Lt. j.g. Felix Boamah made the transition from 2nd class petty officer to Lt. j.g. on August 5, 2023 at Navy Reserve Center (NRC) Charlotte.
Boamah is looking forward to bringing his civilian skills, and passion, to the Navy Reserve. From a young age Boamah found himself in the position of a caregiver which is where his motivation to become a nurse originates.
“I would help care for one of my grandparents, and whenever a sibling would get sick I would care for them,” said Boamah. “I would take them to the hospital and I would be the one taking care of them at home.”
From his time as a caregiver and as a nurse Boamah has developed a slogan that guides the way he helps people.
“I want to help people be helpful and not helpless,” said Boamah. “By that I mean if someone is so weak they can’t sit up and can’t feed themselves because they’re on their back, if I can help them sit up they can feed themselves. I want to help them into a position where they can regain some control.”
Boamah, a Navy Reserve Sailor since 2011, had been a nurse in his civilian life since 2018, but it was only recently that he was able to bring his civilian skills to the Navy.
“During the process of applying I had a lot setbacks, there were many times when I got discouraged,” said Boamah.
During the process of submitting his package Boamah faced challenges from not being able to secure a conditional release and a mobilization in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to a case of tuberculosis.
“By the time I submitted my fourth package I was sure I was never going to get it,” said Boamah. “But by chance I met a retired Navy nurse at my civilian job and he helped me get in touch with the right people and on my fifth try my package was approved.”
Now he is a commissioned officer and will soon be reporting to his first unit as a Navy Nurse.
To a junior Sailor in a similar position to Boamah he would say the following: “Don’t give up, it can be a hard process and discouraging if you don’t get selected, but don’t give up.”