Caring for Veterans and Their Families

Abstract

In Fiscal Year (FY) 2021, about $88 Million was spent on veteran medical care alone, apart from other civilian costs (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2021), but some veterans state that their health care providers do not understand the military culture, which makes them uncomfortable in seeking care in the private sector (Kiernan et al., 2016). The myriad of veterans’ health concerns supports the need to increase awareness among civilian healthcare providers since they are routinely cared for in the civilian, military and VA healthcare system. Veterans come from a unique culture that teaches soldiers to be tough. Being a member of the military training can result in hidden barriers when veterans seek health care (Redmond et al., 2015). Veterans battle with invisible wounds and the hidden barriers of the military culture. While in service, members have been trained to embrace core values that have equipped them to be tough in the face of adversity. Some of these same values that are now embedded in them can result in hidden barriers when they seek health care. Caring for veterans as a unique population is paramount in enhancing veterans’ health care. The steps to provide the identified nurse education about veteran care can enhance nurses’ knowledge about the military culture in caring for veterans and their families. The purpose of this presentation is to give a brief report of the lessons learned from a previous research study and simple applications for health care professionals.