Special Feature for the 115th International Nurses Day | Salute to Military Nursing Workers of the New Era
Salute to Military Nursing Workers of the New Era
Hospital 924 conducts free medical consultation services for community residents. Photo by Si Lingmei.
Nursing staff of Hospital 988 provide nursing services for veteran cadres. Photo by Gao Ruirui.
Editor's Note: "Gentle hands welcome the hope of life; warm words call forth health setting sail..." On the military health support (卫勤) front, there is a group of figures—clad in white armor, guarding life, fighting year-round on the front line of patient care; fearless and pressing ever forward, always charging at the forefront of health support. Military nursing workers are both "lamp-bearing angels" who save the dying and heal the wounded, and "health support vanguards (卫勤尖兵)" who serve the mission of winning.
On the occasion of the 115th International Nurses Day, we approach three military nursing workers who safeguard the health of officers and soldiers and serve battlefield victory, and read the extraordinary and moving stories they have written in ordinary posts, feeling their wholehearted devotion to the military and to war, and their boundless great love.
Cheng Lingyan, Head Nurse of the Joint Surgery Department, Orthopedic Medicine Division, Fourth Medical Center, PLA General Hospital——
"Patients Entrust Us with Their Lives; We Guard Them with All Our Hearts"
■ Sun Jie, Special Correspondent to the PLA Daily, Zhao Shuanglin
In the Joint Surgery Department of the Orthopedic Medicine Division, Fourth Medical Center, PLA General Hospital, medical staff all know that Head Nurse Cheng Lingyan has a pair of "discerning eyes" (慧眼). Walking into a ward and scanning the room, she can acutely detect potential risks in patients.
This is not a natural gift, but a hard-won skill honed over more than 20 years of nursing.
During one ward round, an elderly woman who had just undergone bilateral knee replacement surgery inadvertently revealed an expression of pain, immediately drawing Cheng Lingyan's attention. "The pain management measures are normal—she shouldn't be hurting this much." With that thought, she walked quickly to the bedside, gently placed her hand on the patient's dorsal pedal artery, and then checked the monitor, finding an abnormal pulse reading on the left side.
After the situation was reported, further examination confirmed the diagnosis: left popliteal artery thrombosis. The doctors present drew a sharp breath—this type of acute thrombosis can very easily trigger pulmonary embolism, posing a life-threatening danger to the patient. That extra look from Cheng Lingyan allowed treatment to race ahead of death.
"Patients entrust us with their lives; we guard them with all our hearts." This is a phrase Cheng Lingyan often says, and a belief she has always put into practice.
On one occasion, the ward admitted an old hero who had been wounded during wartime. His left leg had been struck by shrapnel and had tormented him for decades. Due to long-term adhesion of the knee joint, the surgical wound was slow to heal and the risk of infection was high.
Cheng Lingyan led the nursing team in formulating a detailed care plan. During ward rounds, she would always spend extra time at the old hero's bedside, listening to him recount battle stories, and repeatedly reassuring him: "You made it through a hail of bullets on the battlefield—you will certainly make it through this too." After 15 days of meticulous nursing and rehabilitation training, the old hero's stubborn war wound was finally cured. Upon discharge, the old hero gripped Cheng Lingyan's hand tightly and said, his voice choked with emotion: "It is you who made me stand up again!"
In April of last year, a five-year-old girl from Lhasa, Tibet was diagnosed with congenital hip dislocation. After surgery, Cheng Lingyan carefully formulated a targeted nursing plan tailored to the child's age. Throughout the nursing period, she consistently used gentle words to soothe the child's emotions, encouraging her to cooperate with treatment and recover as soon as possible. On the day the little girl finally took her first steady steps, Cheng Lingyan's eyes grew moist.
Many people have asked Cheng Lingyan how she trained her "discerning eyes." Her answer is simple: with heart.
This dedication is reflected not only in her care for patients, but also in her steadfast pursuit of the nursing profession. To help patients recover, she led her team in sustained research and successfully developed a "lower-limb deep vein thrombosis prevention nursing device," effectively reducing the incidence of complications, and obtained a national utility model patent.
