Lived experience of medical veterans transitioning from military service to civilian nursing education

Background: Many veterans take advantage of the educational benefits afforded them after service. As veterans, students in higher education are a special population with subsequent needs. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of medic student veterans attending a full-time Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. Method: This study used the hermeneutic phenomenology research approach to explore the lived experiences of student veterans with military medic experience enrolled in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. Results: While our study revealed diverse student experiences among these veterans, common themes included staying true to military training, normal life, and fitting in as a university student. Conclusions: Findings in this study substantiate medic student veterans attending nursing school represent a unique cohort which can benefit from customized services from the university.