Reintegration of Military Nurses

This research project will evaluate the relationships between spirituality, storytelling, and mindfulness activities and their relationship with resilience and reintegration to the home environment on the part of military nurses serving in Iraq and Afghanistan during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. The research will incorporate an quantitative research design  surveying nurses on items of interest pertaining to resilience, mindfulness, storytelling, spirituality, post traumatic stress and reintegration to the home environment in Phase I of the project. In Phase II, narrative criticism will be used to analyze select stories. Finally, a focus group of invited military nurse leaders will be used to review all data and detail a toolbox for future deploying military nurses.

Relevance: This research will have an impact on a fit and ready forces and address research priorities of the Army for reintegration of soldiers and the priorities of the Air Force with regrad to caring for the caregiver.