What's the only branch offered through ROTC but not by USMA? And why?

By Abby Griffin


Best Defense guest columnist

Recently
a fellow U.S. Military Academy graduate posted in the "West Point
Women" Facebook group asking for information about graduates who have gone
on to become nurses. In the first day, 17 graduates spanning from 1989 to 2006
replied. All left the Army to become nurses. These replies came only from the
small pool of female graduates who belong to the group who actually saw the
post. I wondered how many other USMA-grads-turned-nurses exist, and questioned
why USMA does not have a nursing program. As far as I'm aware, the Nurse Corps
is the only branch offered through ROTC but not USMA.

Nurses have a long
and distinguished service history in the Army, officially starting with the
foundation of the Army Nurse Corps in 1901. 21,480 women served as Army nurses
in WWI; 10,000 of these served on the battlefields of Europe. During WWII, more than 50,000 women served as nurses both stateside and
overseas. In 1942, 66 Army nurses were caught on Bataan and imprisoned by the
Japanese for three years. Even while imprisoned, they continued to function as
a professional nursing unit. They all survived and were awarded Bronze Stars
when they returned to the United States.

Nursing was one of
the first areas in which women were able to break the military's glass ceiling.
Brig. Gen. Anna Hays was the Army's first female general, and she served as a nurse
in both WWII and Korea. Lt. Gen. Patricia Horoho is currently serving as the
first female Army surgeon general, and she is also the first nurse to hold the
position previously filled by doctors. On Sunday, First Lieutenant Jennifer
Moreno, an Army nurse serving with a Special Forces cultural support team, was
killed in action in Afghanistan. Army nurses have proven time and again that
they are capable of stepping up to the plate in both times of war and peace.

I truly believe
there is a need for USMA educated officers in nursing, and that the profession
of nursing nests perfectly within the values USMA promotes and encourages in
its graduates, such as quick and decisive critical thinking, selfless service,
ethical decision making, autonomy, and a calm demeanor under pressure. The
standard career path of the Army nurse progresses beyond bedside care by the
rank of senior O3/O4, and requires officers to become managers and
administrators responsible for both patients and subordinates. Quality
leadership is critical, and (at least I have found) it quickly becomes
glaringly obvious when a nurse's position exceeds his or her leadership
training/ability. Just like in a regular Army unit, weak leadership degrades
the ability of the nursing unit to perform, with the potential for life and
death consequences. The Army Nurse Corps has a strong need for quality, trained
leaders -- perhaps even more so than some branches USMA offers now, such as Finance
and Adjutant Generals Corps.

Of course, there
would be critics who say that it is USMA's primary mission to breed combat
leaders and who would dismiss the notion of a nursing program at USMA. I
strongly disagree. The stated mission of West Point is "to educate, train, and inspire
the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character
committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of
professional excellence and service to the Nation as an officer in the United
States Army." It is of paramount importance to have "leaders of character"
dedicated to a "career of professional excellence" in all branches of the Army,
but particularly in healthcare. Army healthcare professionals are entrusted
with the lives and well-being of soldiers on a daily basis, regardless of
whether or not a war exists. The relationship between a patient and a
healthcare provider is sacred. A patient comes to a healthcare professional
vulnerable, and expects that professional to be more than human. A patient
trusts that a healthcare professional will not gossip, let personal upsets or
worries impact care, pass judgment, or make mistakes. Healthcare professionals
need to be constantly vigilant and ethical. They need to be true people of
character, able to advocate for a patient regardless of outside influences. They
have great power and responsibility, and absolutely need to always do the right
thing even when nobody else is watching. These are all qualities West Point
emphasizes. 

In terms of the
logistical element, USMA already offers all of the common prerequisites needed
for nursing school, such as microbiology, biology, chemistry, statistics,
sociology, psychology, anatomy and physiology, life cycle and human
development, and nutrition. Keller Army Community Hospital is on post for clinicals,
and what Keller can't offer can surely be found by partnering with local
nursing programs (such as Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, for example)
and nearby hospitals to share clinical resources. Nursing could be a limited
access major, and all nursing students could follow the same academic
trajectory through the program, thus cutting down on the number of faculty
needed. Nurses educated at West Point would not only graduate as BSN prepared
nurses, but they would also possess the leadership and decision-making skills instilled
at and emphasized by USMA.

I have been told
the party line is that it's more economical to commission nurses from ROTC and
OCS. That glib answer seems to be an argument against USMA's very existence.
Isn't that statement essentially true for all Army branches? Isn't there an
added leadership and cultural element that justifies USMA as a commissioning
source despite the cost? If that is indeed the case, why does USMA expend money
and time preparing a handful of cadets to go to medical school, or to branch
Chemical Corps, Finance, AG, and the other low-density branches? There are
countless opportunities for continuing education in nursing, to mitigate any
concern of a graduate becoming "just a nurse" (a marginalizing phrase
that boils my blood). Nurses can become educators, researchers, and advanced level
care providers, such as nurse practitioners and Doctors of Nursing Practice. In
fact, the increasing trend in U.S. healthcare is to push primary care down to
the physician assistant/nurse practitioner level. The educational and
professional opportunities for nurses are dynamic and endless, and I think USMA
is missing out by not having a role in this career field. It is not a "soft"
career for the meek or mild. It is blood and guts and tears and sweat and heavy
lifting and long hours -- in sum, a career field I believe has a need for USMA
graduates.

I truly think my
decision to leave the Army would have been different had I been able to
commission as a nurse from USMA. I know now, with budgetary concerns, the
possibility of starting a new major is unlikely and may sound ridiculous to
some. Until 1985, West Point cadets did not pick a major. Today, USMA offers 40
different academic majors, and they exist because at one point someone said
"Why not?"

Abby Griffin is a
2005 West Point graduate who left the Army in 2010 to pursue her BSN at Florida
State University. She is currently working in the solid organ transplant
unit at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C.