This dedication is also reflected in her care and support for team members. When young nurse Xiao Li first joined, she suffered repeated setbacks due to unfamiliarity with procedures. Cheng Lingyan proactively sought her out for heart-to-heart conversations, starting from basic operations, explaining face-to-face and teaching hand-in-hand. Under her careful mentorship, Xiao Li gradually grew into a nursing backbone.
In recent years, Cheng Lingyan has taken the lead in formulating the department's "New Nurse Growth Plan," establishing a "one-on-one mentor guidance" mechanism, and compiling the Orthopedic Nursing Quality Standardization Manual. Under her leadership, the department was rated the PLA General Hospital's "Homogeneous and Excellent Nursing Model Ward" (同质同优护理示范病区); she personally has twice been rated "Outstanding Head Nurse," three times rated an "Four-Haves" ("四有") outstanding officer, and twice awarded the third-class merit citation.
Cheng Lingyan often says: "Every bit of suffering reduced for officers and soldiers is another bit of confidence added to winning." She is like a warm sun, using professionalism and warmth to safeguard the health of every comrade-in-arms.
Li Haiyan, Chief Head Nurse, Nursing Department, First Affiliated Hospital, Naval Medical University——
"Innovate Diagnostic and Treatment Techniques; Make Nursing Warm"
■ Special Correspondent to the PLA Daily, Wang Zefeng
"The experience and methods you imparted have helped us improve the quality and efficiency of nursing services." Recently, medical staff of the First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University successfully completed the "Harmonious Mission-2025" (和谐使命-2025) task. Returning to the department, several young nurses who had participated in the mission sought out Chief Head Nurse Li Haiyan to exchange experiences and reflections.
Li Haiyan has twice served as head nurse of the naval hospital aboard the Navy's hospital ship "Peace Ark" (和平方舟), executing the "Harmonious Mission" (和谐使命) task. Over hundreds of days battling wind and waves, she combined the characteristics of maritime health support missions to explore a new model for outpatient nursing on hospital ships, and was deeply involved in the development of refined information management software for hospital ships.
Every military medical mission is a practice in nursing innovation. During the "Harmonious Mission-2017" task, when the hospital ship visited Djibouti, a nine-year-old boy was admitted. The boy suffered scarring contracture of his right arm due to an electrical burn injury. Li Haiyan assisted surgical specialists in performing the operation for the child.
On the night after surgery, the boy was unable to sleep due to wound discomfort, and Li Haiyan stayed at his bedside to watch over him through the night. After meticulous nursing care, the boy recovered quickly. When disembarking, he wrapped his small arms around Li Haiyan in a heartfelt embrace. Drawing on this case, Li Haiyan carefully studied nursing methods for post-plastic surgery care suited to the high-temperature, high-humidity maritime environment, accumulating practical experience.
A white uniform, a pair of bright eyes, a radiant smile. Having studied nursing from undergraduate through to master's level at a military medical university, and having devoted herself to nursing for more than 20 years, Li Haiyan has always had light in her eyes and dreams in her heart. From special military nursing to routine clinical nursing, the word "innovation" has never been absent from her career—she holds one national invention patent and more than ten utility model patents, and has led seven military and provincial/ministerial-level research projects.
Vascular surgery nursing is the professional direction Li Haiyan has cultivated for many years. During her tenure as head nurse of the vascular surgery department, Li Haiyan observed that many patients were safe during hospitalization but suffered sudden venous thromboembolism at home after discharge. Through extensive follow-up visits, she came to feel that this situation was like a "silent killer" that could trigger fatal pulmonary embolism at any time.
Could a "protective wall" be built for patients extending from the hospital into the home? Carrying this question, Li Haiyan consulted a large volume of literature and, based on the concept of evidence-based nursing (循证护理), explored a completely new venous thrombosis nursing prevention plan, providing clinical nurses with standardized and practical nursing methods. This innovative achievement won a Military Medical Achievement Award and the Shanghai Nursing Science and Technology Award.
Innovative practice knows no end. To allow research results to benefit more patients, Li Haiyan took the lead in establishing a venous thrombosis prevention and treatment nursing clinic at the hospital. At the time, specialist clinics established by nursing teams were uncommon in China. Since the specialist clinic was established, it has provided professional and meticulous nursing services to large numbers of patients—especially elderly patients with limited mobility—effectively reducing the risk of complications.
