Nurses across the Military Health System are making a difference. They serve in leading roles to maintain military health and readiness and help make transformative changes in military medicine.
Nurses of all backgrounds, ranks, and roles are an essential part of the DHA mission of improving health and building readiness.
Our nursing team includes:
- Civilian nurses.
- Active duty service members.
- Guard and Reserve members.
- Contractors.
Our nurses provide services beyond their roles in military hospital and clinics. These roles include:
- Serving in research labs and classrooms.
- Working in classrooms as teachers and mentors.
- Evaluating informatics to improve patient care systems.
- Leading the optimization of the DHA.
- Integrating and standardizing nursing practices across the continuum of care.
DHA Nursing Key Areas of Interest
- Research and Innovation: Our nursing-focused research results in new, evidence-based, professional practices.
- Policies and Practice: We base our nursing policies and practices on validated evidence. This evidence is consistent with national standards.
- Education and Training: By working with our MHS partners, we’re providing and enhancing educational opportunities for nurses across the health care system. Our leaders are prioritizing our nurse’s professional growth and development.
- Readiness: We’re providing operational readiness platforms to make sure our nurses have the knowledge, skills, and abilities they need wherever and whenever they are called upon to serve. And we’re establishing partnerships to enhance the readiness of the total nursing force.
- Joint Professional Practice Model: The JPPM serves to guide the total nursing force, incorporating evidence-based practice, quality and safety, leadership, healthy work environment, and operational readiness to support the delivery of high quality patient care.
Learn More About Nursing in the MHS:
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Defense Health Agency Chief Nursing Officer Dr. Kristen Atterbury hosted an event at Defense Health Headquarters honoring nurses as a part of National Nurses Week, May 6–10, 2024. The event included special guest speakers, a blessing of the hands, cake cutting, and the announcement the winners of the DHA nursing awards.
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U.S. Navy CAPT Paul Loesche, Defense Health Agency Deputy Chief Nursing Officer, DHA Chief Nursing Officer Dr. Kristen Atterbury, and U.S. Army COL Pamela Dipatrizio, took part in an event at the Defense Health Headquarters on May 10, 2024, celebrating National Nurses Week.
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U.S. Army Nurse Corps officer COL Pamela Dipatrizio participates in National Nurses Week events at the Defense Health Agency each year dressed as Florence Nightingale, and sometimes exhibits historical nursing and medical artifacts that she has collected throughout her military career.
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U.S. Army Chaplain MAJ Daniel Garnett, Defense Health Agency operations chaplain, gives the blessing of the hands, to all DHA medical personnel during an event honoring National Nurses Week on May 10, 2024, at Defense Health Headquarters.
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U.S. Army COL Jodelle M. Schroeder, Deputy Corps Chief of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps and U.S. Army COL Pamela Dipatrizio, took part in an event at the Defense Health Headquarters on May 10, 2024, celebrating National Nurses Week.
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Chief Master Sergeant Tanya Y. Johnson, Senior Enlisted Leader for the Defense Health Agency, shares personal stories of how military nurses have impacted her life at the 2024 Nurses Week Celebration held in Falls Church, VA.
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Last Updated: April 16, 2024