Photo By Douglas Stutz | A cut above…wrapping up recognition of National Nurses Week, May 6-12, with the Navy...... read more read more
Over the past two years, almost half of Navy Medicine Readiness Training Command Bremerton staff who deployed on COVID Medical Response Teams were from one distinctive group; Navy Nurse Corps.
“When others are weak, they are strong,” stated Lt. Cmdr. John Tarr, Navy Chaplain Corps, in offering a blessing of hands during NMRTC Bremerton’s recognition of the Navy Nurse Corps 114th birthday, May 13, 2022.
According to compiled statists by Navy Medicine, Nurse Corps officers have responded to mission requirements and operational deployments in 2020 and 2021 sending nearly 50 Nurse Corps personnel on a number of aircraft carriers, fleet surgical teams and hospital ship(s) USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) and USNS Mercy (T-AH 19). There have also been approximately 140 Nurse Corps officers attached to 1st, 2nd and 3rd Marine Corps medical battalions, not including those tabbed – many at the last minute – to respond to the pandemic and help render aid to those in need.
“In the past two years alone, over 900 active and reserve Navy Nurses, approximately 24 percent of our total force, deployed in support of COVID operations and Operation Allies Welcome,” wrote Rear Adm. Cynthia Kuehner, Navy Nurse Corps director, who counts Naval Hospital Bremerton amongst her prior duty stations.
There are currently approximately 2,700 active duty and 1,050 reservist Navy Nurse Corps officer in 17 different specialties assigned throughout the Navy and Marine Corps, including approximately 65 Nurse Corps officers and 70 civilian nurses at NHB.
The Navy Nurse Corps birthday was a culmination of an entire week of celebration with National Nurses Week, May 6-12, honoring all active duty, civilian and contractor nurses at NHB/NMRTC Bremerton. The entire seven-day span is especially symbolic with the birthday of Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), considered the founder of modern nursing, on May 12, and followed a day later by the Navy Nurse Corps birthday.
The entire week featured daily events, including an ice cream and popcorn social, continental breakfast offerings, tailored virtual training seminars and numerous Blessing of the Hands services to accommodate all shifts of the staff nurses.
“Thanks to all those who put together all the little things to recognize Navy Nurse Corps and nurses,” said Cmdr. Terri Jandron, assistant chief nursing officer.
Along with the heartfelt handwritten letter from Kuehner, correspondence from all other Navy Medicine corps chiefs were also read aloud, including from Rear Adm. Bruce Gillingham, Navy surgeon general and chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery who thanked the Nurse Corps for their dedication, service and sacrifice.
“It is no surprise that the World Health Organization declared 2020 and 2021 International Year of the nurse. This honor recognizes the powerful impact, sacrifice and steadfast devotion of nurses globally in the world’s fight against the deadly Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic. Navy nurses have been a vital part of this effort,” Gillingham shared.
“For the 20th year in a row, nursing was names the most trusted profession in the annual Gallup Honesty and Ethics poll. Military officers were also in the top five. A double win, in my book, for Navy Nurses and I could not be more proud,” added Gillingham.
After all letters were read, the most experienced and youngest Nurse Corps officers participated in the traditional cake-cutting portion of the ceremony. Capt. Patrick Fitzpatrick, NHB director and NMRTC Bremerton commanding officer, who initially enlisted in the Navy Reserves as a Seabee from Missoula, Montana, in 1992, was joined by Lt. j.g. Samantha Dahl, a Florida native approaching four years of duty, recently assigned to NMRTC Bremerton from Naval Medical Center San Diego.
“I couldn’t think of a better job than nursing in the military. I always wanted to help others,” explained Dahl, a University of Central Florida graduate who credits one of her professors with prior Navy Nurse Corps experience with kindling her interest to get where she is today.
Nurse Corps officers like Dahl follow in the footsteps of Fitzpatrick, handling a host of specialties as part of their overall duties, including family nurse practitioner, executive medicine, nurse anesthetist, clinical nurse, perioperative nursing, maternal child, ambulatory, medical surgical, critical care, and pediatric nursing.
As well as continue to answer the call for responding to mission requirements and operational deployments.
| Date Taken: | 05.13.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 05.13.2022 19:36 |
| Story ID: | 420728 |
| Location: | BREMERTON, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 251 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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