Family Nurse Practitioner Student Contributes to National Guard’s COVID-19 Response in Florida

March 31, 2020 – Since mid-March, Arielle Tango (G’21), a master’s-degree student in the Family Nurse Practitioner Program and a sergeant in the Florida National Guard, has been working on the COVID-19 response in South Florida.

The emergency room trauma nurse said she joined the National Guard in May 2007. “I was activated March 13 for COVID-19,” said Tango. (Read a story about Tango’s work produced by the National Guard.)

“My role here has been patient data tracking and quality assurance, establishing standard operating procedures, and training on PPE donning/doffing and swab techniques,” she said. “I report my data to both state and federal entities.”

‘Public Health and Safety’

Through her work at three drive-through testing sites in the region, Tango is helping to track demographics and patient data.

She noted she gets to “work with a truly competent and professional team who are all equally dedicated to accomplishing this mission in the interest of public health and safety.” 

“My purpose in tracking this data extends past quality assurance and into epidemiology,” she said, indicating she establishes data-based records about the patients to contribute to further research on coronavirus.

“I have learned so much since starting this mission, and I’m grateful for the team I work with,” she said.

Building on Experience

Tango said her work on COVID-19 builds upon various experiences in her military and civilian life. 

With the National Guard, for example, she has worked for two years on a specialty team that deals with “hazmat urban search and rescue along with mass casualty decontamination and treatment.” Through the Department of Homeland Security, she has received her certification in hazmat operations and awareness.  

“Additionally, I participate in the State Partnership Program and travel to various Caribbean countries and participate in discussions and hands-on practical applications in traumatic injuries, infectious disease, and epidemiology of various disease processes,” she said. 

In her civilian career, she takes part in the Hazmat Response Team within the emergency department.

A Proud Hoya

Tango has two semesters left before earning her master’s degree at Georgetown. She said her education has been invaluable.

“My time at Georgetown University has helped me with every step of this process, from articulating policy and procedure, and using evidence-based practice, to data collection and management,” she said. “The two research classes I have taken have been crucial in helping me understand statistical analysis, and all of my professors and classmates have been so thoughtful and supportive during this crisis.” 

Said Tango: “I am prouder now more than ever to call myself a Hoya.”