Navy Nurse Started in the Marines
Written by Patty Rasmussen Tuesday, July 05 2011
Snapshot: Lt. Cmdr. Lorrie Meyer, United States Navy
Lorrie Meyer enlisted in the Marines in 1988 out of a desire to serve her country and to get a handle on what she wanted to do with her life. Her stint in the Marine Corps led to nursing school, the Navy, and an assignment as a medical officer recruiter in Minneapolis. Meyer was awarded the Navy's prestigious Recruiter of the Year Award last year, in the category of Medical Officer Recruiter of the Year.
Womenetics: What was it and is it like to be a woman in the Marine Corps and the Navy?
Lorrie Meyer: The Marine Corps was an eye-opener. I never felt segregated, but when I came in, back in the 1980s, a female could not have an infantry-type billet; absolutely not. I applied for a billet and was told no because I was a female and women weren’t allowed in infantry jobs. It hurt my feelings; I knew I could do the job, but back then that wasn’t how they did things. We have come so far.
There are women in submarines now. Women are deployed with the Marines. The military has come a long way in accepting women in nontraditional roles. We have a lot of work to do, but I like where we’re headed. It’s not just the military. As a nation we have to realize that women don’t have to serve in roles we’re used to seeing them in; it’s a cultural change. We’re getting there.
Womenetics: What do you enjoy most about recruiting?
Meyer: Meeting people. I love talking to people about my experiences and telling them that they can do the same thing. You can change people’s lives by giving them a scholarship and helping them through medical school. Then they go to work at a hospital and take care of military members. It’s a life-changing experience – talking to students and helping change their lives. It’s not something everyone gets to do every day.
Womenetics: You recruit only medical personnel?
Meyer: I’m a medical recruiter. I recruit doctors, dentists, nurses, any health-related field, including pharmacists, radiologists. It’s a variety. I speak to doctors in practice because we need doctors who have their degrees and are ready to go out there and practice. I talk to students who are in programs and maybe need help getting through school.
Womenetics: Recruiting seems like a sales position. How do you sell the Navy?
Meyer: The Navy sells itself, it really does. I just tell people my story and the opportunities the Navy offers. Typically people who come to me are folks that have a calling to serve – their country, their patients. They want to do good things. The primary mission of Navy health care is humanitarian missions. That’s why a lot of people join the Navy. I don’t feel like a sales person because I provide opportunities and usually opportunities sell themselves.
Womenetics: What’s the state of medical care in the Navy? How do you stack it up against the civilian world?
Meyer: The medical care our men and women receive is as good if not better than that of civilian care, especially nursing care. One of the reasons I came back to the Navy was the lower patient/nurse ratio. A civilian nurse might have four or five patients where I only have two or three, and I have a corpsman to help me with my patient load. That’s just one aspect of the care.
The other piece is that we can take our care anywhere in the world. We have two hospitals ships, the Comfort and the Mercy, which can travel wherever they need to go on humanitarian missions. Many folks have a misconception about the military; that it’s all about guns and shooting and war, but the humanitarian piece is really near and dear to my heart. It’s not emphasized enough, how we can deploy a whole hospital – a floating hospital that can get to anywhere, any time. It’s amazing what we can do. I know it sounds corny to say it because it’s our slogan but we truly are a “global force for good.” That’s the heart of our mission.
Womenetics: What’s the biggest challenge facing military medical care?
Meyer: Funding and personnel to treat the number of wounded veterans coming back (from war.) As far as the people coming into the service, we have quality medical personnel coming in to fill the ranks. We’re moving in the direction we need to because a few years ago we weren’t taking care of our veterans the way we needed to. But we are now.
Womenetics: How did you settle on a military career?
Meyer: I originally went into the Marine Corps because I wasn’t sure nursing was what I really wanted to do, but felt a need, a calling, to serve my country. I did four years of active duty as an enlisted Marine. I got out after my initial tour because I knew then that I wanted to be a nurse. I went to a four-year nursing college.
Womenetics: Did you go into nursing with the intention of going back into the military?
Meyer: Yes. I always loved the military. The Navy is a sister service so I decided to go to nursing school, get my degree, and become a commissioned officer. While I was in school, I found out about the nurse candidate program which helped me through school. You receive a stipend in your last two years of nursing school, then you get a sign-on bonus, and you have a service obligation after that.
Womenetics: Where did your career take you?
Meyer: My first duty assignment was at the Great Lakes Naval Hospital in Great Lakes, Ill., where I served as a nurse. I was just like any civilian nurse. I went to work, took care of patients, and went home every night. I did that for five years. My initial tour was five years, but at that time my husband was retiring out of the Army after 23 years of service.
We decided at that juncture that it was time for us to leave the military because I had a 2-year-old daughter at the time. I thought it was time for me to set down some roots. It wasn’t too long after that, about a year, when that calling to serve came back. I told my husband I wasn’t happy with what I was doing; the Navy was a part of me. I asked the Navy if I could come back in, and they graciously allowed me to step back in the role of a nurse. I was sent to Okinawa, Japan, for four and a half years.
Womenetics: Did your family go with you?
Meyer: Absolutely! My husband, my daughter, my dog, my cat; we all got on a plane and went to Okinawa. We were there for three and a half years.
Womenetics: How did recruiting come into the picture?
Meyer: It goes back to a promise I made when the Navy allowed me to come back in. I was on Okinawa, and it was time for me to get new orders. On the Navy Nurse Corps web page was a listing for a recruiter. Back when I was asking to come back in, a captain asked me, “If I allow you to come back in, what are you going to do for me? What will you do for the Navy?” I told her, “Retention is difficult. A lot of people get out because they think the grass is greener on the other side.”
I knew differently. I made a promise to her that if she allowed me to come back in, I’d be her best retention officer ever. I decided I wanted to tell my story; I wanted to tell people what the Navy has to offer and what it had given me. It was a gift, like God said, “There you go. Keep your promise.” So that’s what I did.
Womenetics: What’s in store for you? What are your plans?
Meyer: This is my last year here. I have orders for Camp Lejeune, N.C., a large Marine base with a naval hospital on it, so I’ll be moving there in July. I’ll be taking care of ICU patients or working in staff education and training, and I will be deployable. I’m hoping to get my doctorate in nursing.
Patty Rasmussen is an Atlanta-based freelance writer. She spent 12 years covering the Atlanta Braves for ChopTalk Magazine and has written for Major League Baseball publications, Georgia Trend magazine, WebMD, and Blue Ridge Country.
