Nurse, Technician Appreciation Week begins May 5

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Dillon White
  • 341st Space Wing Public Affairs Office
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  Colonel Paul Gydesen, 341st Space Wing vice commander, signed a proclamation April 28, declaring May 5 to 9, Nurse and Technician Appreciation Week. 

Members of the base ambulatory care clinic, which include 19 civilian, military and contract nurses, and 20 medical technicians, will start their Monday with a slice of cake and find their 11 different duty sections decorated with Loy Elementary students' construction-paper artwork. 

"All the nurses and medical technicians are wonderful, dedicated, well-trained professionals," said Lt. Col. Lourie Moore, 341st Medical Group chief nurse. "They provide the best, compassionate, quality care for all our beneficiaries in Montana and we've had several win Air Force Space Command-level Medical Service annual awards." 

During NTAW, the men and women at the clinic will receive gifts and answer nursing trivia questions for the chance to win prizes. The staff members will also receive a written "scroll" noting anonymous compliments from other nurses and technicians. 

Nurses and technicians perform many tasks throughout their day spanning from teaching health education classes about diabetes to sterilizing instruments and filing health assessment paperwork for Airmen returning from deployment. 

The clinic staff also trains more realistically to maintain their readiness skills on a new simulator mannequin that bleeds, talks and produces heart, bowel and respiratory sounds. 

There are 3,263 nurses and 5,167 medical technicians in the Air Force. Across the Air Force, medical technicians perform their duties in a wide variety of specialty career fields such as independent duty medical technicians to aeromedical evacuation technicians, and nurses may be found in all sorts of clinical and administrative specialties ranging from ambulatory care to operating room, Colonel Moore said. 

"I really feel like we are entrusted with a lot of important responsibilities," said Airman 1st Class Megan Cotter, 341st MDOS women's health clinic medical technician, "We have skills and knowledge in working in an emergency room and hospital ward, administering IVs, phlebotomy, or drawing blood, irrigating wounds, administering injections and other basic emergency medical technician skills." 

Airman Cotter's daily routine in the women's health clinic consists of preparing and cleaning examination rooms, scheduling and checking in patients, washing instruments, labeling and delivering specimens to the lab, taking phone calls for the nurses, as well as other administrative work like shredding and filing paperwork. 

"I love it when I can answer someone's question or solve a problem for a patient," Airman Cotter said. "It helps them be at ease if they are worried about anything." 

Capt. Donna Tew, family practice element chief, is part of a primary care manager team in charge of 1,500 beneficiaries. Her duties include health education, lab and test call-backs, processing medication renewals, care coordination, medication infusions and hands-on patient care. 

"The rest of my time is spent on element chief responsibilities, personnel issues, developing and maintaining clinic processes, disease management, attending meetings, and sometimes putting out fires," Captain Tew said. 

While deployed, the captain was on an aeromedical evacuation mission, evacuating more than 20 coalition forces injured in a bombing in Iraq. As the crew was loading patients onboard the aircraft, the captain heard a Polish soldier comfort his friend. 

"'Don't worry,' the soldier said. 'It is the American Air Force. We will make it,'" Captain Tew recalled. 

"It makes me proud to know that Air Force medical capability is respected by our coalition brethren," Captain Tew said. 

The biggest challenge for nurses in general is educating and empowering people to take an active role in their own health care, Captain Tew said. 

"The era of calling in for an appointment and allowing the healthcare providers to be responsible for an individual's health has morphed into building healthy communities by changing the focus to preventive services and promoting health," Captain Tew said. 

Nursing professionals strive to educate the population in wellness and disease management, care and comfort for the ill, and advocate for improved health care for everyone, Captain Tew said. 

Jane Scoates, 341st MDOS registered nurse, said patient education is her favorite duty at the clinic. 

"I teach diabetes classes at the Health and Wellness Center, "Ms. Scoates said. 
"Education is a very important part of health and wellness, and helping patients understand how to improve or maintain their health is very fulfilling to me." 

The registered nurse said she educates patients about their health throughout the day on the phone or during patient visits outside the classroom as well. 

If a person is interested in becoming a nurse, it is best to speak with a health professions recruiter or local chief nurse, Colonel Moore said. 

The men and women at the clinic plan to continue their daily mission during NTAW while others focus on appreciating the work they do every day.