Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center recognized two Army nurses during a graduation ceremony July 30 after they completed the hospitals Army Nurse Corps Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Anna Mae Hays Clinical Nurse Transition Program.
The 24-week nurse residency program prepares newly commissioned Army nurses for independent clinical practice through more than 80 hours of classroom instruction and a minimum of 800 hours of supervised clinical training across multiple departments at CRDAMC.
Registered nurses, 2nd Lt. Christine Escalante and 2nd Lt. Emily Korinek, received certificates of completion and will continue serving in the hospital's pediatric medical-surgical unit.
Throughout the program, the residents received instruction on critical topics including medical ethics, communication, pain management, and clinical concepts. Their clinical rotations included medical-surgical, postpartum, emergency, labor and delivery, intensive care, and perioperative nursing, providing broad exposure to patient care across the medical center.
As a capstone requirement, each graduating class develops an evidence-based practice recommendation to improve patient care. Escalante and Korinek presented a process improvement proposal focused on developing a unit-specific patient acuity tool to better guide nursing assignments.
The proposed tool is designed to improve workload distribution, promote equitable patient assignments, increase staff satisfaction, and enhance patient safety.
During the ceremony, the graduates recognized the preceptors, mentors, and staff members who supported them throughout the program. Col. Cindy Roberts, deputy commander for Medical Services at CRDAMC, served as the guest speaker and encouraged the new nurses to embrace both the challenges and rewards of their profession.
"There will be days that test your confidence and days that remind you exactly why you chose this profession," Roberts said. "Trust your training, lean on your teammates, and never lose sight of the difference you make in the lives of your patients and their families every single day."