Meet Rachel: Redskins cheerleader-turned-Naval Officer-turned-Anesthetist
Meet Rachel: A former Washington Redskins Cheerleader who enlisted in the Navy and now has her sights set on becoming an anesthesiologist. How does she synthesize these seemingly different worlds? She’s here to tell us.
Tell us about your job in the Navy and how science prepared you for that role?
I commissioned as an officer in the Navy out of college as a Registered Nurse in the Navy Nurse Corps. I started out on a Surgical/OIF/OEF injury ward at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD for two years and switched to the multi-service Intensive Care Unit for the next two years. In that time I was deployed to a small firebase in Afghanistan with a Forward Surgical Team operating alongside Army Special Forces. Science and medicine go hand in hand. Learning all we can about the different sciences from biology to physics has assisted me and continues to assist me in understanding –and staying committed to–evidence-based practice.
Tell me about your current field of study? Why did you choose it?
I am currently in graduate school for Anesthesia. I fell in love with taking pain away, not only as a nurse, but when I worked at Bethesda on the wounded soldiers coming back from overseas. We used the newest technology in pain control and I had a chance to see how much I could help control someone’s pain. When I was deployed to Afghanistan that solidified my passion for anesthesia as I was able to “shadow” the CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist) for the eight months I was there, while I was also applying to Anesthesia programs. Putting people to rest, pain control, managing trauma, all were amazing amounts of autonomy and adrenaline rushes to the max for me. It has been a great challenge applying to and getting into my program but I couldn’t be more excited about where I am now.
Do you find that your looks (or being a former cheerleader) helped or hindered your professional experiences? (Were you taken seriously?)
That is such an interesting question. I was often called into different patient rooms when one of my fellow nurses or Navy corpsmen (similar to a civilian ‘’tech’’, but they are amazing and so capable of just about anything!) would slip about it to a patient and the patient wanted to meet me (or joke with me about their rival team). It was great fun and most people just wanted to know what it was like. I was surprised at the respect I received because we all know the stigmas associated with dance teams and cheerleaders. I knew I had to prove that I belonged in the military and I could be taken seriously. When I was deployed to Afghanistan I was quite firm in making sure I didn’t let it slip because I didn’t want to lose any respect I had gained. I left the blow-dryer, the hair products, the make-up, all at home. I figured if I looked au naturale no one would second guess me. I wasn’t able to keep the secret for long, it leaked from a few places and ended up spreading like wild fire. I suppose I had either proven my capabilities or folks were less superficial than I had suspected. It turned out to be a great morale booster in the end! (more…)
