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"While deployed in Bagdad, Iraq, as an Army combat medic
during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Sgt. David Fields was known as “doc.” He
cherishes that title as a badge of honor."
Years later, “My sponsor asked me when I felt the happiest in my life. It
turns out that it was when I was in Iraq as a combat medic,” Fields says.
After going to the Veterans Administration, Fields secured
Veteran Readiness and Employment benefits designed to retrain military
personnel and help them access employment and educational opportunities. He
took aptitude tests that confirmed that he was best suited for nursing.
On the cusp of graduating with a bachelor’s degree in
nursing with a minor in gerontology, Fields is hoping to establish the same
rapport he had with military service members with a different population – the
elderly. He is this year’s recipient of RIC’s Harold Sweet Award, which
recognizes outstanding contributions and excellence in the study of
aging.
Less than one percent of registered nurses are certified in
geriatrics, according to the American Geriatric Society, so Fields’ presence
will help to fill a major void.
“I feel like I have a special knack with senior citizens,”
says Fields, now age 43. “I have a close relationship with the elderly women in
my family, especially my nana, who is in her 80s now. I strive to treat people
the way I treat her. I have the care and capacity to make a difference in
geriatrics, and I want to do so as a nurse practitioner in geriatrics mental
health.”
Read more at:
Cheers!
Donna
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