Spotlighting the Career of

LCDR Jahanara Jones

Biography Contributed by: LT Alyssa Givens

This Nursing Spotlight is brought to you by CAPT Amy Valderrama, CDR Nichole Vetter, and LCDR Allison Gallen

LCDR Jahanara Jones had already proven her commitment to the care of the underserved when she embarked on her career with the USPHS. She began working as a clinical nurse on the medical surgical unit at Federal Medical Center (FMC) Carswell, an all-female prison located in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2007. After finding her true passion for helping those in great need, she decided to join the Corps and was commissioned in 2009. LCDR Jones continued to work at FMC Carswell gaining experience and taking on new challenges. She became the Nurse Outpatient Coordinator from 2012-2013, where she enjoyed working on many tasks throughout the facility, including assisting in the clinic, completing inmate intakes, and supervising contractors. From 2013 to 2016, she worked as the Utilization Review Nurse, completing medical bed designations for the facility, travel coordination, and ensuring that inmates who needed specialized procedures had them completed. In November 2016, she was promoted to Chief Quality Improvement Manager: "I am kind of the facilities police. I make sure policies and proper procedures are being followed and I work on inmate QI, like inmate safety."

LCDR Jones has enjoyed many amazing experiences throughout her career, the most rewarding opportunity is being the lead cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) instructor at FMC Carswell and providing CPR courses through community outreach to underserved populations at no cost. "I love giving back to the community. I feel like I’m providing a service that really helps people." Her passion for preparing others to save lives comes from a personal tragedy. Shortly after joining the Corps, LCDR Jones’ mother went into respiratory arrest. Her stepfather, who was never taught CPR, didn’t know how to help his wife. After LCDR Jones’ mother passed away, she became passionate about offering free CPR courses in her community as she recognized that it was a need that she could fill.

"I tell people in my classes all the time — you don’t have to be scared and if you’re uncomfortable giving breaths, don’t, because with hands-only CPR you can still help and possibly save a life." Another rewarding experience that LCDR Jones had was a seven-day TDY to Federal Correction Institution (FCI) LaTuna. This facility was extremely short staffed and had a great need to get the inmate population up-to-date on their tubercu-losis (TB) clearance. LCDR Jones worked long hours and went above and beyond to get all 1,100 inmates’ PPD skin tests placed, read, and documented. In addition to completing all of the TB screens, she performed daily nursing duties, including pill lines and triage of sick inmates. "The work needed to get done and I was there to help. I was determined to get all those PPDs placed so I got all of them done."

LCDR Jones has a true passion for recruiting, she uses every opportunity in her daily activities to educate the community about the USPHS. She participates in community events such as parades and career days at local schools. A unique recruitment tool she utilizes is her own education. "I am currently in a program to be a Family Nurse Practitioner. Because my classes are online, I spend my time wisely, not only getting my work done but also promoting the Corps."

LCDR Jones has many great insights and her advice to officers during their career in the Corps is to "Keep striving - if you put your heart into it you can and will succeed. Getting a mentor is also a must, having another officer to help guide you is invaluable."

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