If most American citizens are unaware that the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service is one of the nation s seven uniformed services, it wouldn t come as a surprise to many of its nurses, who make up the largest contingent of the corps. During the pandemic we ve been highly visible, but still, people didn t even know there were PHS officers on TV standing behind Dr. (Anthony) Fauci and the president, said PHS Lt. Cmdr. Staci McNair, a nurse and the medical director of the Addiction Services Element at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. They might ve thought they were Coast Guard, she added, because the uniforms look similar.
Air Force Col. Jacqueline Killian, senior nurse scientist for the 711th Human Performance Wing, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, talks about her 2015 PhD research on the health benefits of laughter yoga.
Of the approximately 30 certified nurse midwifes in the Navy, there is only one with Asian American Pacific Islander heritage.
May is designated as Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, May 6-12 serves as National Nurses Week and May 13 is the Navy Nurse Corps 113th birthday at the intersect of these three recognitions is Navy Lt. Cmdr. Cheryl Castro. I am the first, and according to our specialty leader, only Filipino active duty Navy Nurse Corps certified nurse midwife (CNM), said Castro, who is stationed at Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Bremerton. When I found out I was the only active duty Navy CNM of Asian American Pacific Islander heritage I was surprised. However, it s made me extremely proud because diversity is one of the Navy s biggest strengths. It reminds me how the Navy provided me equal opportunity and rooted out bias. It proves to me the Navy continues to reflect the nation s diversity and commitment to treat everyone with dignity and re
Munson Army Health Center civilian nurses Ashley Woodruff and Erin Richter have been responsible for administering and charting 80% of the nearly 14,000 COVID-19 vaccinations given so far to service members, their families, and retirees at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas military medical treatment facility.
Munson s motto is constant dedicated care, and Woodruff and Richter embody those qualities.
Woodruff and Richter, both licensed practical nurses, work in the Munson multiservice specialty clinic, where, in addition to the COVID-19 vaccinations, they are responsible for ensuring the military population is medically ready for deployment. They are also responsible for improving, protecting, and promoting immunization health care for service members, military families and retirees who use Munson as their health center or who are changing service locations or going outside the continental United States.
An Army nurse has received national recognition for her commitment to critically ill patients and their families in the midst of a global health crisis.
Army Lt. Col. DeAnna Hutchings, Brooke Army Medical Center s chief of critical care, is one of 18 nurses – and the only military nurse – to receive the 2021 Circle of Excellence award from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. Hutchings is also one of only two nurses recognized in Texas. It s incredibly humbling, she said. I work with so many amazing medical professionals and support personnel who work incredibly hard and deserve recognition. It s a surreal feeling to be singled out for this honor.