Abstract
The primary purpose of the study was to describe the extent to which nursing personnel in the active and reserve components of the U.S. Army Medical Department (AMEDD) were prepared to provide patient care in a deployed or field status. A second purpose was to describe the focus of medical readiness training required to meet knowledge and performance needs identified in the study. The sample consisted of 1,085 officer and enlisted personnel in six nursing specialty areas in the active and reserve components of the AMEDD. Readiness competency was measured by participants performance on competency based and written exercises that were developed for the study. A demographic questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used to elicit participants' institutional training, operational assignment, and self development experiences related to their readiness competency as measured by the competency based and written exercises. It was concluded that study participants need training in clinical skills and functions that they do not routinely perform when working in civilian or military medical facilities during peacetime, but that they perform frequently or perform as life saving measures when working in a deployed or field status. It was recommended that a readiness training program focused on these skills and functions be developed for nursing personnel in the active and reserve components of the AMEDD.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| State | Published - Sep 1997 |
| Externally published | Yes |