| Learning Objective #1: Discuss the lived experience of shipboard nursing on aircraft carriers | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Identify recommendations for practice, education, administration, and research based upon the findings of this study |
Overview: The purpose of this study was to describe the lived experience of shipboard nursing on aircraft carriers. Using the principles of phenomenology, 12 Navy nurses (six male, six female) previously stationed aboard aircraft carriers were interviewed to explore their experiences as ships' nurses. The participants were asked: "What was your experience as a nurse on an aircraft carrier?" Husserlian phenomenology provided the theoretical framework for this study and Streubert's methodological approach was chosen to analyze the phenomena. Data organization was aided through the use of the computer program entitled NVivo. Shipboard nursing was best described by the following essences: experiencing the best but toughest job the Navy has to offer its nurses; ensuring operational readiness; being one-of-one; operating constantly in an environment of uncertainty; having two families; and making the job better for the next generation. The findings of this study have implications for operational readiness and have given a public voice to this extraordinary experience of military nursing.
Acknowledgements: This study was sponsored by the Department of Defense Tri-Service Nursing Research Program (TSNRP) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) - (Grant# N00-002). Primary IRB approval was obtained from the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, MD (CIP Study #B00-020). The views expressed in this abstract are the author's and do not reflect the official policy or position, nor should any official endorsement be inferred by, or of the TSNRP, Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, nor the U.S. Government.
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