A Day to Honor Our Veterans Who Have Served

Today, on Veteran’s Day, AJN would like to honor all of those who have served in the U.S. military, including the 19 million who served during at least one war. This of course includes all those nurses who have served in the armed forces.

Veterans’ health care.

Nurses in every care setting, from hospital to primary care clinic, may encounter veterans, and it’s important to be aware of particular health concerns that may affect them. Please visit our collection of articles on the military and veterans’ health care, which will be free for the next week.

Topics in the collection include, among others:

  • caring for families with deployment stress
  • screening for posttraumatic stress disorder
  • enhancing veteran-centered care
  • traumatic brain injury.

While some of the articles are older, they are still pertinent today. We honor and thank all those who have served.

(Photo credit: Photo by sydney Rae on Unsplash.)

2021-11-11T10:50:27-05:00November 11th, 2021|Nursing|0 Comments
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Remembering Veterans – All of Them

In the November 2010 issue of AJN, we published an editorial, “Families are Veterans, Too,” recognizing the stress and sacrifices of families of those who serve in the military. On this Veterans Day, we’re sharing an excerpt of that editorial below, and also offering free access to “Caring for Families with Deployment Stress,” the article mentioned in the editorial. This article was also published in the November 2010 issue and, unfortunately, is still very much pertinent, given that many families are still experiencing the stress of having a loved one deployed to a conflict zone. We honor and thank all those who have served.

As Erin Gabany and Teresa Shellenbarger explain in “Caring for Families with Deployment Stress,” that stress can be considerable. In families with children, deployment means that a two-parent household becomes in effect a single-parent one; when a single parent is deployed, grandparents, aunts, or uncles may find themselves filling that role. The deployment period may be especially difficult for families of soldiers in the National Guard or in reserve units—they’re less likely to be living on or near a military base or to have access to its resources and to other families going through the same experience. They’re also likely to have less income when the reservist’s civilian pay stops. Such stressors can play a role in a range of physical, emotional, and behavioral problems.

Nurses in all settings—not just those in clinics serving military families—may […]

2019-11-11T13:44:06-05:00November 11th, 2019|Nursing|0 Comments
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Are There Veterans Among Your Patients?

When vets get non-VHA health care, some issues may be missed.

Most U.S. veterans—and in 2014, there were approximately 19.3 million—do not get their health care from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Overburdened facilities with long waiting times and the fact that many veterans live considerable distance from a VHA facility mean that many get their health care from local and private organizations.

And while this may mean more convenient and timely care, it also might mean that health issues related to their military service might be missed by providers who do not have experience providing care to service members and veterans.

This Saturday, November 11, marks another Veterans Day. It’s been our tradition to include content related to health care for veterans or active duty military in November. This year, we have an original research CE article, “Primary Care Providers and Screening for Military Service and PTSD.”

Few providers screen for military service.

The authors of this article sought to examine whether non-VHA primary care providers were screening patients for military service and PTSD. Based on their survey of providers in western Pennsylvania, they found that most did not ask patients about a history of military service—and of those providers who did, few screened patients for PTSD. […]

2017-11-10T10:21:53-05:00November 10th, 2017|Nursing, nursing research|0 Comments
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Focusing Nurses on Long- and Short-term Health Needs of Veterans and Their Families

By Shawn Kennedy, AJN editor-in-chief

I’m always humbled when I speak with veterans or families of veterans. The commitment to duty of the military and the sacrifices their families make—long periods of being single parents; nerve-racking times wondering after the well-being of a spouse or child; missed birthdays, graduations, and milestones—never cease to amaze me.

served2Last October, nurse Linda Schwartz, at the time commissioner of Veterans Affairs for Connecticut, spoke at the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) meeting about the health needs of veterans.

