Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

5-2009

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Nursing

Major Professor

Susan Speraw

Abstract

Frequently, military nurses are among the first responders to render aid following disaster events. Research has been completed regarding military nurses' experiences in combat, but little has been done to examine nurses' perspectives on their disaster response. The purpose of the study was to understand military nurses' experience of responding to disaster(s), with "disaster" defined as any non-combat mission-humanitarian relief, or response to a natural or human-made event-outside of warfare. A phenomenological approach to interviewing 23 military nurses was employed. Using a purposive, snowballing technique, single face-to-face interviews were conducted. Five figural polar themes of Nature of War v. Nature of Disaster, Unknown v. Known, Prepared v. Making Do, Structure v. Chaos, and Being Strong v. Emotionality and a final theme of Existential Growth emerged from their stories against the contextual grounds of Organized Military Culture and Disaster Experiences.The participants' experiences were concentrated in the world of others. As the participants moved into the disaster arena, they became a cohesive unit, leaning on one another through the hardships and the good times. Often, the nurses performed tasks outside of the typical scope of nursing. The participants related that no one could understand what a disaster involves unless they have been there and engaged in a disaster response. Nurses related a sense of loss, a reshaping of thoughts about disaster events, and a new appreciation of how people's lives are totally disrupted, which led to feelings of being fortunate and blessed. Many nurses indicated this was the first time they had reflected on their disaster experience and considered what it meant to them. The knowledge gained from this study adds to the disaster nursing literature and that of military studies.The study indicates a need for changes in nursing education, practice, training, policy, and recommendations for higher education. Several final suggestions addressed how the military may better educate and take care of its own. Recommendations for future research include qualitative studies of disaster experiences with civilian nurses and Disaster Management Assessment Teams, experiences of coping in disasters, and existential growth following disaster responses. The study was funded by the TriService Nursing Research Program and the Gamma Chi Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.

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