Air Force Reserve nursing officer, civilian nurse takes her medical skills forward

Courtesy Photo | Air Force Reserve Lt. Col. Connie A. Day is currently deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). When Day is stateside, she is a military nurse in the 914th Aeromedical Staging Squadron at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. The lieutenant colonel has served in the military for a total of nine years. As a civilian, she is an emergency services director for Saint Vincent Health System, where she has worked for 27 years.  

(UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)

05.08.2006

Courtesy Story

DVIDS Hub       

by Spc. Jennifer Sardam
USCENTCOM PAO/ESGR Forward Team

SOUTHWEST ASIA - Air Force Reserve Lt. Col. Connie A. Day is currently deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), the official name given to military operations from Afghanistan to the Horn of Africa (HOA) in support of the Global War on Terror.

As the chief nurse here for the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing's Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility, Day is responsible for 'the whole patient picture." She passionately related that her job is to ensure patient satisfaction at this medical facility, which treats servicemembers who come from field hospitals closer to the battlefields.

Although the locations of both her military and civilian jobs are half a world apart, there are similarities. "All have the unpredictability in common," she remarked. "[Nursing] is always a challenge."

She agreed that this irregularity is especially present in the forward-deployed environment. "Nothing really prepares you for an IED (improvised explosive device) injury."

Day stressed that you can get the training and learn 'the protocols and procedures," but what is equally important is providing emotional support to patients.

Active duty and reserve component members from all branches of the U.S. armed forces are deployed under the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) to support the war against global terrorism outside the borders of the United States. USCENTCOM is the unified command responsible for U.S. security interests and assets in 27 nations stretching from the HOA, through the Arabian Gulf region, and into Central Asia.

When Day is stateside, she is a military nurse in the 914th Aeromedical Staging Squadron at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. The lieutenant colonel has served in the military for a total of nine years. As a civilian, she is an emergency services director for Saint Vincent Health System, where she has worked for 27 years.

While their emergency services director is away, her civilian employer continues to publicly support her and recognize the contributions of other mobilized military servicemembers. "Back at St. Vincent," she commented with a warm smile, 'they've started a big prayer board for troops and families."

Today, more than 1.2 million members of the National Guard and Reserve continue to perform an increasing number of unique missions that require extraordinary actions on the part of everyday citizens. Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is the primary resource for information about the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, commonly known as USERRA. This federal law allows Day and other mobilized reserve component members to retain their rights, when the deployment concludes.

Established in 1972, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a DoD agency, provides free USERRA education, consultation, and if necessary, mediation for employers of Guard and Reserve employees. The mission of ESGR is to gain and maintain active support from all public and private employers for the men and women of the National Guard and Reserve. More information about ESGR Employer Outreach Programs and volunteer opportunities is available at www.esgr.mil, or by calling the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve at [phone]

Day, who calls Waterford, Pa., home, is married to James A. Day. Her son, Matt Day, currently serves with the Army's 101st Airborne Division as a field artillery platoon leader in Baghdad.

ESGR

• Date Taken: 05.08.2006
• Date Posted: 05.08.2006 17:29
• Story ID: 6308
• Location: (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)