Respond  in one or more of the following ways: Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence, or research using an in-text citation in APA format. Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives. Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings from the classroom or from your own research in the Walden Library. Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research. Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings. Expand on your colleagues’ postings by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence. Health care needs of returning military and their families Deployment, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), balancing family with long work hours are all part of an everyday military life.  Mental, physical and social changes occur on a daily basis, affecting the health care needs of our military.  However, events and issues like these can affect veterans and their families throughout their lives, even though they deserve the best, veterans can be neglected.  From personal experience, military life is unique.  A community within a community, fighting for our nation’s best interest.  This paper reflects how we as nurses can be the best advocate for them. Health Care Needs Looking at health needs of veterans and their families, they can be physical, psychological or psychosocial.  Physical includes combat injury which links closely with psychological concerns including PTSD and substance abuse: drugs and alcohol ( Spelman , Hunt, Seal &  Burgo -Black, 2012).  Psychosocial effects the family directly, including marital, financial instability and social isolation.  Together all these have a significant impact on the everyday life, and the reorientation from deployments and adjustment back into the community ( Spelman  et  al ., 2012). Nurse Advocate for Military Nurses are in the  frontline  of health care.  Therefore, nurses are in the critical position to speak out and be the best advocate for our clients (Laureate, 2012).  However, providing safe and high-quality health care is a collaboration effort, working in unity with other health care professionals and administrators ( Milstead , 2016).  The American Nurses Association (ANA) operates in unison with the Veterans Health Administration and the Department of Defense as advocates to improve veterans’ health care needs.  Another valuable advocacy agency is Mental Health America; with over 200 associates in 41 States, they provide both current and former military with information to prevent the stigma related to mental health issues like PTSD and addiction, assisting in the reintegrating into family life (Mental Health America, 2016).  With nurses working in unison with organizations like these, promotes success for implementing and changing public health policy. De.

1. Respond
in one or more of the following ways:
Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional
background information, evidence, or research using an in-text
citation in APA format.
Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings,
synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.
Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings
from the classroom or from your own research in the Walden
Library.
Validate an idea with your own experience and additional
research.
Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from
readings or after synthesizing multiple postings.
Expand on your colleagues’ postings by providing additional
insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and
evidence.
Health care needs of returning military and their families
Deployment, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), balancing
family with long work hours are all part of an everyday military
life. Mental, physical and social changes occur on a daily basis,
affecting the health care needs of our military. However, events
and issues like these can affect veterans and their families
throughout their lives, even though they deserve the best,
veterans can be neglected. From personal experience, military
life is unique. A community within a community, fighting for
our nation’s best interest. This paper reflects how we as nurses
can be the best advocate for them.
Health Care Needs
Looking at health needs of veterans and their families, they can
be physical, psychological or psychosocial. Physical includes
combat injury which links closely with psychological concerns
including PTSD and substance abuse: drugs and alcohol (

2. Spelman
, Hunt, Seal &
Burgo
-Black, 2012). Psychosocial effects the family directly,
including marital, financial instability and social isolation.
Together all these have a significant impact on the everyday
life, and the reorientation from deployments and adjustment
back into the community (
Spelman
et
al
., 2012).
Nurse Advocate for Military
Nurses are in the
frontline
of health care. Therefore, nurses are in the critical position to
speak out and be the best advocate for our clients (Laureate,
2012). However, providing safe and high-quality health care is
a collaboration effort, working in unity with other health care
professionals and administrators (
Milstead
, 2016). The American Nurses Association (ANA) operates in
unison with the Veterans Health Administration and the
Department of Defense as advocates to improve veterans’ health
care needs. Another valuable advocacy agency is Mental Health
America; with over 200 associates in 41 States, they provide
both current and former military with information to prevent the
stigma related to mental health issues like PTSD and addiction,
assisting in the reintegrating into family life (Mental Health
America, 2016). With nurses working in unison with
organizations like these, promotes success for implementing and
changing public health policy.
Development of Advocacy Skills
According to K.
Tomajan
, author of Advocating for Nurses and Nursing, all nurses are

3. capable and have the opportunity to make an invaluable impact
on their profession (2012). By being an advocacy for their
profession and their clients they can improve care, making
positive changes for the future of health care (
Tomajan
, 2012). By using education, evidence-based knowledge and
working in unison with other health care professionals and
administrators, we can build a
healthcare
system with the patient at the center. Although advocacy starts
in nursing school, it does not stop there with the filing away the
information but continues to grow in all aspects of the
profession throughout the nurses life (
Begley
, 2010).
Another way of developing advocacy skills is by joining and
being actively involved in organizations like the ANA or the
National Association of School Nurses. These both provide
advocacy skills,
webinars
, conferences and connections to other like-minded people,
promoting, supporting and changing the health care for our
future.
Nurse Advocate Responsibility
From Florence Nightingale to present day, it has been the
nurse’s responsibility to be an advocate; initially for their
patients but now also for the developing
healthcare
(
Begley
, 2010). Today nurse are encouraged to have a questioning
attitude, work in collaboration with other health care
professionals and be the voice of health care to ensure the
safety of the patient (
Begley
, 2010). Also, the professional Code of Ethics for Nurses gives

4. nurses a sets standard of care to work within, having sound
knowledge and a responsibility to do what is in the client’s best
interests (
Begley
, 2010).
When applying accountability and nurse advocacy to practice,
nurses need to speak out and be the voice of their clients. In the
case of the veterans, an example can be observing,
implementing and evaluating a program to assist in the
adjustment for school age children to deployed family members,
and monitoring the reintegration into family life. Also, military
spouses play a vital role in the rehabilitation of veterans after
deployment. By working together, implementing a rehabilitation
team, we can assist spouses to adapt and understand behavior,
reuniting the family as a unit, providing a healthier and better
outcome in their life.
Conclusion
Throughout history, nurses have always been at the forefront of
health care delivery. Today nurses remain at the center of
healthcare
, and it is essential that nurses continue to grow to shape our
future. So by working in collaboration with other health care
professionals and administrators, advocating for the best
interests of our patients using evidence-based research, we can
provide the best health care for our clients, military and non-
military.
References
Begley
, A. M. (2010). On being a good nurse: Reflections on the past
and preparing for the future.
International Journal of Nursing Practice
. Retrieved from
http
://eds.a.
ebscohost
.com.

5. ezp
.
waldenulibrary
.
org
/eds/
pdfviewer
/
pdfviewer
?
vid
=1&
sid
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-4
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-9f59-b94fa643b2
ee
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sessionmgr
4007&hid=4103
Laureate Education (Producer). (2012g).
The needle exchange program.
Baltimore, MD: Author.
Mental Health America. (2016). Military Mental Health.
Retrieved from
http
://
www
.
mentalhealthamerica
.net/military-mental-health
Milstead
, J. A. (2016).
Health Policy and Politics: A nurse’s guide

6. . Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning
Spelman
, J. F., Hunt, S. C., Seal, K. H. &
Burgo
-Black, A. L. (2012). Post deployment care for returning combat
veterans.
Journal of General Internal Medicine.
Retrieved from
http
://eds.b.
ebscohost
.com.
ezp
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waldenulibrary
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cb
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Tomajan
, K. (2012). Advocating for nurses and nursing.
Online
Journal of Issues in Nursing
. Retrieved from

7. http
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ebscohost
.com.
ezp
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waldenulibrary
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org
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vid
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sid
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sessionmgr
4010&hid=4103&
bdata
=
JnNpdGU
9
ZWRzLWxpdmUmc
2
NvcGU
9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=22320880&db=
mnh