Nurses, technicians serve patients with 'strength, commitment, compassion'

Vance Air Force Base, Okla. -- "Strength, commitment and compassion" is the theme to this year's Nurse and Technician Appreciation Week. These three qualities epitomize what the 71st Medical Group nurses and medical technicians stand for on a daily basis.
The Vance clinic has seven nurses and 15 medical technicians responsible for ensuring the medical and education needs of more than 4,000 beneficiaries are met. The primary care, pediatrics and flight medicine clinics as well as the emergency flightline coverage are the main areas our nurses and technicians directly support.
The staff not only assists in actual patient visits, but also provides medical support and teaching through 5,000 telephone consults annually. The nurses have the opportunity to assess a patient's medical needs over the phone and provide the appropriate guidance. They also have a chance to educate the patients at the same time.
A few key clinic programs that are run by the nursing staff are the Medical Right Start and the obstetrics orientation programs.
Medical Right Start is the first interaction newly inprocessed personnel have with the clinic. It has been a highly successful program and helps ensure all newcomers and their dependents are educated on clinic services and if any medical clearance requirements need to be accomplished upon their arrival. Medical Right Start is held at noon Wednesdays in the clinic conference room.
The OB orientation program is held bimonthly in the base fitness center conference room. This program is open to all expectant mothers or anyone interested in learning about prenatal care. It covers a wide range of base and community resources that are available for mothers and their babies. It is beneficial to not only first-time mothers, but to any mother new to this base.
Another important aspect to the nursing staff's job is helping promote health prevention. They are involved in educating several high-risk populations including diabetic, pediatric, asthmatics, women's health and colon cancer. These individuals are more susceptible to developing medical complications, so it is vital their health educational needs are met.
The 71st MDG salutes the hard work and accomplishments of the nursing staff.