Nurses Joining Forces

The White House Administration recently started a campaign to support veterans, military

service members and their families with an initiative entitled Joining Forces. The initiative is

spearheaded by first lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of the vice president, and

focuses on getting the community active and involved in supporting those who have served our

country. They are asking for organizations and individuals to pledge their support and “Join

Forces” in this nationwide effort.

Nurses have a unique presence in the lives of veterans, active service members and their

families and are at a strategic place to help make a positive change in their lives. This includes

not only nurses who work in the various branches of the military or for Veterans Affairs (VA),

but also nurses who care for our heroes and their families within the local community hospitals.

The initiative has recently been endorsed by the American Nurses Association (ANA), the

National League for Nursing (NLN), the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), and

the federal nurses of the military, to name a few. Along with these organizations, individual

colleges of nursing are also taking the pledge with Joining Forces to help better educate their

nursing students about the unique needs of the veteran population. Some curriculum that has

been added includes more education on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic

brain injury (TMI).

ANA is encouraging all bodies of nursing and individuals to get involved and take the

pledge. You can do this at the ANA Website as well as find out more information on Joining Forces and what

you can do to support this cause.

Has your nursing school taken the pledge? If so, how has your curriculum changed?