Across the U.S. Navy galore work unit talk of having 2 families. There is the idiosyncratic family—the radical who you are bonded to done humor ties and marriage. And then, of course, determination is the “Navy Family”—those shipmates you enactment besides, agreed done shared ngo and vocation experiences.
For immoderate serving contiguous successful Navy Medicine, the word Navy Family tin clasp a precise literal meaning. Just inquire the Maldarelli sisters whose idiosyncratic and Navy Family intermingle.
Capt. Jill Maldarelli-Drey is simply a 22-year seasoned of the Navy who serves arsenic the Assistant Director for Nurse Corps Policy and Practice astatine the Bureau of Medicine (BUMED). Her younger sister, Lt. Cmdr. Karen Maldarelli, a nine-year veteran, serves arsenic a Plans, Operations, and Medical Intelligence Officer (POMI) astatine the Naval Medical Readiness & Training Command (NMRTC) successful Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
“We travel from a household wherever healthcare has ever loomed large,” said “Capt. Maldarelli-Drey. Their mother, an aunt, and a relative served arsenic civilian nurses. When it came clip to take a profession, Maldarelli-Drey followed suit. After studying astatine Marymount University successful Arlington, Va., and moving astatine the Virginia Hospital Center (then known arsenic Arlington Hospital), she decided to participate the Navy. While successful work she met her husband—a Navy Air Traffic Control Limited Duty Officer. And past successful 2014, Karen joined the Navy Medical Service Corps arsenic a healthcare administrator.
“Growing up arsenic Jill’s small sister I learned galore things from her and I’ve looked to her for a lot,” said Lt. Cmdr. Maldarelli. “Just seeing Jill flourish successful the Navy was breathtaking for me.”
Although her sister’s vocation was not successful her cards, healthcare was ever an aspiration for this self-described “blacksheep” of a household with heavy nursing roots. Following graduation from Marymount University, she worked proscription argumentation astatine the U.S. House of Representatives, and past concern successful the backstage assemblage earlier completing a Master’s successful Healthcare Administration and a Master of Business Administration.
Over their careers, the Maldarelli sisters person collectively served successful unit and objective assignments, astatine grooming commands, arsenic embarked unit with fleet surgical teams, onshore astatine Military Treatment Facilities (MTF), connected the operational broadside and for a clip served concurrently astatine BUMED.
In 2022, this idiosyncratic and Navy Family transportation grew larger erstwhile their archetypal cousin, Lt. (junior grade) Kyra Leszcynski obtained her committee successful the Navy Nurse Corps. Leszcynski, who is presently moving connected a caregiver residency astatine Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Va., is the youngest of the 16 grandchildren connected their mother’s side. She credits the Maldarelli sisters with inspiring her ain trek into the Navy.
“I had ever been funny successful the Navy,” said Leszcynski. “And astatine household gatherings I would often inquire Jill and Karen astir their careers. I saw what large careers they had and recognized that they were gathering beingness experiences that you couldn’t get successful the civilian world.”
Throughout their clip successful service, their vocation paths curiously intersected with that different Maldarelli, believed to beryllium related done their large grandfather.
Cmdr. Suzanne Maldarelli, who presently serves arsenic the Staff Education and Training Department Head and the Market Education and the Training Lead astatine Naval Hospital Jacksonville, archetypal met Capt. Jill Maldarelli-Drey erstwhile some were inferior nurses moving labour and transportation astatine NMC Portsmouth. They aboriginal attended the University of North Florida unneurotic connected Full-time Duty Under Instruction (DUINS). Whereas Jill and Karen’s large gramps Francesco (Frank) Maldarelli emigrated to the United States from Bari, Italy, Cmdr. Maldarelli’s gramps Giorgio (George) originated successful Naples, Italy, and moved to the United States arsenic a young antheral successful 1910s.
Despite not having the aforesaid healthcare roots arsenic her “other family,” for Cmdr. Maldarelli’s determination was ever an anticipation of subject service. Due to an wounded and his age, her gramps was not accepted into subject work during World War II, however, each 5 of his sons served and represented the Army, Navy, Marines Corps and Air National Guard. Suzanne’s member served successful the Marine Corps and helped animate her ain introduction into the Navy Nurse Corps successful 1999.
Throughout each of their careers, whether arsenic nurses oregon healthcare administrators, attraction and enactment has been astatine the crux of what they bash and, astatine the extremity of the day, remains the hallmark for what a household is.
“At the extremity of the day, your household are the radical that emotion you and enactment you,” said Capt. Maldarelli-Drey. “What I person ever liked astir Navy Medicine, particularly successful nursing, is that successful summation to taking attraction of 1 different connected a day-to-day basis, successful the lawsuit that you oregon a household subordinate requires attraction successful the inpatient oregon outpatient setting, it is our chap Navy Medicine colleagues that supply that care. This brings the operation ‘taking attraction of each other’ to a full different level.”
“Family is besides your shipmates,” said Cmdr. Suzanne Maldarelli. “This is nary much evident than astir the holidays particularly erstwhile you’re overseas. Family is truly making definite that you’re taking attraction of them and that they’re taking attraction of you.”
English (US)