Happy New Year!!!

Well friends, we have survived yet another year. Congratulations to us all!


Let's review this past year:
1) graduated from college
2) joined the Army
3) spent one final summer at Mission Springs
4) left for TX to begin training for the Army
5) moved to Maryland to work at Walter Reed AMC

Holy Heck!!! What a year!!!

Today was a day or touring the city. Our former president Gerald Ford's casket is currently in the Capitol and I took this opportunity to go and pay resepcts to a man that was thrust into a leadership position and did a great job. It was a little surreal to walk into a room that I had seen not long ago on TV when Reagan passed away. To see the Honor Guards standing at attention showing repsect and ready to protect a man that had served our great nation.

Following my time at the Capitol I went on a short tour of the city. I walked down to the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Monument, and the Korean War Memorial. I wish everyone could have on opportunity following studying our nation's history to come and see the different memorials and monuments to those who sacrificed so much to create and maintain the freedoms that we have today. I am sure my respect has grown since I too have chosen to take a similar route in serving our country.

I hope you all had an amazing time with friends and family during this holiday season!

My Holiday Travels

Random story for you.

During my red-eye from CA to DC I awoke at 0200 to the flight attendant speaking over the intercom requesting that "any doctor or nurse on board to please report to the front of the aircraft." I was hoping she was kidding but when she asked a second time I got up. I checked in the with the flight attendant helping a passenger who stated that the other gentleman was a doctor with her. ("Yes, off the hook!") She then continued and asked that I go check on the other passenger. Yup, there were two! The passenger I assisted had been a little light-headed but felt much better after returning to her seat and being placed on oxygen. After a quick history and assessment I returned to my seat as I believed she would be fine until we landed and medical crews came on board to assess both her and the other passenger.

I thought this only happened in the movies! Here I am with little actual experience trying to assess and care for a passenger on a plane with almost no supplies. I am hoping that since I have now done my good deed as a nurse that I am off the hook for the rest of my career as I travel...yeah right!

Yeah Christmas!

The Hultgrens rock! I had a great Christmas with my Dad's side of the family. We all gathered at my Aunt Glenda's home in Moraga. And by 'all' I mean all of the Hultgrens. It had been a long time since all 22 of us had been in the same room together as we live all over CA and now on both Coasts. Generation Four cousins are growing up so quickly! It is strange to think that I can remember them as babies and Alyson is driving! Holy Heck I am getting old!

Christmas Eve was spent first at church for the 2300 service. While there I got to see members of the music team that have watched me grow up as I used to play with the Brass Ensemble every Sunday. Carolyn and Shirley have been such great cheerleaders for me over the years. I really enjoy coming home and getting to see them.

After the service I headed over to Denny's with the other now "Young Professionals" who grew up with to catch up on old times. We started this tradition a few years ago as it was getting harder to get time with each other in between family time. It was not long until the high school population caught 0n and now they also enjoy this tradition. This night always makes me laugh as I am not a late night person and hanging out at Denny's can last until 2am or so. I love Christmas Eve traditions!

Checking In

I arrived at Walter Reed today to check in . This place is HUGE! I was so lost. Thankfully a Lt Col that I had struck up a conversation with in the elevator took some time out of his busy day to show me where I needed to first go. The first day of checking-in involved turning in a lot of copies of my orders to different deparments all over the campus. I walked around multiple buildings trying to find specific offices to turn in the copies. The old buildings on campus are gorgeous! If you get a chance you should 'Google' Walter Reed Army Medical Center and look at the pictures of the buildines. Gorgeous! Before heading to Falls Church, VA where I am staying with my cousin Allison, my future roommate Lt Spencer came by to say hi. She was on her way to work at Walter Reed and called to say she would come by the gym before going in. It was nice to see a friendly face after walking around lost all day. After a nice workout I headed over to Allison's house. She has a great house and such great roommates as they are allowing me to crash there while I wait for my apartment. It is fun to be staying with family.

My second day at Walter Reed (WRAMC) was very similar to the first. I arrived at Company HQ at 0800 to check in and then spent the rest of the day walking around to different departments. From 0800 until 1700, just walking around meeting people at the different departments. So long. I submitted my DA-31 leave form to Company today and am hoping they will sign it allowing me to go home in CA for Christmas.

