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| Capts. Edward Jordison and Mary Ann Gilchrist, both alumni of the University of Ottawa, are stationed in Camp Julien near Kabul, Afghanistan. |
Marie-Ève Thérien
Captain Mary Ann Gilchrist is presently working in Afghanistan as a critical care nursing officer with the Canadian Forces Task Force Kabul. This alumna from the Faculty of Health Sciences (class of 2000) joined the military eight years ago because she wanted to help people and serve her country.
“I love being a nurse. It defines who I am and I am very proud to say that I am a nursing officer,” says Capt. Gilchrist.
Her home in Kabul is Camp Julien, where she works in the Advanced Surgical Centre as part of the Health Service Support Company. This field hospital provides essential medical and dental services to the Canadian members of Task Force Kabul and also to the military and civilian personnel from various nations who live at Camp Julien.
One of Gilchrist’s teammates, Captain Edward Jordison, is another uOttawa alumnus. In Canada, both are posted to 1 Field Ambulance in Edmonton. They have been in Afghanistan since February 5, 2005.
Gilchrist and Jordison are in Kabul as a part of Operation ATHENA, Canada’s contribution to the NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The mission of 900 Canadian troops deployed on this operation is to help maintain security in Kabul and its surrounding areas, so the government of Afghanistan and UN agencies can rebuild the country. About 700 soldiers from Canada are located at Camp Julien.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to be here and be apart of a multinational brigade working to help a country that has been so devastated by war,” Gilchrist says.
Nursing in Afghanistan is not that different from nursing in Canada, Gilchrist notes, although there are obviously different challenges when working in more austere conditions. For example, officers have to contend with leaky tent roofs and delays in receiving supplies and equipment.
To offer a different perspective on the profession to the Canadian public and current nursing students, Gilchrist is organizing various media events in Kabul for National Nursing Week (May 9-13). Also, for International Nurses Day, on May 12, she is planning a luncheon and tour of the Canadian medical facilities for all military nurses at ISAF.
