TMC PULSE

T M C » P U L S E | N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 8 10 JOYCE BURNS > Associate Director of the Stroke Program and family nurse practi- tioner at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center Houston; retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army When Joyce Burns was a girl, home health nurses came by regularly to check on her ailing grandmother. "All of the nurses used to tell me what they were doing for my grandmother—putting in catheters, caring for wounds—and it seemed like a very interesting career," Burns said. Because of a chance encounter, Burns decided to join the army while she trained to become a nurse. "One day my high school announced that there were two army recruiters in the cafeteria. One of my friends and I, we were in homeroom and we were looking for a way to slip out, so we went down to see their presentation," she said. "My mom wasn't too excited because back in the '70s there weren't as many women in the mil- itary, but I really wanted to go and my dad was very supportive." Burns served in the U.S. Army for 26 years before retiring as a "It is similar here at the VA because we are like a family. With the patients that I am taking care of, I think about the time that they have put in. In the military you are mov- ing around and your kids aren't able to be raised near family, so on active duty you build a camaraderie." JOSEPH LOVE , M.D. > Medical Director of Memorial Hermann Life Flight; retired lieu- tenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force Growing up in Fairbanks, Alaska, Joseph Love didn't anticipate he would have a career in the military or in medicine. But after completing his master's degree, his wife convinced him to apply to medical school. "We applied all over the place and I got in, and as a young cou- ple, now that we've done this, the question was, how do we pay for it?" Love said. "The military has some- thing called a Health Professions Scholarship Program. I applied for it and got it, so they paid all my tui- tion, they bought all my books and supplies. And then, in return, you have to give back one year for every year that you are in medical school." Over an eight-month period starting in 2010, Love was deployed to Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan during a very volatile period. While there, Love operated on U.S. soldiers and civilians. He was also known around the base for slipping a few Girl Scout Cookies under the pil- lows of his patients—not only to give them a treat from home, but also to remind them of U.S. programs that empower young women. When Love made it back state- side, he accepted a job at Life Flight working under founder James "Red" Duke, Jr., M.D. lieutenant colonel in 2003. She received her bachelor's in nurs- ing from the University of South Carolina and her masters from the United States Army War College. She worked at army hospitals in Texas, South Carolina, California, Georgia and Colorado. Today, Burns serves as Associate Director of the Stroke Program and a family nurse practi- tioner on the neurology care line at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center Houston. "One of things I learned and carry with me today is that the mili- tary is like a family," Burns said. Veterans Day, observed every November 11, honors the men and women of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Pulse asked several veterans who work at the Texas Medical Center how their military training has helped them serve the world's largest medical city. ON THE FRONT LINES OF HEALTH CARE B y B r i t n i R . M c A s h a n

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