08/04/2009

Leadership Development & Assessment Course and 2009 Educator Visit

Each year U.S. Army Cadet Command hosts a number of university professors and administrators from ROTC campuses at the Leadership Development and Assessment Course (LDAC-Fort Lewis, WA) and Leadership Training Course (LTC-Fort Knox, KY) through the Educator Visit program. The educator visit is designed to increase enrollment and awareness of the Army ROTC programs, to showcase Cadet summer training and to increase support among university faculty and staff. The program allows educators to observe and participate in all phases of the Cadet training cycle. In additions, nursing educators spend an extra day at the Army medical facilities (Madigan Army Hospital) learning about the Army healthcare system.

This summer, the University of Kentucky Wildcat Battalion sent Wanda Lovitz of the University of Kentucky Nursing Department (Instructor) and Milton Reigelman from Centre College (Special Assistant to the President and Director of the Semester Abroad Program) to LDAC. Both actively participated in training and came away with a better of the understanding of the ROTC program and how they can better discuss the program to students at their respective campuses. Professor Lovitz said that the rappelling and the water confidence events were the most fun to participate in, but that the special trip for nurse educators to Madigan Hospital at Fort Lewis was the most informative. When asked for her thoughts on the benefits of military nurse training, she highlighted leadership and autonomy, responding "We say in nursing that decision-making skills are important. You make serious decisions every day. That’s something Army nursing stresses."

She also thought very highly of the experience that Army nurses gain before and after graduation, noting that Army nurses’ precepting, based her observations, was superior, going "over and above what we have in the civilian world." Milton Friedman noted after that trip, that "the training conducted by the Cadets is top-notch" and that "it has changed greatly since he attended LDAC as a Cadet."