{"id":28190,"date":"2019-11-24T05:30:00","date_gmt":"2019-11-24T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/?p=28190"},"modified":"2019-11-23T19:20:28","modified_gmt":"2019-11-24T01:20:28","slug":"apsu-rotc-student-puts-nursing-school-to-practice-at-walter-reed-internship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/2019\/11\/24\/apsu-rotc-student-puts-nursing-school-to-practice-at-walter-reed-internship\/","title":{"rendered":"APSU ROTC student puts nursing school to practice at Walter Reed internship"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AustinClarksville, TN<\/strong> – Senior Michelle Demarais put what she\u2019s learned at the Austin Peay State University (APSU) School of Nursing to practice this summer at one of the nation\u2019s most well-known hospitals. <\/p>\n

\"Austin<\/a>

Austin Peay State University nursing senior Michelle Demarais, third from right, poses with fellow students at Walter Reed. (APSU)<\/p><\/div>\n

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As an Austin Peay State University ROTC student, she attended the Nurse Summer Training Program at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a phenomenal experience,\u201d Demarais said. \u201cWe struggle every day (in class) trying to learn everything there is to learn about nursing. Going to this internship and job shadowing a nurse every day every shift for a month, you put together everything you read in the textbook. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re sitting in front of a patient and you\u2019re able to do it,\u201d she continued. \u201cAnd you think, \u2018Oh, that was way easier. How did I miss that test question? This makes sense now.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Demarais attended the Walter Reed program May 25th-June 25th.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s really nothing like hands-on experiences to help you learn how to be a great nurse,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u2018More than I could ever ask for\u2019<\/h3>\n

Demarais\u2019 nursing interest is in emergency medicine, and the program matched her with a Navy lieutenant working at Walter Reed\u2019s emergency room. <\/p>\n

\u201cI got to do everything he did, his exact schedule every single day,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was getting to play grown-up Army for a month, and it got me really, really hyped on what it\u2019s going to be like to be an Army nurse.\u201d <\/p>\n

Demarais enjoys the unpredictability of emergency medicine.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could be working in one room helping someone with a sprained ankle and then the patient in the next room would be in need of serious live-saving support,\u201d she said. \u201cI loved the unpredictability, the chaos and the constant opportunities to learn about different aspects of nursing care.\u201d<\/p>\n

The nursing staff supported the students, allowing them to \u201cwatch it, practice it, do it,\u201d Demarais said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing able to work with incredible medical professionals on a daily basis and being in the D.C. area getting to explore the nation\u2019s capital on days off was more than I could ever ask for,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\u2018The standard for others to follow\u2019 <\/h3>\n

Twelve APSU ROTC students \u2013 including the University\u2019s first-ever cadet to go to the Jungle Warfare School in Hawaii \u2013 attended multiple training schools during the summer.<\/p>\n

[320left]Austin Peay State University also sent its first cadet since 2006 to Army Mountain Warfare School in Vermont and the third and fourth cadets ever to U.S. Military Academy Cadet Summer Training at West Point, New York.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur cadets performed in an incredible manner this summer and helped our program remain one of the best in the country,\u201d said Lt. Col. Eric A. Westphal, APSU\u2019s professor of military science. \u201cThey are all amazing and truly set the standard for others to follow.\u201d <\/p>\n

Here are the ROTC students who attended summer training:<\/h3>\n