JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-CAMP BULLIS, Texas –
In a first for the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence, or MEDCoE, multiple departments collaborated for a joint Field Training Exercise at Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis recently.
The Department of Combat Medic Training, or DCMT, the Leader Training Center, and the Inter-service Physician Assistant Program conducted multi-specialty nighttime operations training Sept. 9-12.
This initiative from DCMT enabled the Basic Officer Leaders Course, or BOLC, provider specialty tract (physician and physician assistants) to conduct training with the 68 Whiskeys at their training facility.
The physicians and physician assistants, new to Army clinical operations, served as trauma team leaders at the simulated triage station, battalion aid station and evacuation stations. This enhanced both their operational medicine training, as well as the training of medics, who gained the opportunity to conduct operations with feedback from a medical officer.
All three departments plan to formalize this relationship and continue this rigorous operational medicine training in the future.
The MEDCoE students participated in hands-on, scenario-based training using COVID-19 mitigation measures to combat the added challenges of the pandemic. Physicians and physician assistant BOLC students worked alongside combat medics as a team to ensure proper IV placement, and other Role 1 tasks, during Role 1 Trauma stabilization training.
Role 1 care is the treatment provided prior to surgical intervention or other higher levels of care and includes self-aid, buddy-aid, combat lifesaver, tactical combat casualty care, tactical evacuation, medical evacuation, and treatment at the battalion or brigade aid station. Role 1 aid stations are staffed by physicians, physician assistants and 68W Combat Medics.