Navy Medicine: Military Medical Rank Structures

I am honored and thankful for the opportunity to seek re-election to the NSAA Board of Directors as a Member at Large for my second consecutive term. I am a Veteran of the United States Navy and I am employed by American Surgical Professionals in Corpus Christi, TX as a Cardio-Thoracic Surgical Assistant for the past seven years. Serving on such a distinguished Board of Directors has had a profound impact on how deeply committed I am in continuing to establish directives with the board to help promote the professional and personal excellence of each surgical assistant nationwide. Unity among our profession is paramount in successfully addressing our legislative and organizational challenges that we face as individuals and as a whole. Together

Upon observation of the circulating nurse, I noticed that she was very interactive and involved in the surgery. One of the responsibilities of the circulating nurse is to retrieve any surgical supplies that are not available in the operating room and to make or receive any calls for the surgeon. During the surgery, I noticed the nurse call for an x-ray for the surgeon, the laboratory for biopsy samples, and the operating room floor front desk to inform them that the surgery would be later than expected. This is her responsibility as the surgeon cannot break sterility by touching the phone and it is easier for him to communicate through her and not leave the surgical site. Also in the operating room, I observed the scrub nurses’ roles. Before the operation, the scrub nurse opened all of the sterile packages, arranged them on the sterile field, and took count of what was there along with the circulating nurse. The scrub nurse did this because she is sterile during the entire procedure, and once the sterile packs are opened, the contents can only be handled by sterile personnel. The scrub nurse also was ready and waiting at the sterile field at all times to get the surgeon any equipment needed from the sterile field. This is helpful to the surgeon because it enables the surgeon to stay at the surgical site and convenient for when

VASNHS Surgical Specialty Outpatient department has a designated pre-operative management unit that oversees the patients undergoing surgery. The predicaments stem from various guidelines or protocol originating from numerous surgeons and clinics. At present, the pre-operative nurses abide simple pre-op instructions (NPO protocol, medications, what to bring, during the surgery, transportation, cancellation instructions) for the entire Surgical Specialty Outpatient department. Surgical procedures are being canceled due to lack of communications and cancelations of patients prior to surgery date.

The announcement by the Navy to reinstore rating titles was welcomed with enthusiasm by almost all personnel. The initial decision to remove them was looked at by the majority of navy sailors as an affront to centuries of tradition. Sailors take a great deal of pride in not only their branch and ship, but also at a more personnel level they take pride in their accomplishments in their chosen career path. By removing the rating titles and going to a strict rank and

Navy evaluations today do not accurately represent a person to their full capability, for instance, someone from a command could be one of the best personnel in the Navy and be poorly represented because of a bad evaluation. In today’s Navy, the evaluation is written by someone in a higher position. That person tends to be the deciding factor on whether or not someone gets advanced. If that person can write a good evaluation they have the

Today’s nurses are very well educated and know exactly what they’re doing. The battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan are characterized by quick military operations, increased mobility and distribution of the units, flexible and rapid task organization, and geographically extended lines of communication. On the battlefields, they practice life and limb surgery in an environment without the high technology available in a civilian intensive care unit (ICU). This is why our U.S Army critical care nurses don’t only have top-notch nursing knowledge and skills, but they also have to be able to adapt to different circumstances and environments. There are five different levels of medical care out there in the battlefield.

I had to manage various acute and chronic medical problems. I gained confidence and satisfaction by performing an internist’s responsibilities. Yet, I would not be able to make it happen without a team of

Upon entering active duty Capt Hardy attended the Nurse Transition Program at MacDill Air Force Base Tampa Florida, she then went on to her first permanent duty assignment at the Inpatient Squadron in the 96th Medical Group, Eglin Air Force Base Florida in September 2011. While at Eglin she served as a clinical nurse and a charge nurse, gaining the confidence of her leadership she was entrusted with mentoring several nurses and 4N students. During this time Capt Hardy served as the units Infection Control Officer, the Squadron Unit Fitness Program Manager, and Peer Review Head aiding the unit in passing military and civilian inspections. While at Eglin she earned her national certification as a Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse. She was elected as the Public Relations Chair for the base wide Eglin Junior Force Council, producing nine publications distributed to three wings of active duty and civilian junior force members. Since arriving to JBER Capt Hardy has served as a Charge Nurse and directly supervised 12 Lieutenants and one Captain. She is currently head of her units Process Improvement program and Staff Development Program, bringing both programs to a record

While doing clinical specialty rotation with the pediatric transport team a lot of knowledge was gained on the how to transport neonatal and pediatric patients and how all members associated with pediatric transport play an intricate part in getting the patient back to Roanoke Memorial so they can receive the advanced care needed. Through discussion and observation during the specialty clinical rotation with the pediatric transport team knowledge was gained to be used during patient interaction and during patient simulation discussions. The pediatric transport teams are a very intricate and tight knit team. They work together flawlessly and their interprofessional roles are mixed.

In February 2017, the National Capital Region Medical Directorate (NCR MD) exercised authority, direction, and control over various military facilities around the National Capital Region of Southern Maryland, Washington, D.C; and Northern Virginia. These military facilities include: Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, the Joint Pathology Center, and Navy Health Clinic Quantico and its subordinate Branch Health Clinic, Washington Navy Yard (page 4, Dictorate, 2017). The primarily goals of aligning all of these military medical facilities in the National Capital Region are to: create services that are responsible for the healthcare needs of all patients, enhance patient safety and quality, ensure that world class military healthcare facilities are accessible, and provide the continuous focus on health, training, education, and research (page 4, Dictorate, 2017).

rating as an Army aviator. The memo attached has a captain in the signature block and is not signed.

Open communication is essential part to a successful healthcare team that directly impacts patient’s lives. In the video “Just a Routine Operation, ” by Laedal Medical Human Factors in Patient Safety, physicians and nurses demonstrates how different human factors contribute to the overall outcome of the patient. Elaine, the patient in the video came into the hospital for a reconstruction surgery. However, during the surgery Elaine had a complication and because the lack of communication, assertiveness, self-awareness, decision-making, teamwork, and prioritization, Elaine did not survive the surgery. This situation shows how important these characteristics are when dealing with emergency care. Even the health care professional with the years

As the Company Gunnery Sergeant for VMF 214, my main responsibility is, to ensure that the strategies developed to improved command climate aboard VMF 214 are planned and executed properly to ensure maximum success. Communication among the SNCOs

The day I conducted my field observation the entire class and club was testing for rank. Testing for rank gives individuals the opportunity to show the instructors how much they have grown as a Taekwondo participant. If an individual is deemed to have improved enough they will be awarded their next belt rank. The testing consists of Forms (patterns of punches, kicks, blocks, and strikes), One-Steps/Sparring Combinations (specified combinations of punches, kicks, blocks, and strikes that are designed to ease individuals into sparring), Sparring (actual trading of blows), and Breaking Wood (breaking inch thick wooden boards). Everyone must do their forms, only White/Yellow/Orange participate in One Steps/Sparring Combinations, Green and above

Military medicine has a rich and long history. The medical and health care delivery lessons gained through multiple wars fought in the past decades are applied to improve the care for military personnel and their families. It continually evolves and adapts to the current mandates of the government.