ORIGIN OF TSNRP
Doctorally-prepared nurses from the Army, Navy, and Air Force began meeting informally in 1988 at the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States convention. In fall 1990, representatives from all three services formed a Federal Nursing Research Interest Group; it later became the TriService Nursing Research Group (TSNRG).
In spring 1991, the TSNR Group and the Nurse Corps Chief/Directors, met with the National Center for Nursing Research (NCNR, now the National Institute for Nursing Research) to discuss how NCNR could assist the military services with developing a coordinated strategy of nursing research.
The meeting concluded with informal recognition of the TSNR Group by the Corps Chiefs and Directors and the NCNR commitment to consult on matters relevant to military nursing research. The TSNR Group became responsible for finding ways to promote military nursing research collectively and individually, within and across the services. In 1992, an initial $1M was appropriated by Congress to conduct research by military nurses. The TSNR Group was instrumental in selecting appropriate projects and executing the funds.
The 1996 U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Authorization Act authorized the TriService Nursing Research Program as part of the DoD health care program, established at the Uniformed Services University. At that time, TSNRP was appropriated $5M in funds for military nursing research.
Over the last 30 years, TSNRP has grown from a desire to expand the research opportunities for military nurses to a fully-funded program that offers several educational opportunities through the TSNRP Resource Center, while managing multiple research and EBP awards on projects that are relevant to military nursing that ultimately optimize the health of military members and their beneficiaries.
NURSING RESEARCH IN THE MILITARY
ARMY
The Army Nurse Corps initiated military nursing research. The establishment of a Department of Nursing at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in 1957 provided formal recognition and opportunities for the growth of military nursing research.
In 1976, the Nursing Research Advisory Board was established to advise and assist the chief of the Army Nurse Corps in establishing research priorities and monitoring research initiatives. In 1981, the Army Nurse Corps held the first Phyllis J. Verhonick Nursing Research Symposium to disseminate findings and advance knowledge of nursing research. Named after a leader in both the military and civilian nursing communities, this conference evolved into the annual TSNRP Research & EBP Dissemination Course held in the spring.
Since the 1960s, the Army Nurse Corps has provided graduate education in civilian education programs for selected promising nurse researchers and has historically offered its own educational courses.
NAVY
Nursing research in the Navy prior to the 1980s was assessed primarily by review of unpublished master's theses. The range of research topics is broad, covering various aspects of the organization and administration of nursing service and nursing practice. By 1977, only two nurses had been supported for doctoral study.
Formal research endeavors of the Navy Nurse Corps date back to 1982, when Capt. Karen Rieder was assigned as director of the Health Services Research Department at the Naval School of Health Sciences. Further work to incorporate nursing research became prominent in 1987, when the Navy conducted a review of billets and identified 11 that called for a doctorally-prepared nurse.
AIR FORCE
Nursing research in the Air Force was studied primarily through the review of unpublished mimeographed documents from research at the School of Aerospace Medicine at Brooks Air Force Base in Texas. Among the research topics reported are the development of equipment for aeromedical evacuation.
Other studies in the 1970s reported physiological and psychological changes experienced by Air Force nurses associated with flying duty on jet and propeller aircraft and ways to evaluate patient care in flight. The first doctorates earned by Air Force nurses were awarded in 1967 and 1968.