Utilization and Evaluation of Research-into-Practice Awards. Active, reserve, and guard nurses in all services who fulfill one of the following criteria are eligible: (1) nurses with a doctoral degree or (2) nurses with a master's degree who have a co-principal investigator with a doctoral degree.

The committee recommends the addition of the following award categories as long-term goals, to the extent feasible.

Infrastructure Enhancement Awards. Research in military nursing may be facilitated by increased access to institutional resources. Examples of such resources include

• systems of instrumentation including computers;
• development of registries of patient outcomes during different modes of air evacuation;
• development of registries on DOD beneficiaries before, during, and after deployment; and
• software development for telemedicine and other information systems pertinent to military nursing.

Mentored Research Investigator Awards. The post-doctoral mentorship concept gives talented investigators adequate mentorship in research and offers one of the best opportunities to accelerate the pace of advance of empirically based nursing care for service members and their beneficiaries.

Centers of Excellence in Military Nursing Research. The development of Centers of Excellence in Military Nursing Research as part of the organizational structure of military medical centers or treatment facilities would enhance the career development of military nurse researchers and increase the probability of successful completion of grants awarded by this program to active-duty military nurses.

With the implementation of these recommendations and others contained in the complete report, the TriService Nursing Research Program has the potential to evolve into a strong force for the advancement of military nursing practice.