Enlisted women with breast cancer: Balancing demands and expectations

Abstract

Diagnosis with breast cancer is not an automatic cause for discharge from the military. Therefore, it is important to know how this disease impacts enlisted women in the military. This study describes how enlisted women manage diagnosis and treatment within the context of their military careers. Grounded theory guided the study methodology. Audiotaped semistructured interviews were conducted three times over 9 months to learn how treatment impacted work demands. Data saturation was attained after 46 interviews were conducted. Participants had to balance demands and expectations among the Military Career and Military Medical Subsystems and their Social Support Subsystem. Support from the chain of command was critical in women's ability to balance demands and expectations of career, family, and illness. Military nurses are in a unique position to create strategies that will assist enlisted women in coping with breast cancer.