Doctoral Dissertations
Date of Award
8-2025
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Major
Nursing
Major Professor
Kathleen Morgan
Committee Members
Cristina Barroso, Robin Harris, Lois Marshall
Abstract
This study explored the experience of veterans transitioning to the civilian medical field through an interpretive description design. Nurse veterans who negotiated the complexity of transition by redefining and recreating themselves and using support systems can provide insight into the barriers and facilitators they encountered6-8,12,19 through their transition. Understanding the nurse veterans’ transitions to the civilian healthcare setting is important and necessary work, as this research will allow stakeholders (policymakers, government, and nongovernment) to offer the needed support and interventions to create a smooth and effective transition for veterans into the civilian workforce4,8,19, 21. This research identified themes and patterns from the military nurse officer (MNO) veterans’ [BC1] relevant experiences and subjective perspectives to broaden the scope of research on this phenomenon of transition. Thorne’s framework for interpretive description research was used for this qualitative study. The study participants included nurse veterans from United States who had retired or completed their terms of service. Meleis’s Transition Theory and Military Transition Theory (MTT) was used as conceptual framework. Fourteen participants were interviewed, and qualitative data analysis allowed the identification of four broad themes 1) Navigating the Loss and Rebuilding of Community, (2) Identity Disruption and Reconstruction, (3) Cultural Familiarity: Reconciling Misalignments, and (4) Am I Qualified or Not? This insight is important as it can be used to define a successful transition and ease the overall transition experience from the military to the civilian healthcare field in this sub-population. As well, the data could be extrapolated to better understand other veteran’s transition, who have medical ratings19-20. Overall, this research can lead to a higher retention rate of this valuable workforce, which will bolster the number of nurses working in the civilian healthcare setting, certainly having a positive impact on the current shortage and patient care.
Recommended Citation
Mims, Trisha, "An Interpretive Description of the Transition Process of Military Nurse Veterans. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2025.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/12660