DCI News

On May 22nd, members of the United States Air Force joined the Missouri State Board of Nursing at their meeting in Jefferson City to discuss ways to improve and streamline the transition of military service members, veterans and their spouses into the civilian workforce.

The White House report titled, The Fast Track to Civilian Employment: Streamlining Credentialing and Licensing for Service Members, Veterans and Their Spouses, encouraged states to support legislative efforts that would transition veterans into the civilian workplace. In 2017 the Missouri Board of Nursing wholeheartedly joined this effort and approved the United States Air Force (USAF) Basic Medical Technician Corpsman Program (BMTCP -- Air Force Specialty Code: 4N0X1) as Practical Nursing program. This allows service members to apply for and take the National Council Licensure Exam for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN) and obtain a LPN license.

At this meeting, officials discussed the Air Force’s assessment of 4N0X1 training and presented the Missouri Board of Nursing with current and projected changes to the 4N0X1 curriculum, education and training. Air Force officials presented plans for upgrade training in civilian acute care facilities. This plan has the potential to have a positive impact on the nursing workforce in Missouri while providing an avenue for valuable upgrade training for Air Force active duty personnel. This would create a win-win situation for the Air Force, Missouri health care providers and recipients of nursing care in Missouri and abroad.  

“We value the contributions veterans have made in the military and acknowledge their training and experience,” said Lori Scheidt, Executive Director of the Missouri State Board of Nursing. “Our goal is to make sure veterans receive the credit they so rightly deserve and assist with civilian careers in nursing.”

In addition to easing the transition for veterans into the civilian workforce, this is an action that also addresses the need to increase the number of licensed nurses in the state which is currently facing a shortage of qualified nurses.

Joining the Missouri State Board of Nursing were:

Brigadier General Robert J Marks – Air Mobility Command Surgeon and Chief of the Air Force Nurse Corps at Scott AFB – IL
Colonel Deedra L. Zabokrtsky, Chief, Officer Force Development Division and Director, Air Force Nursing Services at Headquarters AF, Office of the Surgeon General – Falls Church, Virginia
Chief MSgt Ruben M. Vazquez –Aerospace Medical Service and Surgical Service Career Field Manager, Office of the Surgeon General, Falls Church, Virginia
Chief MSgt David M. Denton, Command Aerospace Medical Service Functional Manager and AF Aeromedical Evacuation Consultant, Office of the Command Surgeon, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB
Lt. Colonel Matthew Pfeiffer – Chief Nurse, 509th Medical Group at Whiteman AFB
MSgt Tiffany Campbell – Aerospace Medical Services Career Field Manager – 509th Medical Group at Whiteman AFB

Chief MSgt Alando Respress, Aerospace Medical Service Functional Manager from the 59th Medical Wing, Joint Base San Antonio – Lackland AFB