National nurses week honors 3rd MDG members

  • Published
  • By Maj. Marlene Kerchenski
  • 3rd Medical Group
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  The work of America's 2.9 million registered nurses to save lives and maintain the health of millions of individuals is the focus of this year's National Nurses Week, celebrated annually May 6-12 throughout the United States. 

This year, the American Nurses Association has selected "Nursing: A Profession and a Passion" as the theme. 

Annually, National Nurses Week begins on May 6, marked as RN Recognition Day, and ends on May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, founder of nursing as a modern profession. 

Her most famous contributions to nursing came from what she lived in and learned from during the Crimean War. More soldiers were dying from contagious illnesses in unsanitary hospital conditions than were dying from battlefield injuries. 

Her reflections on those conditions prompted her to work for reforms in Army living conditions and ultimately sanitary conditions within hospitals. 

She was a true advocate for both the Army soldiers and the hospitals. Today's military nurses and technicians remain advocates for their patients and continue to seek lessons learned from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to continue to improve the care they provide. 

Maj. Gen. Melissa Rank, Assistant Air Force Surgeon General, Medical Force Development, and Assistant Air Force Surgeon General, Nursing Services, provided the following testimony in March 2007 to the Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Defense in the US Senate: "Between January and December 2006, 12 percent of the total nursing force inventory (active duty, Air National Guard, Reserve) deployed to 43 locations in 23 countries. Since September 2001, the total nursing force has completed 53 percent of all Total Force deployments within the Air Force Medical Service. Nurses and medical technicians are providing remarkable operational support. We are a well-trained, highly motivated capability serving in every time zone, every theater of operations, and at every level of care." 

The 3rd Medical Group honors both nurses and medical technicians during this week. The nurse/technician team is instrumental in providing complete patient care on the ground or in the air. 

The Air Force has 3,700 active duty nurses and 5,800 medical technicians serving in hospitals, clinics, flying squadrons and forward bases throughout the world. During this week, the 3rd Medical Group will hold various events to honor the nurses and technicians who give care to the 106,000 beneficiaries within this area. 

This year the nurse/technician week committee is proud to sponsor an essay contest for medical technicians who are furthering their education in nursing school. The essays will be judged May 11th and a monetary award will be given to the winning technician to support their education.