Abstract
While significant research has been conducted regarding the impact of military service on the veteran, there is a paucity of research on military families, and little is known about the impact of spousal/parental military service on the military family, leading to a knowledge and comfort level deficit when caring for servicemembers, veterans, and military family members. Lack of information and research focused on the military family unit has led to the care of the military family being siloed and not inclusive of the needs of the entire family unit. Disenfranchising the military spouse and the lack of services and support for military children could create a gap in meeting recruitment and retention goals, creating a threat to global national security.
Servicemembers, veterans, and military families are often underserved and can be considered a vulnerable patient population. The ability of the nurse or advanced practice nurse to identify military families is critical to ensuring the health and wellbeing of the military family. Nurses can support the physical and psychological health needs of military families through (1) identification of military family members and (2) providing culturally competent care that correlates with the unique lifestyle and physical and psychological health exposures associated with military service, as well as spousal/parental military service. This poster will focus on culturally competent, veteran-centric tools that nurses can use to meet the healthcare needs of the military family.
This poster will provide a toolkit for nurses to identify military-connected patients by asking the questions “Have you ever served? or Do you have a family member who served?” Research shows patient outcomes improve with the use of pocketcards to guide care. Utilization of the Have You Ever Served (Servicemembers/Veterans), I Serve 2 (military children), and Serving on the Homefront (military spouses/partners/caregivers) pocketcards will help guide and inform nurses in providing culturally competent care to the entire military family.
This poster will inform attendees on the importance of identifying military-connected patients in their hospitals, clinics, and schools and provide guidance on utilization of the Have You Ever Served, I Serve 2, and Serving on the Homefront pocketcards to improve physical and psychological healthcare outcomes in military families and guide referrals and resources in the community.
Notes
References:
Cogan, A. M., Cervelli, L., Dillahunt-Aspillaga, T., & Rossiter, A. G. (2018). Treating military service members and veterans in the private sector: Information and resources for clinicians. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 99(12), 2659-2661. doi: https://cbi.org/10.1016/.apmr.2018.06.006
Coppola, E. C., McCall, C. E., Bailey, K., Mihalec-Adkins, B. P., & MacDermid Wadsworth, S. (2020). Understanding the challenges and meeting the needs of military and veteran families.
National Council on Family Relations. https://www.ncfr.org.tescurces.research-and-policy-briefs.understancing: challenges and-meeting-needs-military-and-veteran-families
D'Aoust, R. F., & Rossiter, A. G. (Eds.). (2021). Caring for veterans and their families: A guide for nurses and healthcare professionals. Jones & Bartlett Learning
Hamilton, L. A., Ling, C. G., Rossiter, A. G. (2018). Impact of parental military serviceon the health of military connected children. Journal of Pediatric Healthcare, 32(6), 634-638.
Have you ever served in the military? Pocketcard. https://aannet.org/general/custom.asp?page=HaveYouEverServed
Ling, C. G., Cogan, A. M., Cervelli, L., & Rossiter, A. G. (2020). Treating Military Spouses in the Civilian Sector: Information and Resources for Clinicians. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 101 (5), 927-930. https://dci.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2019.12.002
Moore, M. J., Shawer, E., Jordan, C. H., & Jackson, C. A. (2023, August 17). Veteran and military mental health issues. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. https:/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK572092/
Rossiter, A. G., Cogan, A. M., Cervelli, L., & Ling, C. G. (2020). Treating Military-Connected Children in the Civilian Sector: Information and Resources for Clinicians. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 101(4), 735-737.
https://da.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2019.12.00g
Rossiter, A. G., Dumas, M. A., Wilmoth, M. C., & Patrician, P. A. (2016). I Serve 2 Pocketcard. American Academy of Nursing. American Academy of Nursing. (2013).
Rossiter, A. G., & Ling, C. G. (2025). Asking the Question: “Do you have a family member who has served?”—Guidance for caring for military-connected children in civilian healthcare settings. Nursing, 55(11), 26-31.
Sheehy, S., & Schwartz, L. S. (2021). Ask the Question: Have You Ever Served?. Caring for Military Members and Veterans in Civilian Healthcare. Nursing, 51(11), 28-35.
Sigma Membership
Delta Beta at-Large
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Case Study/Series
Research Approach
Pilot/Exploratory Study
Keywords:
Competence, Health Equity or Social Determinants of Health, Primary Care, Families of Military Personnel, Veterans, Military Personnel
Recommended Citation
Rossiter, Alicia Gill; Ling, Catherine Gaines; and D'Aoust, Rita, "Caring for Service Members, Veterans, and Military Families: A Matter of Global Security" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 101.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/posters_2026/101
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-09-15
Caring for Service Members, Veterans, and Military Families: A Matter of Global Security
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
While significant research has been conducted regarding the impact of military service on the veteran, there is a paucity of research on military families, and little is known about the impact of spousal/parental military service on the military family, leading to a knowledge and comfort level deficit when caring for servicemembers, veterans, and military family members. Lack of information and research focused on the military family unit has led to the care of the military family being siloed and not inclusive of the needs of the entire family unit. Disenfranchising the military spouse and the lack of services and support for military children could create a gap in meeting recruitment and retention goals, creating a threat to global national security.
Servicemembers, veterans, and military families are often underserved and can be considered a vulnerable patient population. The ability of the nurse or advanced practice nurse to identify military families is critical to ensuring the health and wellbeing of the military family. Nurses can support the physical and psychological health needs of military families through (1) identification of military family members and (2) providing culturally competent care that correlates with the unique lifestyle and physical and psychological health exposures associated with military service, as well as spousal/parental military service. This poster will focus on culturally competent, veteran-centric tools that nurses can use to meet the healthcare needs of the military family.
This poster will provide a toolkit for nurses to identify military-connected patients by asking the questions “Have you ever served? or Do you have a family member who served?” Research shows patient outcomes improve with the use of pocketcards to guide care. Utilization of the Have You Ever Served (Servicemembers/Veterans), I Serve 2 (military children), and Serving on the Homefront (military spouses/partners/caregivers) pocketcards will help guide and inform nurses in providing culturally competent care to the entire military family.
This poster will inform attendees on the importance of identifying military-connected patients in their hospitals, clinics, and schools and provide guidance on utilization of the Have You Ever Served, I Serve 2, and Serving on the Homefront pocketcards to improve physical and psychological healthcare outcomes in military families and guide referrals and resources in the community.
Description
Servicemembers, Veterans, and military family members are subjected to unique stressors, and yet their healthcare needs have gone unrecognized outside of military healthcare settings. Many are seen by NP/APNs who are unaware of the unique physical and psychological health risks, leading to siloed care that could create a gap in recruitment. NP/APNs must be educated and have the tools needed to meet the needs of this vulnerable population to mitigate this threat to global national security.