Photo By Ronald Bell | U.S. Army Reserve 1st Lt. Kaidi Wang, 311th Field Hospital Critical Care Nurse, takes...... read more read more
For 16 years, Army Reserve 1st Lt. Kaidi Wang had the goal to participate in a NATO event in a professional capacity. Her interest began during Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps in high school listening to a cadre member, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, talk about the friendship and camaraderie he’d developed with the Albanian ambassadors.
Wang graduated high school and joined the Army Reserve as a patient administration specialist (68G) while studying in the clinical psychology program at the University of Arizona and commissioned as a critical care nurse after receiving her degree.
Wang said, “I realized that medicine is my calling.”
She finished her master’s degree in 2023 to become an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and now serves as a critical care nurse for the 311th Field Hospital. Her love of medicine and her NATO aspirations finally aligned as she attended the The Confédération Interalliée des Officiers Médicaux de Réserve (Interallied Confederation of Medical Reserve Officers/CIOMR) Midwinter meeting held in February 2024 in Brussels, Belgium.
Wang’s focus during the event was understanding how her hospital unit and overall medical command fits into the picture of supporting U.S. Soldiers and allies in an international battlespace and then ensuring her unit’s training plan matched with these efforts.
Wang stated that knowledge shared among allied leaders was most rewarding.
“The British officers were expert strategic planners and a particularly brilliant French epidemiologist shared insights with epidemic management. In addition, briefings by U.S. leaders gave structure to our current training missions. Understanding the U.S. strategic goals within and beyond our borders will help our unit better train to the commander’s intent,” said Wang.
The experience at CIOMR left Wang hoping to attend again in the future and be involved with other opportunities working with U.S. allies and NATO partners.
Wang said, “Being in the Reserve forces and having this kind of strategic and tactical conference allows company and battalion level leaders to get a peek behind the curtains. Whether it is a new officer looking for a spark or a seasoned, green-to-gold leader looking for a tail wind to push their boundaries, attending an international conference like the Junior Medical Reserve Officer Committee workshop and the CIOMR congress can be the jump start they need.”
| Date Taken: | 09.26.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.26.2024 12:39 |
| Story ID: | 481857 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 94 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, A Medical Calling Leads to NATO Experience, by LTC Kristin Porter, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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