Ann Arbor : University of California, Davis, 2018.
Pages:
61
Language:
English
Abstract:
The purpose of the study is to explore nurses’ knowledge of the military culture. Of 21 million veterans in the United States, only a fourth will access Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare since they have the choice to be seen by civilian providers. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2015, $65M was spent on veteran medical care alone, but some veterans state their health care providers do not understand the military culture. Veterans are a unique patient population: compared to their pre-service reports, some veterans have a poorer quality of life after their military service in comparison to their civilian counterparts; they battle with invisible wounds; and the hidden barriers of the military culture. Service members have been trained to embrace great core values that have equipped them to be tough in the face of adversities. These same values can cause hidden barriers when they seek medical care. Until date, there are limited studies focused on nurses’ knowledge in this area, hence this study was the first to be conducted among nurses. A non-experimental cross-sectional study was conducted using the Transcultural Nursing Theory as its conceptual framework. That is, this study approaches military culture with the same framework that is used in studying other cultures, including African American, Hmong, transgender, and Sikh, for example. Considering military culture from the aspect of multicultural health care and health professions education is unique in the literature. Nurses were recruited from a community hospital in Northern California. A convenience sample of 127 Registered Nurses completed the Military Cultural Competence Program (MCCP) survey and a demographic questionnaire. The MCCP tool comprised of two subscales. The total overall mean on the Knowledge and Awareness subscale was 4.38 out of 6 (range= 3.71 to 4.97), representing a high level of military knowledge and a high Confidence in Skills and Abilities Subscale level with an overall mean of 81.3 out of 100 (range 63.35 to 90.35). Overall, the nurses in this study demonstrated high knowledge levels of military culture and confidence skills, but there were very low scores in areas of veteran referral to the appropriate resources. The results of this study have benefited future research in enhancing nurses’ knowledge about the military culture in caring for veterans.