Three Air Force nurses became the first graduating class of the Scottsdale Healthcare-U.S. Air Force Critical Care & Emergency Trauma Nursing Fellowship at Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn Medical Center on Aug. 7.
The 12-month program includes five weeks of in-depth classroom education followed by hands-on learning with preceptors in the specialty care units and Level I Trauma Center at Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn Medical Center. Air Force nursing fellows also complete rotations for experience in areas such as burn ICU, pediatric ICU and prehospital care at affiliated sites.
The inaugural Fellowship class graduates were Capt. Patrick Nugent of Sparta, Wis., Capt. Weston Winn of Knoxville, Tenn. and 1st Lt. Katrina Chu of New York, New York. Major Susie Everly, whose experience ranges from multiple deployments as an aeromedical evacuation nurse to serving as the Senior White House Nurse, is director of the Fellowship.
Based in the Military Training Center at Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn Medical Center, the Fellowship is the only one of its kind in a civilian hospital, and one of only two Air Force Nursing Fellowship programs in the U.S.
Brigadier General Scott L. Pleus Commander, 56th Fighter Wing, Air Education and Training Command, Luke Air Force Base, Arizona Unit was keynote speaker. He commended the graduates and the program for providing needed skills to care for injured military personnel in the field worldwide.
“By the end of the fellowship, these nurses emerge as experienced critical care and emergency trauma nurses with the education, clinical skills and confidence to care for the highest acuity patients,” said Jerry Zabokrtsky, director of Corporate & Community Preparedness for Scottsdale Healthcare.
Contributing more than $1 million annually to the Scottsdale economy, the Scottsdale Healthcare Military Partnership provides military medical personnel with training, education and the clinical experience needed to perform successfully in combat and humanitarian missions while building relationships that can be used in potential disaster response situations. To date, more than 2,100 service members have been trained.
Scottsdale Healthcare is an affiliate of Scottsdale Lincoln Health Network, and includes Scottsdale Healthcare Shea Medical Center, Scottsdale Healthcare Thompson Peak Hospital and Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn Medical Center, the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale Healthcare, Scottsdale Healthcare Primary Care centers, Scottsdale Healthcare Research Institute and other services. For more information, visit www.shc.org.
