Honoring Veterans in Our Coug Nursing Community

Roger Casey: From Air Force Medic to Emergency Nurse

For Roger Casey, a 1998 Washington State University College of Nursing BSN graduate, military service helped establish the teamwork and discipline he brings to emergency nursing.

Casey served five years in the U.S. Air Force as an enlisted medic. He cared for patients in the emergency department at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana before becoming an aeromedical evacuation technician, flying aboard C-130 aircraft out of North Carolina. He held the rank of sergeant when he received his honorable discharge.

He joined the Air Force with two goals: serving his country and finding a way to afford college. Along the way, he found mentors who encouraged him to pursue nursing and experiences that continue to shape his approach to care.

Among his memories is helping transport a burn patient from Panama to San Antonio for specialized treatment. The mission depended on a team working together to get the patient to a burn center.

Other experiences included caring for retired veterans and serving on the base Honor Guard, where he participated in memorial services for fallen airmen.

Casey has been a registered nurse since 1991 and has spent most of his nursing career in emergency departments or related settings. Today, he works as an acute care RN and lead nurse at Kadlec Regional Medical Center’s freestanding emergency department in Kennewick, Washington.

His military experience taught him to focus on the task at hand, consider different approaches to problems, and recognize that leadership depends on everyone’s contributions.

It is about your team and how you can accomplish your goals and objectives with the help of everyone on the team.

Roger Casey BSN ’98

For nursing students considering military service, his advice centers on an attitude of serving others. That commitment continues to connect his military experience with his work in health care.

Go Cougs!