Skip main navigation

Military Health System

Hurricane Milton & Hurricane Helene

Emergency procedures are in place in multiple states due to Hurricane Milton & Hurricane Helene. >>Learn More

Defense Health Agency Launches Nursing Awards Program for 2024

Image of Defense Health Agency Launches Nursing Awards Program for 2024. The Defense Health Agency will recognize the finest nursing professionals within the Department of Defense beginning in 2024. Awards will be presented in five categories: patient care/health care delivery/patient experience, safety and quality, evidence-based practice, healthy work environment, and trailblazer/pioneer. (Photo By Ryan Graham)

The Defense Health Agency will recognize the finest nursing personnel within the Department of Defense and DHA beginning in 2024. The new awards initiative will honor service members and civilians annually who demonstrate exemplary leadership, champion high-impact solutions, or programs, and embody exceptional commitment to their patients, teammates, and the nursing profession.

DHA Chief Nursing Officer U.S. Army Col. Pauline Swiger said the work nurses do at military hospitals and clinics is "truly incredible" and helps DHA achieve its mission of improving health and building readiness.

"The new Defense Health Agency Annual Nursing Awards provide an opportunity to recognize our nursing teammates who exemplify professional nursing practice," she said. "It is through their model work and compassion that we see how dedicated and inspired teams of professionals make a difference."

To be eligible, nominees' achievements must have been performed in a DHA hospital or clinic and resulted in significant clinical or administrative accomplishments contributing to the practice and advancement of nursing in the Military Health System.

Awards will be presented in five categories: patient care/health care delivery/patient experience, safety and quality, evidence-based practice, healthy work environment, and trailblazer/pioneer.

Each DHA network may nominate one person in each of the five categories. Activities supporting the nomination must have occurred during the 2023 fiscal year, Oct. 1, 2022-Sept. 30, 2023.

All nomination packets, endorsed by the DHA Network Chief Nursing Officer or network designee, must include the nomination form, narrative, biography, any supporting documentation if applicable, and command or leadership endorsement.

Network representatives must send packets to Defense Health Headquarters through the DHA Nursing inbox dha.ncr.dha-cs-mgt.mbx.dha-nursing@health.mil between Nov. 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024.

"Meaningful recognition such as this awards program lets our teammates know how much DHA values their contributions and appreciates their engagement," Swiger added. "Employees nominated for this award have made a lasting positive impact on the health system, our staff, our patients, and military readiness."

Learn more about nursing in the Military Health System online at https://health.mil/News/In-the-Spotlight/Nursing-in-the-MHS.

You also may be interested in...

Article
Sep 25, 2023

A Nursing Journey: Saving Lives and Exploring the World One Adventure at a Time

U.S. Navy Lt. Claire Burke reaches the summit of Mount Fuji in Honshu, Japan, the tallest mountain in the country and of the highest peaks in the world. Although Burke’s journey has taken her to many ports, she always dreamed that one day she would have the privilege of working at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. “It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced in my 11 years as a Navy nurse,” commented Burke, enjoying the opportunity to work with and mentor nurses from the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Air Force. (Courtesy Photo)

Growing up, The Hunt for Red October, a thrilling 1990s cinematic adventure starring Alec Baldwin as CIA analyst Jack Ryan, captured the attention and imagination of U.S. Navy Lt. Claire Burke, who briefly flirted with the idea of becoming an intelligence analyst before pursing her naval nursing career.

Article
Sep 13, 2023

International Red Cross Medal Awarded to Team Yokota Nurse

U.S. Air Force Capt. Brandi Branch, 374th Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic flight commander, is one of 37 people from 22 countries that received the Florence Nightingale Medal from the International Red Cross, the highest recognition of distinctive medical service a nurse can be awarded, at Yokota Air Base, Japan, on Aug. 7, 2023. Branch was recognized for her efforts in Afghanistan working with the Red Crescent, a Red Cross affiliate, and for her efforts in medical education. (Graphic: U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Ryan Lackey)

U.S. Air Force Capt. Brandi Branch, 374th Obstetrics and Gynecology Outpatient Clinic flight commander, is one of only 37 people from 22 countries that received the Florence Nightingale Medal this year from the International Red Cross—the highest recognition of medical service a nurse can be awarded for extraordinary courage, devotion, service, and ...

Article
May 25, 2023

From the Farm to the Hospital: Former Chief of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps Driven by Life’s Challenges

Retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Clara Leach Adams-Ender poses for a photo at her home in Lake Ridge, Virginia, Oct. 31, 2021. She spent 34 years as an Army nurse overcoming all the challenges that came her way. (Photo by Michael A. McCoy)

As a young Army nurse at her first duty station in the intensive care unit at Fort Dix, New Jersey, then U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Clara Leach would go home each day and think about ways to improve her job performance. She was struggling at the time to get her work done and didn't understand why.

Article
May 16, 2023

Walter Reed Celebrates U.S. Navy Nurse Corp's 115th Birthday

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center celebrates the 115th Birthday for the U.S. Navy Nurse Corp. as part of WRNMMC’s National Nurse Week celebration. (DOD video by Ricardo J. Reyes)

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center celebrates the 115th Birthday for the U.S. Navy Nurse Corp. as part of WRNMMC’s National Nurse Week celebration. National Nurse Week is a weeklong event that celebrates and acknowledges nurses and the hard and selfless work they put in, in service of their patients.

Article
May 12, 2023

Military Nurses Provide Professional Insight to Students

Nursing professionals from the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, 86th Airlift Wing, Ramstein Air Base, and the 30th Medical Brigade recently joined forces to participate in a Health and Human Service Academy Career Fair at Ramstein High School, aiming to educate students about the rewarding career of nursing and the diverse opportunities it presents.  (Photo By John Ciccarelli)

Nurses from Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC), the 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron (86th AES), 86th Airlift Wing, Ramstein Air Base, and the 30th Medical Brigade (30th MED BDE) participated in a Health and Human Service Academy Career Fair at Ramstein High School to educate students about nursing and the career opportunities it offers, May 4.

Skip subpage navigation
Refine your search
Last Updated: November 03, 2023
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery