Celebrating Team Dover's gateway to recovery: nurses and technicians keep medical mission moving

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Samuel Taylor
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  On the marquee outside the 436th Medical Clinic here, a message reads National Nurse and Medical Technician Week: Advocating, Leading, Caring," - a tribute to the Airmen of the medical group's largest clinic: family health.

The clipboards and questionnaires with which they are typically associated are just the tip of the iceberg; the nurses and medical technicians of family health serve as the first line of defense at a facility that sees thousands of patients per month. Senior Airman Juliet Corcillo, a medical technician with the 436th Medical Operations Squadron, helps move that mission firsthand.

"We always have to be prepared. Patients may come through the door with a twisted ankle or the warning signs of a stroke," said Corcillo. "Though the experiences become routine for us, we know it is never a routine visit for our patients. They may be scared and in pain. We dedicated ourselves to helping them."

Corcillo, alongside other nurses and medical technicians, aids dozens of patients which visit the clinic daily through a variety of means, including diagnoses, referrals and treatments. Proper training is essential; incorrectly-diagnosed symptoms or mishandled records could be life-threatening. Therefore, personnel at family health are certified emergency medical technicians who can identify and stabilize serious medical conditions before patients are transferred to a hospital. This scenario becomes more common while they are deployed.

"In a deployed environment, the mission and mindset changes completely. We might see a patient with a minor injury, or [one that is severe possibly fatal] ; we have to be prepared for everything," said Tech. Sgt. Juan Molina, aerospace medicine squadron specialist with the 436th MDOS. "Our Airmen represent much more than a medical troop for injured service members - they are a symbol of hope that everything will be alright."

For the majority of service members treated by medical technicians and nurses in the field, this hope is confirmed, with the survival rate for troops receiving immediate medical care higher than 95 percent. The success of nurses and medical technicians is due in large part to the motivation of each Team Dover member in the medical group to succeed on a personal level, with many aspiring to break into the upper echelon of medical personnel.

"The Airmen, NCOs and civilians are some of the most motivated, upward-moving I have encountered; even if they don't want to be a nurse, physician's assistant or doctor, they will look at you and say, 'I will be a chief master sergeant some day,'" said Lt. Col. Andrea Gooden, commander of the 436th MDOS. "This positively translates to the patient because they know the Airmen helping them are completely dedicated to being medical professionals. It builds patient-provider trust. Most importantly, it lets patients know that our staff truly cares about their well being."

It is for this reason that National Nurse and Medical Technician Week has been observed for decades, always ending May 12 - the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. As patients come and go through the clinic's revolving doors, the nurses and medical technicians of family health will carry on in her footsteps.