Cherron R. Galluzzo

Government Organization Dedicated to the Protection of the United States

National

Ms. Galluzzo's expertise is in medical and surgical nursing.

Defense

The American Journal of Nursing

Spending Time with her Family, Reading

Master's Degree in Military Operational Art and Science (2007); Master's Degree in Management and Human Resource Development, Webster University (2000); Bachelor of Science in Nursing, The University of Akron (1993)

Ohio Nurses Association; The American Nurses Association, Inc.

Military Nursing

Ms. Galluzzo was offered a free trip on a C-130 military aircraft to tour a hospital on Eglin Air Force Base in northwest Florida, while in her last semester of nursing school at the University of Akron in Ohio by an Air Force recruiter. After meeting Air Force nurses on the job and experiencing the camaraderie among the other potential nurse recruits, she was impressed. She submitted her Air Force application and shortly after graduation was selected for the Nurse Corps. She was a part of the Operation Iraqi Freedom. One of the highlights of her military career occurred when she was deployed to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). She arrived March 11, 2003, a week prior to the beginning of the ground offensive for Operation Iraqi Freedom. As an acting chief nurse, she established a clinic from the ground up in an austere locale. She and her team arrived in the desert staging area before tent housing was set up, security in place, and communications were made operational. The clinic consisted of a chair, a stretcher, and a table. Dehydration was a problem in the 100-degree heat, without any refrigeration and air conditioning. Waves of troops kept arriving for smallpox and anthrax vaccinations before heading off to combat. During Ms. Galluzzo's tour of duty, she oversaw 1,400 clinic visits, 950 immunizations, and 25 medical evacuations. She had to ramp up quickly as the patient population grew from 200 to 1,000 in just 10 days. She achieved the most basic nursing requirements including infection control, good record keeping, and a safe workplace, which became a test of resourcefulness under rigorous conditions. As an example, the medical team had to make certain that food supplied through UAE contracts was in compliance with safety codes. Women have a different role in the Middle East, says Ms. Galluzzo, whose job was to check facilities' cleanliness and refrigeration. Having a woman inspect conditions was a very sensitive situation. Troops also had to be reminded to properly dispose of spore-infected bandages used to cover anthrax inoculation sites. She had to cope not only with clinical duties, but also with dicey diplomatic incidents. Another aspect of her career was a jet spill accident, which involved 4,300 gallons of jet fuel being spilled on the desert sand and she ensured all protocols were met, with the spill being cleaned up quickly.

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Ms. Galluzzo as a medical consultant had to organize toxicology screens for everyone involved in the incident. After her successful tour in the UAE, for which she received a medal of commendation, Ms. Galluzzo returned to her nurse manager position at MacDill Air Force Base, where her duties included developing a Homeland Defense Initiative to increase the 6th Medical Group's readiness to respond to a potential weapons of mass destruction event. Lieutenant Colonel Patti Parker, who is a medical operations squadron deputy commander for the 6th Medical Group at MacDill Air Force Base says that 'Captain Galluzzo is not a manager who sits behind her desk, she is the consummate leader, always out on the floor teaching and mentoring her nurses.' Ms. Galluzzo recognized the need for young nurses to have experience in a high-volume, high census environment and developed a unique program to rotate baby nurses through busier ambulatory same-day surgery unit and post anesthesia care unit. She loves the adventure and variety of military nursing. This month, she is transfered to her new duty station in the Primary Care Optimization Clinic at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. She's excited about working in an outpatient setting, which fills a gap in her nursing experience and desert experience. She also plans to pursue a master's degree in management resource development. She is honored to be selected as Nursing Spectrum's Florida Nurse of the Year. She is the product of awesome mentors, and now as a mentor, she feels it is her duty to pass that baton to the younger nurses as they advance in their nursing careers.

Overseeing the 15th Air Mobility Operations Squadron, Suspensions from Higher Headquarters or the Wing

Certification in Medical-Surgical Nursing (2002); Registered Nurse

Florida Nurse of the Year Award (2004); Air Force Nurse of the Year Award (2004)