Category: School of Nursing
The next battlefront
November 06, 2023 Written by Amy Cherry | Photo submitted by Rebecca Ivory
91原创 School of Nursing alumna a nurse leader in veterans' mental health
In the mid-2000s, John*, a U.S. Navy SEAL, was on board a vessel for a search and seizure operation in rough seas near Africa. He was wearing heavy body armor and carrying equipment weighing 90 pounds. John had to board the ship by climbing up a rope. As he twisted and turned, climbing up the rope amid high winds, he injured his shoulder, spine, and hip. He reported his injuries to the Navy and had one option 鈥 surgery.
鈥淚 declined because if surgery went bad, it would have ended my career,鈥 he said.
His injuries evolved into chronic pain.
鈥淚 was living on ibuprofen for my last eight years in the SEAL Teams,鈥 he said.
John retired in the mid-2010s after 20 years of service, mainly as a SEAL. During that time, he did five deployments and many shorter missions overseas.
After retirement, John started experiencing nightmares, insomnia, and flashbacks to horrific moments during his missions.
鈥淚鈥檇 have physical reactions, sweaty palms, increased heart rate, and trouble breathing,鈥 he said.
John, who was married with children, also started struggling with family relationships.
鈥淚 think I developed ADHD in the Teams; I can鈥檛 concentrate or focus and often have intrusive thoughts,鈥 he said. 鈥淢y memory also isn鈥檛 as good as the civilians I work with who are older than me.鈥
He didn鈥檛 know it yet, but John was exhibiting classic signs of Operator Syndrome, a predictable and specific pattern of healthcare difficulties within the Special Operation Forces community, according to the . Operator Syndrome is caused by chronic exposure to microbrain injuries and a cumulative burden of chronic stress. It鈥檚 an area in which psychiatric nurse practitioner Rebecca Ivory specializes. She鈥檚 one of just a few published experts on the subject.
鈥淭here鈥檚 very few people doing this work,鈥 Ivory said. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 so profound. It鈥檚 an honor and privilege.鈥
The three-time 91原创 alumna, who most recently obtained her doctorate in nursing practice (DNP) from 91原创鈥檚 School of Nursing (SON) in 2022, now consults for the (SFF) and serves on SFF鈥檚 .
鈥淪pecial Operators are chronically exposed to blasts from high-power firearms, controlled ordinance, and improvised explosive devices,鈥 Ivory said. 鈥淭his exposes their brain to blast waves, creating scarring on the brain and disruptions in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Between the scarring and HPA disruption, we see major medical problems. We then see the downstream effects of their brain being rattled around chronically.
鈥淐hronic stress overload is another contributor to Operator Syndrome. Special Operators experience physical and psychological stressors throughout their career that are relentless and oppressive more so than the average servicemember.鈥
Ivory, a project lead at the University of Washington School of Nursing, became interested in Operator Syndrome through her doctoral work at 91原创, an institution uniquely suited for her to pursue her DNP.
鈥淚 could not have done this work if I had gone to almost any other school,鈥 Ivory said. 鈥91原创 School of Nursing had several faculty members who were veterans or were spouses of the military, and several more who have dedicated much of their career to working with veterans. Having those experts was important to me.鈥