Monthly Ambassador Spotlight: Ryan Schalles commissioning ceremony

Mar 12th, 2020 | Latest News

Patient • Community • Each Other

For almost a year now, we have kept the conversation of UMC Ambassadorship going. Many of you have been great at being an ambassador —sharing our culture and passion—to patients, the community and to your coworkers.

Second Lieutenant Ryan Schalles, a UMC Emergency Center nurse, recently had his commissioning ceremony to join the United States Army Reserves as an emergency nurse.

During his recruiting process, Schalles qualified as an excellent candidate in almost every capacity. The Army Medical Department is small and selective, and they hold trauma nurses to a high standard of excellence. So being selected to join speaks very highly of Ryan!

First Class Sargeant Wooten, the Army Recruiter who worked with Schalles, described him as the easiest recruit he’s had. While working through his first requirement, working for one year as an Emergency Center nurse, Schalles became a certified emergency nurse and achieved multiple additional certifications, rapidly. Although he still had not been an emergency nurse for a full year, Schalles was soon approved to be an army nurse.

“That’s not usually now it happens,” said First Class Sargeant Wooten, “but that just goes to show you who Ryan is and how deserving he is of being commissioned. Today is an amazing day because we are getting an amazing soldier!”

As an Army reservist, Second Lt. Schalles will continue to work at UMC, while also: 

  • maintaining physical readiness by going through physical tests every six months
  • Routine physical health check
  • active duty one weekend out of the month
  • 10 weeks at an army base every year

“There is something about him that just makes Ryan stand out,” said Bruce Mitchell, Director of the UMC Emergency Center. “He will continue to represent UMC well as both a nurse in Lubbock and as a nurse wherever the U.S. Army may take him.” 

Do you have an Ambassador story? We want to feature it in Progress Notes! Submit your UMC Ambassador stories to Danielle.Hathcoat@umchealthsystem.com.

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