MHAFB celebrates nurses week

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Alyssa C. Wallace
  • 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho --  Nurses have many roles - from staff nurse to educator, to nurse practitioner and nurse researcher - and all serve with the passion for the profession and a strong commitment to patient safety.

Each year MHAFB's nurses and technicians are celebrated May 6-12 during National Nurses Week, allowing their leadership and patients a special opportunity to thank them for all they do for the Gunfighter community.

"Although it is a national nursing services week celebration we also have medical technicians in the Air Force, so we like to incorporate them into the celebration," said Master Sgt. Dandy Aaron, 366th Aerospace Medicine Squadron superintendent.

Aaron said the 57 medical technicians and 35 nurses here are in a unique position due to the base's isolated location.

"The main reasons we're still a hospital is because Elmore County hospital is not accredited and we're 14 miles from downtown Mountain Home," Aaron said. "The nurses do quite a few things as far as coordinating patient labs, administering IV medications and just documenting any type of thing that happens whether it's in labor and delivery or urgent care.

"The techs are more hands-on like with IV starts, blood draws, blood pressure checks and 911 calls," she continued.

National Nurses Week began in 1990 when the American Nurses Association expanded May 6's National Recognition Day for Nurses to a week-long observance, and its importance has not been forgotten throughout the years.

MHAFB celebrated the week through a soup contest, ice cream socials, a nurses call and a medical Olympics challenge.

"I think it's important to recognize people in the medical care profession," Aaron said. "It's a profession of compassion. You have to care about your patients and sometimes it can be a daunting task. You know how you feel when you're sick, you're not always the most pleasant person to be around - I know I'm not. So being able to show you care and give people the care they need is important to recognize. I know last year they really enjoyed the event - it was a lot of fun."

In fact, Staff Sgt. Samuel Scott, 366th Surgical Squadron technician, has been looking forward to this year's Nurses Week since 2011.

"It's kind of slow paced here, but it's still a pretty demanding job," Scott said. "As techs we are kind of locked into what I like to call our dungeon. We hide behind doors and we're there all day. Events like this are really nice because we can see the people we don't normally get to see."

Additionally, Scott said participating in the observance helps nurses and techs with their overall work performance.

"It really helps get people to work together and have a good time," he said.