65c88253d565107b/6987604b0b72e37b836dafaf/457128324.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 85% of U.S. Nurses Say They Lack Ebola Training  by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Oct 13, 2014 3:29 PM UTC  A man dressed in protective hazmat clothing treats the bottom of his foot after treating the front porch of an apartment where a second person diagnosed with the Ebola virus resides on October 12, 2014 in Dallas, Texas. A man dressed in protective hazmat clothing treats the bottom of his foot after treating the front porch of an apartment where a second person diagnosed with the Ebola virus resides on October 12, 2014 in Dallas, Texas.Mike Stone—Getty Images  by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Oct 13, 2014 3:29 PM UTC More than 8 out of 10 nurses in the U.S. say they have received no training related to the Ebola virus, according to a new [survey](http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/entry/ebola-rns-call-for-highest-standards-for-protective-equipment-including-haz/) from a nursing union that highlights gaps in communication and shortages of protective equipment in hospitals across the country. **(**[**PHOTOS: See How A Photographer Is Covering Ebola’s Deadly Spread**](http://lightbox.time.com/2014/10/02/ebola-virus-liberia-daniel-berehulak-nyt/#1)**)** National Nurses United surveyed some 2,000 registered nurses across 46 states and the District of Columbia, asking if their hospital had taken any measures to prepare for the possibility of an Ebola outbreak. Slightly more than three-quarters of respondents said their hospital had communicated no official policy and 85% said they had received no specialized training to identify and interact with patients who may exhibit symptoms of the virus. More than one-third of respondents said their hospital had insufficient supplies of protective eyeware, impermeable gowns and plastic sheeting for isolation rooms. “Nurses and other frontline hospital personnel must have the highest level of protective equipment, such as the Hazmat suits Emery University or the CDC themselves use while transporting patients and hands on training and drills for all RNs and other hospital personnel,” [said](http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/entry/ebola-rns-call-for-highest-standards-for-protective-equipment-including-haz/) RoseAnn DeMoro, executive director of National Nurses United. “That includes the practice \[of\] putting on and taking off the optimal equipment.” **(**[**PHOTOS: Inside the Ebola Crisis: The Images That Moved Them Most**](http://lightbox.time.com/2014/10/02/inside-the-ebola-crisis-the-images-that-moved-them-most/#1)**)** The poll comes after one nurse at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital tested positive for Ebola on Sunday after treating a Liberian patient with the disease, marking the first known transmission of the virus within the U.S., and raising [questions](http://time.com/3500231/5-ways-u-s-hospitals-need-to-get-ready-for-ebola/) about health officials’ claims that hospitals were prepared to handle patients with Ebola. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3501997/ebola-nurses-training-poll/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3501997/ebola-nurses-training-poll/"},"headline":"85% of U.S. Nurses Say They Lack Ebola Training","datePublished":"2014-10-13T15:29:09.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T10:44:44.367Z","description":"More than three-quarters say their hospital has yet to communicate any sort of policy regarding Ebola","url":"https://time.com/3501997/ebola-nurses-training-poll/","keywords":["ebola","Infectious Disease","nurses"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt65c88253d565107b/6987604b0b72e37b836dafaf/457128324.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Dan Kedmey","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt65c88253d565107b/6987604b0b72e37b836dafaf/457128324.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Health Care Worker In Dallas Tests Positive For Ebola Virus","caption":"Health Care Worker In Dallas Tests Positive For Ebola Virus","creditText":"Mike Stone—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/ebola/","name":"ebola"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3501997/ebola-nurses-training-poll/","name":"85% of U.S. Nurses Say They Lack Ebola Training"}}]}] ```