Capt. Tricia Trinite, BSN '76

In celebration of Veterans Day, we sat down with Tricia Trinite, BSN '76. She dedicated over 30 years to public health while in the service. 

 

 

Q: Why did you serve?

A: My parents met while Dad served as a WWII Air Force pilot and my mother served in the Army Nurse Corps. I grew up with a sense of duty to service for our country.

 

While at MSU, I was active in peace protests against the Vietnam War. After graduating, I was recruited into the Army, curious and open to learning about the military from a different view. My father, a retired United States Air Force Major, swore me in as a commissioned officer.

 

Q: What were your roles in the military?

A: After Officer Basic Training, I was stationed at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) in Washington D.C. on a medical oncology ward. I was subsequently stationed at Fort Ord, Calif., and Ft. Knox, Ky. While at Ft. Knox working as an adult nurse practitioner in internal medicine, my daughter was born and at the time there were no maternity military uniforms so you were unable to wear “rank”. I recall making a name tag that said Capt. Trinite, ANP, on it so my “rank” remained. I worked with an officer at WRAMC who was one of a group of women to sue the Army to be able to remain on active duty while pregnant.

 

While in the Army Reserves, I worked as a civilian public health nurse and received a Master of Science in Public Health. Living in Utah, I worked in a county health department, in occupational health, for State Aging Services as Director of Functional Assessment.

 

My time at the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (USPHS) started in occupational health as a nurse practitioner stationed in Denver, Colo. My focus changed to primary care delivery in medically underserved American communities while working with grants from Health Resources and Services Administration. Roles included regional clinical coordinator for six western states, and director of the health disparities collaboratives, which was a national clinical quality improvement effort supporting community, homeless and migrant health centers. Supporting the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force as the director of prevention implementation was my final duty assignment. 

 

Q: What is the most rewarding aspect of your career?

A: I was able to serve my country. Daily work wasn’t about the financial business of healthcare; it was about focusing on the patient and population we were serving. I recall unselfish interprofessional cooperation in the hospital, outpatient and administrative settings that stayed with me my entire nursing career. 

 

At the USPHS, I was honored to work with and support primary care clinicians working for the medically underserved in our country’s frontier communities, homeless and migrant health clinics and many living in poverty.

 

Q: What did the military teach you?

A: The Army provided me education as a nurse practitioner and the ability to practice.

Army nursing taught me professional independence within a team of people who were working on the same mission of health care delivery. In the Army Reserves, I was taught accountability and responsibility for fellow military members as a commanding officer of a small satellite hospital training site.

 

Q: What would you tell a student?

A: There’s a lot of opportunity in the military for diverse experiences. When opportunities arise anytime in your career, say yes to them even though it may feel like a reach. You can change positions and career focus with a great deal of job security, and there’s power in that.

Years served:
 

1977-1982 - Active Duty Army Nurse Corps.
1982-1990 - U.S. Army Reserves
1990-2010 - U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS)