ROLE OF NURSES IN THE UNITED STATES SPACE PROGRAM (NASA).
Contributors: University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Published: 1988
Number of pages: 76
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Political Science, Public Administration.
Description: Science and technology have established the new frontier of space. The present challenge is for man to live and work in a permanently based space station. Nurses work everywhere people are found and nurses relate to and care for the whole person. The purpose of this research was to describe the role of the nurses in the United States space program.

Qualitative research using an exploratory descriptive design was conducted. Interviews, participant observation, and content analysis of available documents were the methods of data collection. Nurses employed by NASA were the primary informants. Additional informants included other members of the space term and/or their families, and other persons involved in the space program. Participant observation was conducted at two NASA field centers involved in health-related research, and one major university involved in space-related research. Informants employed at other agencies or field centers were interviewed by telephone.

The findings of this study offer a conceptual framework constructed from the data that represents a beginning substantive theory. Roles were classified as practitioner, researcher, administrator/manager, teacher, and consultant. Analysis of the data revealed three major categories within each role. The categories were: duties/responsibilities, knowledge/skills, and values. Common themes used by the informants in describing their roles were identified and grouped by categories. The common themes were: nurses function primarily in a support role, nurses have strong observation/data collection skills, and nurses are valued members of the space team because of their ability to care for the whole person. Future opportunities for nurses within the roles of practitioner, researcher, and consultant were identified.

Additional research using futures methodology is needed to identify the future role of the space nurse. The role of ground-based nursing in the space program should be distinguished from the role of the space nurse.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-02, Section: B, page: 0495.

Thesis (D.S.N.)--UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM, 1988.

School code: 0005.