FORT CAVAZOS, Texas – Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center staff has established relationships with military medical expert counterparts over the years and they came together for this year’s Joint Emergency Medicine Exercise June 4-9.
Service members were exposed to Critical Care Air Transport Team training, patient care and provider considerations, and how to better take care of patients during air transport on a C130 aircraft this year. Last year the teams worked with a C140, which is a smaller aircraft allowing only one or two patients.
“The availability to have a C130 out here to fit 20-30 people on, give them the exposure as to what CCATT does and an idea of how we operate when flying on the C130, will give them a different perspective when they go out into their operating environment and practice medicine on injured service members,” said Cpt. Bejamin Fedeles, military doctor and air force instructor, university of Cincinnati. “It gives them a taste of what we do.”
Participating in anything for the first time is always an eye-opening experience.
“The first-time medical Soldiers get experience on the actual aircraft like the C130 will be an exercise like this, so with us integrated and connected to air force units allows us to get aircraft here to not only help soldiers get familiar with aircraft they may see in combat, but it helps the air force get training as well,” said Maj. Vincent Levraea, C 130 pilot, air mobility command liaison III Corps.
Service members went through multiple scenarios during the training week and besides critical care air transport team capabilities, they also trained on tactical combat casualty care, damage control resuscitation/surgery, care of Military Working Dogs, autologous fresh whole blood transfusion, and burn management during the exercise.
“This exercise does a nice job of looking at the aspects of how we prepare everyone from the basic point of injury and care, which is the combat medic, throughout the intensive care unit doctors, continued care and resuscitation of the patient, “said Cpt. Joshua Boswell, critical care nurse, military doctor and air force instructor, university of Cincinnati.
I think its super beneficial to get that exposure and see how they can interface with us more smoothly when we transport patients together, added Boswell.