77 Nursing Cadets Also Deployed for COVID Support (Comprehensive)

On the 1st, marking Armed Forces Day, nursing cadets and cadets from the Air Force Academy, Naval Academy, and Army Academy are entering the event venue at Daegu Air Base (11th Fighter Wing) during the '71st Armed Forces Day Ceremony.' /Daegu=Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Military nursing cadets who have not yet been officially commissioned are being urgently dispatched to the frontlines of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Earlier in March, the military advanced the graduation date of the Nursing Academy and deployed all newly commissioned nursing officers to medical sites in Daegu, but this is the first time that cadets still in training are being mobilized amid the COVID-19 crisis.

The Korea Armed Forces Nursing Academy announced on the 18th that it will support 77 third-year nursing cadets and 4 nursing officers at residential treatment centers. Among them, 56 cadets and 3 nursing officers will be assigned from today to three residential treatment centers located in Gyeonggi Province and Chungcheongnam-do, where they will immediately begin their duties.

The remaining personnel will be deployed later to residential treatment centers designated by the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. Under the guidance and supervision of professional medical personnel such as doctors and nurses, the cadets will perform tasks including vital sign measurement, non-face-to-face symptom monitoring, medication support, and assistance with PCR testing.

The duration of the mission is tentatively set for one month, with the possibility of changes depending on the COVID-19 situation.

The military authorities explained that this is in accordance with Article 19 of the Enforcement Rules of the Medical Service Act, which allows students majoring in medicine, dentistry, Korean medicine, and nursing to perform duties under the guidance and supervision of medical personnel during national disaster situations.

The cadets have completed basic nursing practice at university hospital level, as well as nursing practice this year in the intensive care unit, emergency room, and wards of the Armed Forces Capital Hospital. They also received disaster emergency nursing education before being deployed to the COVID-19 frontlines.

Cadet Company Commander Choi Yoo-ji (21, 62nd class) said, "After seeing seniors from the 60th class rush to Daegu immediately after their graduation and commissioning ceremonies, I resolved to become an excellent nursing officer who dedicates herself to the nation and its people." She emphasized, "I will fulfill my duties with a sense of mission based on the nursing expertise I have steadily accumulated so far."

Meanwhile, one officer at a naval unit located in Jinhae tested positive for COVID-19. The confirmed officer had not recently taken leave and was diagnosed positive after symptoms appeared. The military authorities explained that they are currently testing about 100 personnel who had contact with the confirmed case. The cumulative number of confirmed cases in the military is 475, of which 419 have recovered. Fifty-six are still undergoing treatment.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.