Students who serve: Warren DeLong, U.S. Navy

Warren DeLong enlisted in the U.S. Navy out of high school and began his military career as a Hospital Corpsman, training for a wide variety of health-focused duties from deployment in active combat zones to working in primary care clinics.

“I knew I wouldn’t regret military service,” he said. “I wanted to see the world and get real-life experience before deciding on a career.”

DeLong’s first assignment was a military hospital in Japan, where he served on labor and delivery and postpartum units. He spent two years working closely with nurses to provide care to newborn military dependents and their mothers, and it was this experience that ultimately inspired him to become a nurse.

“The nurses told me I would make a great nurse,” he said. “I thought about it and realized I really enjoyed what I was doing. The nurses gave us a lot of freedom and if you want to learn, they were always willing to teach you.”

DeLong was accepted into the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program at Michigan as a sophomore transfer in 2017. That year, he was also selected for the Navy Nurse Candidate Program. He was assigned to the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System for his first clinical placement and said he was grateful for the opportunity to learn about the care of fellow veterans.

DeLong earned a host of certifications during his service, including Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support, Neonatal Resuscitation and Basic Life Support Instructor. He’s used these skills to work as an EMT for the past two summers at Cedar Point Amusement Park. He recently received the organization’s Cornerstone Award for his rapid response to a medical emergency, successfully administering cardiac measures prior to EMS arrival on the scene.

Now in his senior year, DeLong is excited to begin his critical care clinical work before graduating in the spring. After graduation, he’ll take the NCLEX licensing board exam before heading to the Navy Officer Development School in Newport, Rhode Island. He will then report to his first naval duty station, which he hopes will be in an emergency room or critical care unit at a large military hospital.

“Nurses with those skills have opportunities to go on humanitarian missions and other deployments, which I think would be a unique and rewarding experience,” DeLong said.

And if he wasn’t busy enough, DeLong has trained for and completed multiple marathon races over the last two years as he works toward his goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. 

Read more about DeLong's journey from the Navy to nursing school in a previous student spotlight.