METC prepares future medics for any situation

The Medical Education and Training Campus at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston graduates an average of 5,400 Air Force medics and Navy corpsmen from the Basic Medical Technician Corpsman Program annually.

During their training the future medics and corpsmen learn to react, and to be ready for any emergency like Airman 1^st Class Spencer Stone.

On Aug. 21, Stone tackled and disarmed a suspected terrorist saving countless lives aboard a high speed train headed to Paris, France.

After using a choke hold to neutralize the gunman, Stone’s instincts as a trained medic took over as he rushed to save the life of a fellow passenger who was bleeding from a bullet wound.

Realizing the need to stop the bleeding, Stone put his fingers into the open wound on the victim’s neck and applied pressure directly on the artery to stop the bleeding.

Stone, who was recently promoted to Staff Sgt. by Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. Mark Welsh, was able to react to the situation and use his life saving skills because of the training he received as a BMTCP student.

The 14-week program consists of a variety of lectures, repetitive hands on instruction and clinical practice to ensure the medics in training can perform life saving measures when called upon.

“We’re creating the next generation of medics,” Staff Sgt. Amber Langsteiner, BMTCP instructor, said. “We are insuring that our knowledge continues on. Each of the instructors here have anywhere between five and 15 years of experience. We’ve learned a lot and we have a lot to teach these students; ensuring they have the tools necessary to go out and apply their skills elsewhere.”

To complete the course, students must remain focused, be willing to learn and have the ability to react to any situation at all times.

 “We want to make sure our students understand (their training) is not just for them to deploy,” Tech. Sgt. Lakisha Mosley, BMTCP instructor said. “They can be in the Commissary, the PX, in a local mall or grocery store and need to assist someone.”

By training the next generation of medics for the department of defense, the instructors at BMTCP are able to impact lives around the world.

 “Having our students apply what they learn here is the most rewarding part of our job,” Langsteiner said. “We teach 11,000 students every year; if every student saves one life, that is a lot of lives saved.”