FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas - The Army Nurse Corps used its first-ever Campaign Planning Conference to unveil the Chief of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps' new challenge coin and theme, "Embrace the Past, Engage the Present and Envision the Future." The conference was held Oct. 27 through 30 in downtown San Antonio.
The new coin design features two brass stars, centered over the Army Nurse Corps' insignia, with the new theme beneath the insignia. The dog tag-shaped coin is maroon and highlighted with brass. On the reverse side, the words, "For Excellence," are embossed across the top with the American flag and the General's flag centered over the words, "Presented by the Chief Army Nurse Corps."
"We will use this vision to take lessons learned from the past, embrace the past, codify current excellence, engage the present and use that lens to envision the future," said Chief, U.S. Army Nurse Corps, Maj. Gen. Patricia Horoho. "I believe we can quickly transform the Army Nurse Corps by executing under four pillars; leader development, warrior care, evidence-based management and human capital."
The new theme ties well into ANC's planning conference vision, to transform and align the Army Nurses Corps with the Army Medical Department and the Army's mission, said Lt. Col. Lisa Toven, executive staff officer, office of the Army Nurse Corps.
"As the Army is transforming, and the AMEDD is transforming health care to support the Army, and because this is a complete transformation, the ANC needs to make sure we are in step also," Toven said.
Both the winning coin design and the theme came from one contestant, Maj. Jerremie Siegfried, an OB-GYN clinical nurse specialist at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her entries were chosen from more than 400.
Submissions were judged by a panel of four judges. The finalist entries were given to Horoho, who then made the final decision.
Siegfried entered both contests, and was unaware she had won either one until the unveiling on the first day of the conference. Where did Siegfried get her inspiration'
"It (dog tag) is the Soldiers' symbol. All of us regardless of our jobs: nurses, chaplains, infantry, whatever, every Soldier I come across wears dog tags. I saw that as a template to generate the design for the coin," Siegfried said.
When it came to the inspiration for the theme, she said. "They were words that seem to fit. We look to the lessons that we have learned in the past, we look to the mistakes we've made in the past, we also look to the achievements we've made in the past. We acknowledge them, we accept them, and we take those lessons that we've learned and engaged them in the future."
Horoho said that now is the time for change in the Army Nurse Corps.
"This is our moment in history to transform our corps to align with AMEDD and the Army to reposture for the radical changes required for our successful future," Horoho said.
"Army nursing has the opportunity and responsibility to help shape and reform outcomes, and will have to rise to this challenge. Our strategy is critical in executing a sustainable vision, and signals a real commitment to being the best at what we do," she said.
(Minnie Jones works in the Fort Sam Houston Public Affairs)
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