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This is Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. It's here
in classrooms, dormitories and on a campuslike post
that registered nurses become something more, something
special in their black berets, camouflage fatigues and
combat boots.
It doesn't matter how or why they came to the military.
It doesn't matter where they earned their nursing degrees
or where they are going. At graduation from the Officers
Basic Course after 10 weeks, they are all Army nurses,
with an emphasis on Army. They are soldiers, officers
and leaders.
Three RNs chosen by the command of the AMEDD Center
and School spoke with NURSEWEEK about their Army
experience so far and their aspirations. Once or twice
a year, we will try to catch up with 2nd Lts. Franchesca
Desriviere, Rahul Lall and Jeanie Rhodes, wherever their
nursing careers take them.
Fairfax, Va., is home for Rhodes, 23, who grew up with
a father in the U.S. Coast Guard. It's not surprising,
then, that the military was in her future. At George
Mason University in Fairfax, she was enrolled in ROTC.
But nursing hadn't crossed her mind yet. She was a computer
science major.
"I took an internship and decided that was something
I didn't want to do," Rhodes said. "I was
a lifeguard and taught swimming for five years and I
really liked the first-aid aspect." So she switched
her major to nursing, earned a bachelor's degree and
committed to the Army for four years of active duty.
"I didn't realize the amount of leadership experience
I would gain from this situation," Rhodes said
of the Officers Basic Course. It's an in-depth study
of the Army, its chain of command, standard operating
procedures and elements that every officer must have.
"It's actually turned out to be a great thing,
because I've had to prepare myself to be in a leadership
position and that entails a lot of extra work besides
school," she said.
This training for her comes on the heels of a three-week
airborne school.
"It's really physical for the first two weeks.
The third week, that's when you get to finally jump
out of airplanes," Rhodes said. "You do two
Hollywood jumps, which is a jump without any kind of
equipment. And then you do three combat jumps. You have
all your gear on. You have your ALICE (All-purpose,
Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment) pack and
you've got your weapon on your side.
"It was very intense. And it was a great feeling
when you graduated. It was like a huge confidence builder,"
she said.
Her next stop is Walter Reed Army Medical Center in
Washington, D.C. She said her interest is in intensive
care or a step-down unit, but her assignment will be
determined "depending on the needs of the Army."
Walter Reed is Desriviere's destination, too. "I'll
be doing med/surg for the first year because I'm a new
graduate and I don't have any nursing background. So
that will be my foundation," she said.
Desriviere, 25, was born in Port au Prince, Haiti,
and became a naturalized citizen two years ago. New
York City is home. She joined the Army-a direct commission
nurse-with a bachelor's degree from Molloy College in
Rockville Centre, N.Y., and was given a course guarantee
to later choose specialized training in medical/surgical,
emergency, intensive care or obstetrics and gynecology.
She once was a premed student and said she probably
will choose intensive care training to practice that
aspect of nursing. Ultimately, though, she plans someday
to open an obstetrics clinic as a nurse practitioner
with a specialty in midwifery in Port au Prince or perhaps
a Third World country.
On an introductory tour of Walter Reed, Desriviere
said she was impressed with the leadership opportunities
afforded relatively young nurses. "You can come
on your unit and within the first month be in charge
of putting everybody's schedule together," an administrative
path that might take years to follow in the civilian
world. "Of course, they have people to help you,
but because you're a leader, you're an officer, you're
expected to be able to do that right off the bat."
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