"Innovate diagnostic and treatment techniques; make nursing warmer." Holding this conviction, Li Haiyan led the nursing team to build a complete new set of perioperative nursing standards for cardiac and vascular system diseases. The professional textbooks she co-authored—including the Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Venous Thromboembolism Nursing (《静脉血栓栓塞症防治护理指南》)—provide important reference for raising the level of specialist nursing.
Honors are recognition of cultivation. In recent years, Li Haiyan has successively received honors including "Shanghai Top Ten Nurses" and "Shanghai Outstanding Young Nursing Talent." From the banks of the Huangpu River to the deep blue distant sea, from daily nursing to scientific research and innovation, she has always been like a brave and tireless petrel (海燕), bearing her mission in her chest and warmth in her heart, soaring in the vast world of serving patients.
Zhang Qian, Head Nurse, Nursing Section, a Certain Center of the Joint Logistic Support Force——
"Having Chosen Dedication, One Must Have No Regrets"
■ Wang Rui, Lin Yong, Special Correspondent to the PLA Daily, Wang Xuechao
On the evening of the first day of the "May Day" holiday, a light sea breeze blew. Zhang Qian, head nurse of the nursing section of a certain center of the Joint Logistic Support Force, remained at her post, taking stock of supplies and requisitioning medicines, busy until late at night before returning home. After the holiday ended, she set out again for the center's subordinate summer convalescence area to carry out nursing work.
Several years ago, when the convalescence area was newly established, the center's Party committee decided to select a group of experienced medical personnel to be stationed there to strengthen the nursing staff. Upon learning the news, Zhang Qian submitted her application at the first opportunity. At the time, her child had just started primary school and her husband was working away from home for extended periods. Center leaders advised her to consider carefully, but she said firmly: "The new unit is in urgent need of people right now; special-duty nursing (特勤护理) is my specialty—I must do my part."
After the convalescence area began operations, it quickly received its first group of convalescents. A grassroots non-commissioned officer brought his family from Xinjiang all the way to the shores of the Bohai Sea, but his child suddenly developed a high fever from the fatigue of the journey. Zhang Qian drove dozens of kilometers through the night to purchase special-purpose children's medicine for the child. For many consecutive days afterward, she stayed at the child's side providing meticulous nursing care until the child recovered. At parting, the non-commissioned officer gripped her hand tightly, his gratitude overflowing.
That year, the Joint Logistic Support Force organized a team to participate in an international military health support competition. Zhang Qian was eligible to participate in the field medical team member selection, but gave up the opportunity to compete and instead threw herself into the competition's medical support team, providing service and support for the competing team members. During the competition, she led the team in providing physical therapy support for the competing members, and long hours of overloaded work were the norm.
In 2024, Zhang Qian led a team to participate in a field training support mission, but suffered a recurrence of an old knee injury. She did not tell the comrades around her, quietly took pain medication, and continued to guard her comrades with meticulous and patient medical service—until she collapsed from unbearable pain at the edge of the training ground. After being helped back to the medical room, she repeatedly told her comrades: "There's nothing seriously wrong with me—don't worry."
"Having chosen dedication, one must have no regrets." Zhang Qian told reporters that this was a phrase her grandfather often had on his lips. Zhang Qian's grandfather was a veteran soldier; she grew up listening to stories of heroes and resolutely chose to put on a military uniform and take her place on the health support front. The phrase her grandfather often said also became the source of motivation for her quiet sacrifice and dedication at her nursing post.
Several years ago, Zhang Qian's father suffered repeated illness relapses, and her mother was hospitalized after an accidental bone fracture. At the time, Zhang Qian was leading a team to support convalescents at the summer convalescence area, and she buried her difficulties in her heart, never revealing a word to those around her. Since the convalescence area began operations, it has received convalescents from all corners of the country every summer, and Zhang Qian has always been that "smiling head nurse" steadfastly at her post.
At the beginning of this year, Zhang Qian was rated "Outstanding Medical Worker" by her superiors. She placed the certificate of commendation in the bookcase in her office, and every time she sees it, she reminds herself inwardly: "Having chosen dedication, one has no regrets."
Layout design: Yang Lei