VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – More than 20 Virginia Army National Guard combat medics conducted refresher training at the State Military Reservation Jan. 25-29.
The Virginia Army National Guard Medical Command presented the five-day course, including classroom and hands-on instruction and a culminating medical assessment and trauma lane.
Each combat medic is a nationally registered emergency medical technician and must recertify every two years, said Sgt. 1st Class Dan Noel, medical command operations noncommissioned officer.
“The goal is to make sure medics do not lose their skills and are prepared for CONUS [continental United States] and OCONUS [outside continental United States] deployments,” Noel said. “In addition, medics are taught the most current tactical combat casualty care so that they are familiar with the injuries and scenarios they might see on a battlefield.”
Each medic must complete 72 hours of continuing education to remain certified. To help Soldiers meet these requirements, MEDCOM conducts two sustainment courses each training year. The courses provide medics 48 continuing education hours and their skills validation toward recertification.
Medics can take the other required 24 hours via online courses the Combat Medic Sustainment Division has approved. If the Soldier works in the civilian medical field, they can earn CEs from their civilian position.
But to gain these hours, Soldiers must show they possess the knowledge and skills to provide medical care in a stressful environment. As a result, this course is not a “check-the-box” type of course.
“It helps develop, implement and validate the training that the medic has already received,” Noel said. “The instructors utilize their real-world experiences to help train and educate the medics that come through MEDCOM’s course. Also, many of the students have civilian jobs as an emergency medical technician or nurse, so they can offer feedback that is helpful to the class.
“The curriculum is based on identification and treatment of trauma, airway, IV access and medication administration, triage and evacuation, force health protection, obstetrics, gynecology and pediatrics,” explained Capt. Matthew Graupman, officer in charge of the training.
Trainers used the new Tactical Combat Casualty Care Exportable system, a computer-controlled dummy that can move, bleed, breathe and simulate a multitude of combat wounds.
“Using training aids, such as the TC3X mannequins, help medics see what wounds they may face and how to treat those wounds in an austere environment,” Noel said.
The Soldiers in this class came from a variety of backgrounds, including paramedics, a registered nurse and a cardiac catheterization lab technologist.
“We had a good diverse group of students that had a mixture of experiences ranging from hospital or clinical settings to paramedics to folks who don’t do medical stuff outside of the Guard,” said Sgt. Charles Wohlrab, noncommissioned officer in charge of the training. “Those who had experience were not hesitant to share what they knew or how they handled things that they have come across during their careers.”