42nd MDG celebrates National Nurse and Medical Technician Week

Pictured from left to right: Airman First Class Virgil Sizemore, 42nd Medical Group medical technician, Maj. Janet Brumley, Family Practice Flight commander, Chlora Evans, clinical nurse, and Senior Airman Caitlyn Cooper, 42nd MDG medical technician, conduct a simulated assessment. (Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Eric Donner)

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42nd MDG celebrates National Nurse and Medical Technician Week

Published May 11, 2010

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- The 42nd Medical Group is celebrating Nurse and Medical Technician Week. This year's event, themed "Caring Today for a Healthier Tomorrow," culminates on Wednesday, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.

"National Nurses Week is an annual celebration to honor the service of our nurses and nursing personnel," said Lt. Col. Pamela Bement, chief nurse of the 42nd Medical Group.

Colonel Bement said nursing is steeped in military history. In 1854, Ms. Nightingale led a team of 38 British nurses in providing care to the sick and wounded soldiers of the Crimean War. It was during her time in the Crimea that Ms. Nightingale's calls for better sanitation and care for these soldiers made her world renowned. She used that influence to modernize nursing education.

Ms. Nightingale's influence led a young Clara Barton to the frontlines of the Civil War, where she became known as the "Angel of the Battlefield." Ms. Barton, the U.S.'s best-known nurse, would later support U.S. troops during the Spanish-American War and found the American branch of the Red Cross.

National Nurses Week was first celebrated in 1954, recognizing the 100th anniversary of Ms. Nightingale's work in the Crimea. The week and the recognition it brings helps to celebrate the careers of registered nurses, nurse practitioners, licensed practical nurses and medical technicians. Currently, the Air Force has 8,430 members in the nursing corps; 3,263 nurses and 5,167 medical technicians.

"Nurses and medical technicians - active duty, reserve, guardsmen, civilians and contractors - not only support the 18,000 enrolled patients here at Maxwell, but they also support U.S. servicemen and women across the globe, from Afghanistan to Iraq and even Haiti," she said.

Colonel Bement hopes everyone who encounters a nurse or medical technician during this week will take time to thank them for their contributions to their health care.

Article courtesy of the 42nd Medical Group