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Army ROTC nursing cadets participating in the Army Nurse Summer Training Program pose for a group photo in front of a UH-60 Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopter assigned to Charlie Company (“Cajun Dustoff”), 1st Battalion, 5th Aviation Regiment, during a medical evacuation familiarization tour at Maks Army Airfield, Fort Polk, Louisiana, July 20, 2026. The familiarization introduced cadets to Army aeromedical evacuation capabilities and the integration of aviation assets into patient transport and battlefield medicine.
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Cadet Susan Yuan, an Army ROTC nursing cadet from Florida Southern College, secures a simulated shoulder injury on a casualty portrayed by Cadet Mason Potts, an Army ROTC nursing cadet from East Carolina University, while Cadet Lorelai Smith, an Army ROTC nursing cadet from Creighton University, stabilizes the patient during Tactical Combat Casualty Care training at Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital, Fort Polk, Louisiana, July 24, 2026. The field exercise prepared cadets to provide lifesaving care in austere operational environments.
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Cadet Mason Potts, an Army ROTC nursing cadet from East Carolina University, applies a simulated tourniquet to a casualty portrayed by Cadet Lorelai Smith, an Army ROTC nursing cadet from Creighton University, while Cadet River Wilson, an Army ROTC nursing cadet from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, documents patient care during Tactical Combat Casualty Care training at Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital, Fort Polk, Louisiana, July 24, 2026. The exercise reinforced battlefield trauma management and team communication under simulated combat conditions.
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Cadet Nathaniel Nagel, an Army ROTC nursing cadet from Norwich University, performs a tactical field assessment on a simulated casualty portrayed by Cadet Greg Thomas, an Army ROTC nursing cadet from Northern Arizona University, during Tactical Combat Casualty Care training at Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital, Fort Polk, Louisiana, July 24, 2026. The training challenged Army nursing cadets to apply battlefield trauma assessment and treatment skills in realistic field scenarios.
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Cadet Elvis Stricklin, an Army ROTC nursing cadet from the University of Arkansas, Cadet Nathaniel Nagel, an Army ROTC nursing cadet from Norwich University, and Staff Sgt. Arhye Olavarria, Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital education and staff development noncommissioned officer in charge, assess a simulated casualty portrayed by Cadet Greg Thomas, an Army ROTC nursing cadet from Northern Arizona University, during Tactical Combat Casualty Care training at Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital, Fort Polk, Louisiana, July 24, 2026. The scenario reinforced battlefield casualty assessment, treatment and team coordination in an operational environment.
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Cadet Lorelai Smith, an Army ROTC nursing cadet from Creighton University, assesses and treats a simulated casualty portrayed by Cadet Mason Potts, an Army ROTC nursing cadet from East Carolina University, during Tactical Combat Casualty Care training at Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital, Fort Polk, Louisiana, July 24, 2026. The field exercise prepared Army nursing cadets to provide lifesaving care in austere and combat environments.
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Cadet Greg Thomas, an Army ROTC nursing cadet from Northern Arizona University, practices establishing intravenous access on an infant simulator during labor, delivery and postpartum (LDRP) simulation training at Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital, Fort Polk, Louisiana, July 28, 2026. The hands-on training provided nursing cadets realistic clinical experience caring for mothers and newborns while strengthening skills they will use as future Army nurses.
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Cadet Elvis Stricklin, an Army ROTC nursing cadet from the University of Arkansas, practices establishing intravenous access on an infant simulator during labor, delivery and postpartum (LDRP) simulation training at Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital, Fort Polk, Louisiana, July 28, 2026. The hands-on training challenged nursing cadets to apply clinical knowledge and technical skills in realistic patient-care scenarios as part of the Army Nurse Summer Training Program.
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Cadet River Wilson, an Army ROTC nursing cadet from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, practices neonatal airway management on an infant simulator during labor, delivery and postpartum (LDRP) simulation training at Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital, Fort Polk, Louisiana, July 28, 2026. The hands-on training provided nursing cadets an opportunity to develop clinical decision-making and patient-care skills in a realistic learning environment.
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Cadet Mason Potts, an Army ROTC nursing cadet from East Carolina University, practices neonatal airway management on an infant simulator during labor, delivery and postpartum (LDRP) simulation training at Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital, Fort Polk, Louisiana, July 28, 2026. The realistic training helped nursing cadets strengthen critical clinical skills used to assess and stabilize newborn patients as part of the Army’s Nurse Summer Training Program.
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Col. Patrick W. Miller, commander of Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital, congratulates Cadet Mason Potts, an Army ROTC nursing cadet from East Carolina University, following the Army Nurse Summer Training Program graduation ceremony at Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital, Fort Polk, Louisiana, Aug. 6, 2026. Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Contreras, Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital command sergeant major, joined members of the command team in recognizing seven Army ROTC nursing cadets who completed the two-week program, which provided hands-on clinical and tactical medical training alongside Army healthcare professionals.
