Capitalizing on Military Nurse Skills for Second-Career Leadership and Staff Development Roles

Nursing continues to face professional workforce and diversity shortage problems. This article advocates for examining an untapped resource-the consideration of applicants for nursing leadership and educational positions in civilian health care organizations. This untapped resource is highly qualified, already retired (or going to be separated) military nurse officers (MNOs) who possess extensive health care knowledge, as well as distinctive ethnicity and gender composition. Clinical educators, as part of the organizational leadership, can play an important role in assisting the MNO civilian position assimilation because they come from a structured and unique cultural environment. Several innovative preparatory strategies are proposed to highlight the organization's support and commitment regarding preselection, recruiting, hiring, and mentoring, including the use of a specific navigational mentor to achieve the necessary acquired cultural assimilation for the MNO's success, satisfaction, and retention. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2016;47(11):503-510.