National Nurse Readiness for Radiation Emergencies and Nuclear Events: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

•As the largest component of the health care sector nurses will be critical to an effective public health response to any event involving a major radiation release and to supporting national security. Despite this certainty, little is known regarding the capacity of U.S. nurses to respond following a large-scale radiation release.•Despite the fear and chaos surrounding radiation emergencies and a nuclear event, planning and preparation can lessen deaths and illness and research supports that lives can be saved if a rapidly deployed and robust multidisciplinary health care response exists.•Postradiation or nuclear event, nurses will be expected to work in a highly stressful disaster environment while performing triage, minimizing radiation exposure, conducting decontamination, treating life-threatening trauma injuries, providing first-aid, and coordinating care for patients.•Additional research and a framework is needed for the development of a radiation competent nursing workforce, along with nurse-driven clinical response initiatives to mitigate the impact of a large-scale radiation release or detonation of a nuclear weapon on the U.S. and global population.