Nurses in War [electronic resource] : voices from Iraq and Afghanistan.

ISBN:

9780826193841

Title:

Author:

Scannell-Desch, Elizabeth.

Personal Author:

Scannell-Desch, Elizabeth.

Publication Information:

New York : Springer Pub. Co., 2012.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (289 pages)

Contents:

Cover; Half Title; Author Biography; Title Page; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Foreword; Preface; 1 Historical Roots of U.S. Military Nursing; Early Nursing in the United States; The War of 1812; The U.S. Civil War; The Spanish-American War; U.S. Army and navuy Nurse Corps Established; World War I; World War II (1941-1945); The Korean War (1950-1953); The Vietnam War (1965-1973); Changes in the U.S. Policy After the Vietnam War; The Persian Gulf War (1990-1991); The War in Afghanistan; The War in Iraq; Current Status of Afghanistan and Iraq Wars; References.

2 Deploying to War: An Uncertain FutureSome Volunteered; Most Did Not Volunteer But Served; Nurse Specialists in Demand; 3 Nurses in Harm's Way: More Than I Bargained For; 4 Living Conditions: A Mixed Bag; 5 My Work Place: A Plane, A Tent, or A Trailer; Fast-Forward Surgical Teams; Forward Mobile Surgical Hosptals; Combat Support Hospitals; Detainee Hospitals; Local Hospitals; Flight Nursing and Aeromedical Evacuation; Aeromedical Staging Faculty (ASF); Combat Stress Nursing; Reference; 6 Diversions From War: A Piece of Home; 7 Remembrance of War: Most Chaotic Scene.

8 War Memories: Sensations Etched in My MindSounds of War; Smells of the War Zone; Sights of the War Zone; Thoughts of the War Zone; 9 My Warrior Patients; 10 Caring for the Enemy; 11 Children Caught in the Chaos of War; 12 My Wartime Nursing Stress: I Am a Different Person Now; 13 Kinship and Bonding: My Mlitary Family; 14 Professional Growth: Expanding My Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities; 15 Women's Health and Hygiene Experiences; Bathroom Facilities; Shower Challenges; Trying to Stay Clean; Menstruation Issues; Infections; Unintended Pregnancies; Safety Issues; 16 Parental Separation.

Leaving My Children BehindChild Care Arrangements: Putting the Puzzle Together; Will They Remember me: Staying in Touch; Caring for War-Injured Children; 17 Homecoming: A Difficult Adjustments; 18 Listen to Me: Advice to Deploying Nurses; 19 Conclusion; References; Afterword; Glossary; Index.

Local Note:

eBooks on EBSCOhost

Subject Term:

Military nursing -- United States.

Added Author:

Doherty, Mary Ellen.

Format:

Electronic Resources

Electronic Access:

Click here to view

Publication Date:

2012

Publication Information:

New York : Springer Pub. Co., 2012.

Available:*

Shelf Number	Material Type	Copy	Shelf Location	Status
610.69	1:E-BOOK	1	1:ONLINE	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

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Summary

This unique volume presents the experience of 37 U.S. military nurses sent to the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters of war to care for the injured and dying. The personal and professional challenges they faced, the difficulties they endured, the dangers they overcame, and the consequences they grappled with are vividly described from deployment to discharge. In mobile surgical field hospitals and fast-forward teams, detainee care centers, base and city hospitals, medevac aircraft, and aeromedical staging units, these nurses cared for their patients with compassion, acumen, and inventiveness. And when they returned home, they dealt with their experience as they could.

The text is divided into thematic chapters on essential issues: how the nurses separated from their families and the uncertainties they faced in doing so; their response to horrific injuries that combatants, civilians and children suffered; working and living in Iraq and Afghanistan for extended periods; personal health issues; and what it meant to care for enemy insurgents and detainees. Also discussed is how the experience enhanced their clinical skills, why their adjustment to civilian life was so difficult, and how the war changed them as nurses, citizens, and people.

Key Features: Describes verbatim the experiences of 37 nurses in two brutal, chaotic theaters of war Offers poignant encounters with patients Includes advice, clarity, and lessons learned about nursing in war Offers a women's health perspective on working and living in a war zone Demonstrates the dedication, expertise, and spirit of military nurses

Reviews (1)

Choice Review

This book by Scannell-Desch (Mount Saint Mary College; former military nurse/nurse executive) and Doherty (Western Connecticut State Univ.) gives voice to 37 US military nurses, allowing them to recount their intimate, personal recollections of their service in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2003 and 2011. The book begins with a brief history of nursing in times of war, starting with Florence Nightingale and ending with 20th-century war situations. The following chapters focus on specific aspects of nursing in war settings; these include "Living Conditions," "My Warrior Patients," "Caring for the Enemy," "Children Caught in the Chaos of War," and "Diversions from Home." A chapter on health/hygiene issues for female nurses and a chapter dealing with the difficulties of being a parent away from home are of particular interest. The book concludes with a discussion of professional/personal growth as a result of wartime experience/service, including lessons learned and advice on future deployment of women to war zones. Photos of medical personnel and facilities in Afghanistan and Iraq provide additional context. This book speaks to the strength, skill, professionalism, and determination of US military nurses, clearly identifying them as unsung heroes of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Summing Up: Recommended. Nursing students at all levels, professionals, and general readers. B. A. D'Anna Anne Arundel Community College