Serving patients and our country
Nurses are on the “front lines” of health care every day, as they directly assist and care for patients around-the-clock. Some BWH nurses, however, use their personal time to experience “front lines” of another kind—those of the United States Armed Forces.
Patrick McDonough, RN, Neuro ICU, 9D, is one of a number of BWH nurses who devotes his free time to the Armed Forces. For the past fifteen years, McDonough has been in the National Guard. He joined shortly after graduating high school, and was soon assigned to patrol the Berlin Wall in the midst of the Cold War. “It was a very serious time,” McDonough reminisces, “but it definitely made me appreciate how free we are in the U.S.”
Today, McDonough serves as a platoon sergeant in charge of three squads of infantry, and continues to enjoy his time with the Guard.
“I’ve made a lot of good friends in the guard, and I enjoy the strong comradeship,” he says. “Although infantry is in some ways the opposite of nursing, it has still helped me to learn more about helping people. Plus, my squads appreciate my clinical skills should something go wrong.”
Operating Room staff nurse Michael Dumais, RN, also serves in the Armed Forces. Active in the U.S. Naval Reserve, he participates in a mobile unit of the Bethesda Naval Hospital, which has enabled him to combine his cardiac and OR nursing skills with his Navy background. “It’s a small mobile hospital with physicians and nurses, and basically we could be deployed anywhere at a moment’s notice—we’ll go wherever we are ordered to go,” says Dumais.
“My work there definitely relates to my BWH nursing. For example, at the naval hospital, I perform advanced trauma life support and cardiac life support, both of which I perform at BWH as well.”
Dumais—who began his BWH work three years ago in the Cardiac ICU—first enlisted in the Navy in 1980, and was deployed to several areas of political tension, including the peace-keeping force in Beirut and offshore operations in Nicaragua. He left the Navy to enroll in nursing school in 1984, and remained out of the service for the next decade. However, a short stint with the National Guard as a medic two years ago encouraged him to stay in the service.
“I went back as an officer about a year ago, and it’s been thrilling ever since,” says Dumais. “I’m responsible for much of the training; so in addition to the one weekend a month and two weeks a year that are required of all personnel, I participate for about 16 additional hours a month. It is a major commitment; but if you want to excel and advance, it’s worth the extra time and effort.”