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Cadet Susan Yuan, an Army ROTC nursing cadet from Florida Southern College, performs a simulated neonatal blood collection on an infant training mannequin as Sgt. Annamaria Gilley, Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital labor, delivery, recovery and post partum noncommissioned officer in charge, observes during an LDRP skills station at BJACH, Fort Polk Louisiana, July 28, 2026. The hands-on training provided Army ROTC nursing cadets with experience in newborn care ad clinical procedures as part of the Army Nurse Summer Training Program.
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FORT POLK, La. — Seven Army ROTC nursing cadets representing universities across the United States completed the Army Nurse Summer Training Program at Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital Aug. 6. This concluded four weeks of immersive clinical training designed to prepare future Army Nurse Corps officers for military healthcare.
Throughout the month-long program, the cadets rotated through clinical departments across the hospital, working alongside nurses, physicians and healthcare professionals while gaining hands-on experience in emergency medicine, labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum (LDRP) care, pharmacy, behavioral health and other specialty areas. The program also included Tactical Combat Casualty Care training, aeromedical evacuation familiarization with Charlie Company “Cajun Dustoff,” 1st Battalion, 5th Aviation Regiment, and high-fidelity simulation training designed to strengthen patient care skills and military readiness.
Rather than concentrating the cadets in a single department, Capt. Rebecca Horgan, chief of the Mixed Medical-Surgical Ward and Nurse Summer Training Program coordinator at BJACH, intentionally developed rotations that exposed them to the broad range of professionals supporting patient care throughout the hospital.
“Our hospital is very small, and we couldn’t put everyone in one department like a large trauma center,” Horgan said. “We mapped out nursing functions throughout the hospital and expanded into areas like pharmacy and behavioral health so the cadets could learn from professionals across multiple disciplines.”
Horgan said those experiences were designed to help the cadets understand that outstanding patient care extends beyond the bedside and depends on collaboration across the healthcare team.
Lt. Col. Carmen Salcedo, assistant deputy commander for nursing at BJACH, said the program prepares cadets for much more than clinical practice.
“In the civilian sector, for most nurses, their primary—and sometimes only—focus is clinical mastery,” Salcedo said during the graduation ceremony. “In the Army, clinical excellence is your baseline. When you commission, you are leaders.”
Salcedo said serving as a clinical training site allows BJACH to help forge the next generation of Army Nurse Corps officers while strengthening a culture of continuous learning throughout the organization.
“Mentoring cadets reinforces a culture of safety, continuous learning and high clinical standards among BJACH’s current staff,” Salcedo said. “When experienced nurses teach and demonstrate best practices to cadets, they actively reinforce their own clinical protocols and critical thinking skills.”
For the cadets, that culture of mentorship became one of the program’s defining experiences.
Cadet Mason Potts, an Army ROTC nursing cadet from East Carolina University, said the hospital’s size created unexpected opportunities.
“When people think of BJACH, they often think of a smaller hospital, but I quickly realized that its size created many learning opportunities,” Potts said. “It allowed us to spend more intentional time with our patients, explore a variety of nursing specialties throughout the hospital, and gain exposure to different aspects of patient care.”
Other cadets echoed with similar experiences. Cadet Lorelai Smith, an Army ROTC nursing cadet from Creighton University, said one of the most valuable lessons she learned was that exceptional patient care depends on teamwork among nurses, physicians, pharmacists, radiology personnel, environmental services professionals and many others working together to support patients.
For Cadet Susan Yuan, an Army ROTC nursing cadet from Florida Southern College, the experience reinforced another important lesson.
“I have learned that no matter your rank or experience, everyone is still learning,” Yuan said. “You can learn something new from anyone whether it’s from a patient, a student, or a textbook.”
During the graduation ceremony, the cadets presented a process improvement initiative focused on reducing heat injuries among Soldiers training at the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk. Drawing on lessons learned during their rotation, the presentation highlighted evidence-based strategies to improve prevention, early recognition and treatment of heat-related illnesses while supporting operational readiness.
By the end of the four-week program, the cadets had gained not only clinical experience, but also a deeper appreciation for the interdisciplinary teamwork that enables military medicine to deliver safe, high-quality care to Soldiers, Families and beneficiaries.
As the program concluded, Horgan said she hopes the cadets leave BJACH with more than stronger clinical skills.
“I hope they realize that many of the people they meet in the hospital may not be nurses, but they can become trusted mentors, friends and teammates,” Horgan said. “Those relationships will be invaluable as they step out of their comfort zones and begin their careers as newly commissioned Army Nurse Corps officers.”
The seven cadets will now return to their universities to complete their nursing degrees before commissioning as officers in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, carrying with them the clinical experience, mentorship and leadership lessons gained during their time at Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital.
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