Utilizing <i>And If I Perish: Frontline U.S. Army Nurses in World War II</i> to Examine Past, Present, and Future Military Nursing Readiness: A Thematic Analysis

Training and decision-making in well-resourced environments do not always translate to performance in austere environments. The autonomy, and teamwork, of nurses in deployed environments can be greater than executing similar work within a medical treatment facility. Military nursing leaders should seek to determine if the needs of individual nurses are the same in a resource-rich environment versus an austere environment, which could impact readiness. Further, the lack of comparable combat-like injury exposure in the medical treatment facility hinders readiness. Additionally, the intersection of health care, tactics, and cyber advances in warfare place technology at the forefront of the battlefield. Information is a commodity and those who can receive, rapidly interpret, and utilize data for action will have a greater potential of success. However, digital and data literacy are not tracked as metrics for readiness. Finally, the neuroplasticity of the brain fosters cognitive growth, and challenging multiple assumptions of knowledge, skills, and attributes (KSA) could be beneficial for military nurses. The military is accustomed to thinking about performance and readiness from a KSA standpoint, creating a solid foundation for the inclusion of theoretical models, such as cognitive readiness, as another form of readiness measurement. This model moves beyond psychomotor skill assessment and includes mindset and cognitive skills as a more comprehensive measure of readiness. Overall, the future operating environment suggests that while technical competence is important, it should not be the sole determinant of military nursing readiness.