Tomorrow I will be meeting with transportation and finance to get my paper work in order so I can get paid for travel and for housing. Let's just say that finance is my favorite department!

Leaving TX

Well, I have left TX. I am currently in NC staying with the John Burdine family. They live in Charlotte which is a 6-ish hour drive from the DC area where I will be living for the next three years.
While in NC my sister stopped by from Fayetteville, NC (that is her on the left). Alex is the youngest of the John Burdine family yet, he is one of the biggest. Just one look and you would think 'football player'. I will be leaving on the 19th to drive to DC and check in at Walter Reed AMC and begin in-processing. While I wait for my apartment to open up I will be staying in Falls Church, VA with my cousin Allison and her awesome roommates. I am so blessed to have such a great family!

Enroute to NC, I stopped with my Dad in Decataur, GA to see my Grammie's old house. That was an awesome house! Bring back any memories?!?

My belongings have left the building

I am getting closer and closer to formally living in the East Coast. The moving company (paid for by the Army) came to my parent's house this week to pick up my stuff.

The two movers are driver Bert Hooper "The Great Bert" up in the van and "Joe aka Junior" down below. Joe lives in San Jose and helps drivers load. Joe has a son who is in Iraq right now. They took the time needed to carefully pack all my stuff. They were very professional and curteous. Such great guys!

My belongings will be in the DC area at an Army base waiting for my call to give them my new address. We will then coordinate a date when the movers can come bring my stuff. Here is the best part, the movers not only unload all my stuff, they will unpack it all too! How awesome is that!

Meeting My Boss

I had the opportunity to attend a reception this evening following classes to welcome Major General Gale S. Pollock. MG Pollock is the U.S. Army Deputy Surgeon General as of October 2006. In 2004 she became the Chief of the Army Nurse Corps and the Commander of the Pacific Regional Medical Command stationed at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, HI.

Once formally presented to us she spoke to us as a group challenging every officer in the room (from 2LT to Colonel) to fight for our patients and for change. She continued by encouraging us to write down our goals and puruse them, but not to be afraid to change them as we grow in our careers. She encouraged us to live it up as LTs as this is the best time to get a solid base for our nursing knowledge as we work as Med/Surg Nuses (66H).

I had the opportunity to speak with Colonel who went from Med/Surg RN to an ICU RN and has worked her way up to Chief Nurse in the Army Medical Center that she is stationed at. She too stressed how important it is to soak up what time I will have as a Med/Surg RN as it may only last two years before I specialize.

The more I talk with Colonels and LT Colonels I realize that I made a good decision in joining the Army Healthcare Team. The Army wants each 2LT to have that solid Med/Surg base but begins pushing us to be the leaders they want and need us to be both in the clinical setting and in different leadership positions throughout the facility. (We are Charge Nurses at about 6 months. Holy Heck!) I would not want to be anywhere else.

TNCC Certified!

For the last three days I have been taking the Trauna Nurse Core Course with about 140 other Army Nurses. Friday was spent in lecture for 11 hours in a cold warehouse. We covered topics like truama in pregnancy, shock, head and neck truama, pediatrics, and geriatrics. Saturday morning was spent in more lecture. Saturday afternoon we broke down into groups of four and went into classrooms to practice our skills. We had classes regarding securing airways, spinal stabilization, and a class focusing on the primary and secondary surveys. It is no longer the simple ABC method that we all learn in first aid classes. Now we go from 'A' to 'I'. From three simple steps to nine steps. But the ENA (Emergency Nurse's Association) method makes sense so I am glad that all Army nurses are required to take this course to be sure that we are all on the same page when we get deployed.

Sunday we came in for the testing. There was a 50-question written test that took about half an hour and then the three skills. Most of us finished the entire evaluation process in a little over an hour. We all hung around after to get our scores (we all passed!) and then clean up the classrooms. To compensate for making us work over the weekend, LTC Bohlin is giving us Monday and Tuesday off! I am looking forward to sleeping in on a Monday. It will be a little weird, but great!