Wartime nursing is a reality in the current clinical practice arena. War takes its toll on everyone involved, including the caregivers. Nurses returning from war can provide valuable insights to those that follow.

The lived experience of 24 military nurses during the Vietnam war is described in addition to common elements of their lives after returning from Vietnam. In-depth interviews generated data about personal and professional aspects of the lives of women nurses in the war zone. Data analysis incorporated the qualitative methods of Colaizzi, Lincoln and Guba, and Van Manen. Findings revealed that the nurses struggled with moral and ethical dilemmas of wartime nursing, felt out-of-place, and lacked privacy. The nurses described a deep and special bonding, and many found serving in Vietnam to be the most rewarding experience in their careers. The Vietnam War continues to have an effect on the lives of the nurses who served there. They balance their personal and professional growth gleaned from this experience with the physical and emotional stresses experienced during the war and since the war. The findings of this study have implications for further research about nurses in Vietnam and nurses who have served in other wars.

Much can be learned from the lessons learned and advice given by Vietnam War nurses. These lessons stress that nurses need to take a pro-active role in preparing themselves for deployment to a war zone, and that institutional training for war needs to be intensive and realistic. The environmental, cultural, technological, clinical and psychosocial demands of war nursing need to be comprehensively addressed before nurses deploy to a war.

The purpose of the current study was to describe reintegration experiences of U.S. military nurses returning from deployments in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. A qualitative study using a phenomenological method was conducted. The population comprised nurses who served in the U.S. Army, Navy, or Air Force in Iraq or Afghanistan during 2003-2013, including Active Duty, National Guard, and Reserve nurses. Purposive sampling with Veteran and professional nursing organizations yielded a sample of 35 nurses. Nine themes emerged from analysis: (a) homecoming; (b) renegotiating roles; (c) painful memories of trauma; (d) getting help; (e) needing a clinical change of scenery; (f) petty complaints and trivial whining; (g) military unit or civilian job: support versus lack of support; (h) family and social networks: support versus lack of support; and (i) reintegration: a new normal.

This study describes hardships faced in Vietnam and personal strategies used to deal with these hardships as defined by 24 female military nurses who served during the war. Purposive sampling was used, and data were generated using four core questions and in-depth interviews. The research methodology was phenomenology, incorporating data analysis procedures of Colaizzi, Lincoln and Guba, and Van Manen. Eight hardship and nine personal strategy themes were identified. This study found that caring for young, severely injured, and disfigured soldiers was a significant hardship and that nurses struggled with the moral dilemmas inherent in mass casualty situations, triage policies, and the practice of returning recovered soldiers to combat. Most nurses relied on personally proven and familiar strategies to reduce or buffer the effects of emotional hardships, whereas some discovered and used new strategies.

Purpose To describe vicarious posttraumatic growth in U.S. military nurses who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Design A cross‐sectional descriptive design was used. Methods Respondents were asked to complete the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), Core Beliefs Inventory (CBI), and six open‐ended write‐in questions as an electronic survey. Findings Appreciation of life and Personal strength were the strongest dimensions on the PTGI. This was also evident in participant responses to the open‐ended questions. The five dimensions of the PTGI were significantly correlated, indicating as growth increased in one dimension, growth increased in all dimensions. The CBI showed moderate to strong positive correlations with all items. Thus, the relationship between the total PTGI scores and the total CBI scores showed a strong, positive correlation, which indicated higher overall core belief scores associated with more growth in total PTGI scores. Conclusions This study provided initial evidence that some nurses who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars experienced posttraumatic growth. While healthcare providers need to be educated about their vulnerability when exposed to trauma, they also need to be aware of potential growth when caring for casualties. Clinical Relevance Nurses preparing to serve in war, as well as those returning, need to pay attention to their physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual health. Following return from war deployment, the military services need to take deliberate and careful measures to ensure that no returning personnel “fall through the cracks” in getting the help they need.

In the current military structure, more women are being deployed to combat zones and will endure the challenges and hardships described in this study. The health and hygiene experiences of deployed women are an important part of their daily lives in combat zones. Educational programs and clinical services need to be tailored to this cadre of women, with focused attention on preparation and anticipatory guidance prior to deployment. Access to health promotion and appropriate clinical services during deployment is critical. Finally, as these women return home as veterans, it is important for all providers to understand the contextual framework of their service and its impact on their lives.

Insight into the experience of nurse-parents deployed to a war zone provides a framework for additional research on parental separation in war. Interventions need to be tailored to meet the needs of military families.