The Army Reserves’ 66Hotels (Medical-Surgical Nursing) are the topic of today. Another special breed of folks who take on added responsibilities usually well outside their day to day practices. Some of these nurses may or may not have ICU/Trauma experience. But many come from all walks of life. Some practice in basic wards, others in post-anesthesia recovery units, while still others are pediatric nurses. But they all step up to the plate to take on the role of critical care / trauma nurses… and they do it all well.
Above, our chief nurse tackles the task of loading a patient on a BlackHawk for evacuation. She will fly with that patient, and provide care for the patient all the way to the next echelon.
The nursing staff provides care in the trauma bay as well as the ICU.
Fortunately, it’s not all work all the time. Although we have an excellent facility, we now function as a Forward Surgical Team. So, as soon as we can, we evacuation patients to the north and prepare our ICU for the next wave of patients. This gives our limited number of folks some time for relaxation. Above, our nurses (Air Force to the left and Army to the right) play a game of cribbage. That’s a bit sophisticated for a simple surgeon like me… being that it’s a game for kings :)