As we pointed out in a blog post about the meeting, she emphasized “the importance of knowing whether a patient has a military service history because many health issues may be service associated. For example, toxic effects from depleted uranium and heavy metals such as those found in ordinance or from exposure to agents like Agent Orange may not manifest themselves for years.” […]

2016-11-21T13:03:34-05:00November 11th, 2014|Nursing|1 Comment
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VA Nursing Leadership Silent on Veterans’ Wait Times Scandal

By Gail M. Pfeifer, MA, RN, AJN news director

Audie L. Murphy Veterans Administration Hospital in San Antonio, TX / Wikimedia Commons Audie L. Murphy Veterans Administration Hospital in San Antonio, TX / Wikimedia Commons

I’ve been trying to arrange an interview with a nurse in a leadership role at the VA’s Office of Nursing Services (ONS) for over a month now, with little success.

Granted, an excessive wait time for an interview pales in comparison with how long many veterans have had to wait for health care. Still, this has given me a tiny taste of what it must be like to enroll with the Veterans Health Administration for services: you can contact them, but you have to wait a really long time to even schedule a first appointment.

A substantive interview with AJN might have been a golden opportunity for the ONS to get out ahead of the story that has plagued the VA since the Phoenix scandal about lengthy waiting times at the VA broke in early May. (I did finally get a response of sorts. More on that below.)

To recap: The allegations in May that the Phoenix VA system had manipulated data about appointment wait times to hide the fact that veterans were not getting timely appointments galvanized public and Congressional […]

2016-11-21T13:04:19-05:00July 9th, 2014|Nursing, nursing perspective|5 Comments
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How Military Service Affects Veterans’ Health: What All Nurses Need to Know

By Sylvia Foley, AJN senior editor

Photo (c) Associated Press Photo (c) Associated Press

“The war tried to kill us in the spring,” says John Bartle, the narrator of The Yellow Birds, Kevin Powers’s acclaimed novel about two U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq. “I know now that everything that will ever matter in my life began then.” The same might be said by many war veterans. The effects of military service, especially on veterans’ health, vary greatly and can be lasting. And with most veterans seeking care through non-VA channels, it’s imperative that civilian nurses have some knowledge of the health issues veterans face.

In this month’s CE, “Enhancing Veteran-Centered Care: A Guide for Nurses in Non-VA Settings,” authors Barbara Johnson and colleagues describe a wide range of veterans’ health concerns and provide guidance for civilian nurses caring for these patients.

Overview: There are currently 22.5 million living U.S. military veterans, and this number is expected to increase dramatically as military personnel return from Iraq and Afghanistan. Although honorably discharged veterans may qualify for health care through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), only about 25% of all veterans take advantage of this benefit; a majority seek services in non-VA settings. It’s imperative for nurses in all civilian care […]

2016-11-21T13:07:05-05:00July 3rd, 2013|Nursing|1 Comment
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AJN’s July Issue: Caring for Veterans, Managing IBS, Reducing Readmission Rates, More

AJN0713.Cover.OnlineAJN’s July issue is now available on our Web site. Here’s a selection of what not to miss.

On our cover this month, U.S. Air Force first lieutenant Georganne Hassell is photographed during a presence patrol in Qalat City in southern Afghanistan. According to a 2011 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs report, America’s Women Veterans: Military Service History and VA Benefit Utilization Statistics, by 2035, women will make up 15% of all living U.S. veterans. For more on the health issues of women troops and women veterans, see this month’s editorial.

And for an overview of how to recognize and assess veterans’ unique health care issues, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), military sexual trauma, chronic pain, and traumatic brain injury, see our continuing education (CE) feature “Enhancing Veteran-Centered Care: A Guide for Nurses in Non-VA Settings.” This article, which also lists useful resources offering tools, educational materials, and veteran services, can earn you 3.1 CE credits. If you’re reading AJN on your iPad, you can listen to a podcast interview with the authors by clicking on the podcast icon on the first page of the article. The podcast is also available on our Web site.

The prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is estimated to be around 5% to 10% in North American, and it is diagnosed more often in people under the age of 50. No single drug effectively relieves all IBS symptoms. “Managing […]

2016-11-21T13:07:07-05:00June 28th, 2013|nursing perspective|0 Comments
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Veterans, Nurses, and PTSD

By Maureen Shawn Kennedy, AJN editor-in-chief

Vietnam Women’s Memorial, Washington, DC. Courtesy of Kay Schwebke.

Veteran’s Day was officially yesterday, November 11, but many will mark it today with a day off from work and school and for some reason, shopping. I’m not sure when or why Veterans Day became associated with bargains, but it seems especially out of place this year, as we hear more and more about the issues being faced by the thousands of new veterans. As I note in my November editorial, an Institute of Medicine report estimates that 13% to 20% of returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan “have or may develop PTSD.”

Last month, I had the opportunity to spend some time with Brigadier General (Ret.) Bill Bester, former chief of the Army Nurse Corps. I interviewed General Bester about his career and veterans’ health issues. The general was engaging and candid about the difficulties returning veterans face and he spoke about the post-deployment transition period that can be difficult for returning veterans.

He also spoke about his current activities as a senior advisor for the Jonas Foundation’s Veterans Healthcare Program, which supports scholarships for nurses pursuing doctoral degrees related to veteran-specific health issues. The program supports nurses pursuing both PhD as well as DNP degrees and hopes to focus on researching the issues as well as implementing best practices.

With many veterans accessing care outside the VA system, it’s important for nurses in all […]

2016-11-21T13:08:55-05:00November 12th, 2012|Nursing|0 Comments
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From the Crimea to Vietnam: Generations of Veterans Appreciate Florence Nightingale

By Sue Hassmiller, PhD, RN, FAAN, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Senior Adviser for Nursing (this is the latest in a series of posts by Hassmiller, who’s spending her summer vacation retracing crucial steps in Florence Nightingale’s innovative career)

This post is dedicated to Bob Hassmiller.

It is hard to believe that Florence Nightingale is not buried at Westminster Abbey. The offer was made, but turned down by Florence herself. For all the treasures she bestowed upon this earth while here, she was not one for a lot of pomp and circumstance. She simply wanted to do her work nonstop—to ensure that her voice was heard, and her lessons followed—but she did not want much to do with heroes’ welcomes, medals, or an honorary this or that. So in her will, and in the name of furthering medical science, she asked that her body be donated for medical research.  […]

2016-11-21T13:16:37-05:00July 16th, 2010|Nursing, nursing history|2 Comments
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Why Nurses Assist Falling Patients Despite the Risk

A too-common scenario.

Joe opens his eyes and looks through the window of his hospital room. He has always been early to rise. Even at age 82, he can’t shake the habits he learned when he was young.

“I’m woozy again,” Joe thinks as he sits up in bed. His medication sometimes makes him feel that way. Joe presses the call light so a nurse can help him to the bathroom. The nurses have been reminding him to do that so he won’t fall.

Then he reconsiders. “I can make it on my own. I don’t want to bother the nurses. They need to help the patients who really need it.” Joe moves to the edge of his bed. His walker isn’t nearby, but he urgently needs to reach the bathroom. Still dizzy, Joe holds onto the bed for a moment to keep from falling forward. After a moment, he manages to stand up and walk to the bathroom. As he enters the room, his dizziness returns, and his legs suddenly feel weak.  A feeling of dread washes over Joe as he begins to fall…

Nurse Smith starts her rounds and is looking forward to seeing Joe. He is always up early to greet her with a smile and a joke. As she opens the door to his room, she sees him entering his bathroom without his walker. She moves quickly toward him, but he suddenly sways forward. She knows he is going to fall. Reacting immediately, she grabs him by the torso […]

2024-02-20T10:44:39-05:00February 20th, 2024|Nursing, nursing research, patient safety, Quality improvement|1 Comment
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Views expressed on the blog are solely those of the authors or persons quoted. They do not necessarily reflect AJN’s views or those of Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
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