Four million reasons to celebrate Published May 1, 2019 55th Medical Group OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. -- The nurses and medical technicians of the Fighting Fifty-Fifth’s Ehrling Bergquist Clinic celebrate Nurses and Medical Technician Week May 6 - 10. Although the national observance is National Nurse Week, the Air Force Medical Service adapted the total nursing force concept incorporating the nurse corps and aerospace medical technician career fields as one team in providing world-class Trusted Care. As a total nursing force, they are committed to providing safe care every day, everywhere. The total nursing team at Ehrling Bergquist is 136-members strong and includes active duty registered nurses and medical technicians, civilian registered nurses and licensed practical or vocational nurses. Col. Lester Loreto, 55th Medical Group chief of nursing operations, Master Sgt. Tyler Szymanski, 55th MDG medical technician functional manager, Maj. Janelle Rivera, 55th MDG health care integration chief, and volunteers will lead celebrations throughout the week with a breakfast, team spirit games, and an ice cream social for the total nursing force staff. “The week observance honors the contributions of registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, licensed practical nurses and medical technicians,” Loreto said. “They are highly skilled professionals who possess critical-thinking, problem-solving and care-coordination skills that ensure effective and safe care. The total nursing force at the 55th MDG work together as one team in delivering patient-centered medical care with focus on quality healthcare and patient safety to inspire a culture of Trusted Care. ” The nursing specialties at the 55th MDG consist of family health, pediatrics, women’s health, ambulance services, immunizations, internal medicine, flight operations medicine, personnel reliability program, outpatient procedures, general surgery, orthopedics, referral management, case management, disease management, utilization management, health care integration, quality manager, education and training, new parent support program, behavioral health, and nurse practitioners with specialties in family health, women’s health, pediatrics and mental health. While the Nurses and Medical Technician Week is an adaptation of National Nurse Week, they still honor the same history. The annual observance dates back to 1954 when National Nurse Week marked the 100th anniversary of the founder of the profession nursing, Florence Nightingale, went on a mission to Crimea. It was not officially recognized by the United States until President Richard Nixon signed a proclamation 20 years later. In 1993, the American Nurses Association Board of Directors declared May 6 - 12 as permanent dates to observe National Nurses Week. The dates are a commemoration to Nightingale whose birthday is May 12. This year, ANA recognizes the contributions of more than four million nurses in the United States with the theme, “Four Million Reasons to Celebrate.”