Page 65 - QARANC Spring 2024

The Gazette QARANC Association 65
war on the continent, it is prudent to reflect on how the nursing care delivered in austere environments has changed, even if the battlefield remains similar. The skills and scopes of practice of nurses has advanced from being solely a caring vocation to a caring and medical procedure-based profession.
Our history is one of constant change over a century, from QAIMNS forming 27 March 1902 to becoming an Army Corps, and QARANC forming on 1 February 1949. The recruitment age has dropped from 25 to 17 years and 9 months, no longer an all- officer Corp (1950), or all-female profession (1992). Soldiers can join up to become a student nurse (1950) and then serve and start their nursing career in the Army or you can join up as a qualified nurse.
You can specialise in primary or secondary care, you are funded to develop academically and professionally, while increasing your scope of practice and deploy all over the world. There is the option for nurse bursary, and the “golden hello” for joining as a specialist nurse in emergency, intensive care or burns and plastics.
There are opportunities to take part in ceremonial parades, with QARANC taking part in the late Queen’s coronation parade in 1953 and again in 2023 for HM the King’s Coronation. All of this was not offered throughout the history of the Army, however, the golden thread of Values and Standards, patient care and compassion have always been there. The Corps de Spirit has and will continue to help bind us together, both serving and veterans alike.
The Corps
de Spirit
has and will
continue to
help bind
us together,
in the QARANC amongst all ranks today was demonstrated by Staff Nurse Nellie Spindler who treated all patients to the best of her ability in a highly stressful and austere environment with a casualty load far in excess of what the space, equipment and staff were prepared for.
The acceptance, empathy and equality we share
both serving
and veterans During the Covid-19 pandemic the QARANC
alike
response was the same, giving the best possible care to all patients, demonstrating empathy and compassion to all, the exact same as in WW1, so have the fundamentals of care changed?
My final thoughts are that as we come into our Corps 75th Anniversary, it is worth reflecting on our shared history and the strong characters who have come before us and demonstrated the same values, behaviours, passions and professionalism while delivering the best patient care possible.
Capt Stephen Worsley