On May 11, U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command nurses gathered for the inaugural USAMRMC Nurses Luncheon at the USAMRMC headquarters building.

The meeting took place during National Nurses Week, May 6-12. National Nurses Week begins each year on May 6 and ends on May 12, Florence Nightingale's birthday. The American Nurses Association designated this year as the "Year of the Healthy Nurse" and the theme as "Nursing: the Balance of Mind, Body and Spirit."

USAMRMC and Fort Detrick Commander Maj. Gen. Barbara R. Holcomb, who is a nurse herself and also the chief of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, spoke at the event.

"It's great to have all of our nurses gather to help us celebrate National Nurses Week," said Holcomb to the audience. "It's fascinating to see how many different kinds of nursing we have here at MRMC and to hear everyone's stories of how they started nursing and came to be at MRMC."

As a nurse in the U.S. Army, many provide care to Soldiers and their families which is vitally important to the health and wellbeing of the Army family. However, many nurses at the USAMRMC fulfill a variety of roles that are not what many think of as a career in nursing. Nurses in the USAMRMC work in areas such as research, training and consulting.

Having such a diverse array of specialized nursing functions across the command and subcommand causes an unintentional barrier in meeting other nurses within USAMRMC. According to the luncheon organizer René Smith, the hope is to use this introductory luncheon as a springboard for more gatherings to help everyone get to know each other and learn more about their jobs in the command.

"We want to reach more nurses for networking and support and are forming a steering committee to plan future events," said Smith. "Any nurse at Fort Detrick Garrison or USAMRMC is welcome to contact me if you are interested in participating."

(By Crystal Maynard, USAMRMC Public Affairs)