MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin Air National Guard members assigned to the 115th Medical Group began a training affiliation agreement with UW Health Sept. 12, ensuring Airmen maintain readiness through consistent, real-world experience.
The partnership will enable the 115th Fighter Wing’s medical personnel to observe UW Health operations during drill weekends and work toward fulfilling their required 40 hours of critical care training.
“During drill, we don’t get to see patients on the regular,” said Master Sgt. David Dubuc, the operations noncommissioned officer with the 115th Medical Group – Detachment 1. “While we are all adequately trained and capable of doing the job, this training agreement will help keep our skills sharp, ensure we remain adaptable across various hospital roles and provide valuable exposure to different clinical environments.”
Although the medical group's Airmen typically receive the opportunity to train at active-duty hospitals every few years, that training has limited slots and is not available on a regular basis.
“This collaboration with UW Health will provide a reliable and ongoing training platform, helping ensure the unit remains prepared to support both local and global missions,” Dubuc said.
The 115th Medical Group began by observing at UW Health in one of the hospital’s emergency departments, the burn unit and the trauma lifecare unit, where the medical group’s experiences included level one trauma care, emergency department triage, stroke care and wound debridement.
“I look forward to learning new ways to enhance my skills when it comes to a medical background,” said Tech. Sgt. Brittany Reynolds, a health services technician assigned to the 115th Medical Group. “UW Health is not the military setting we’re often familiar with, so having that broad diversity of treatment with patients will be beneficial.”
This training agreement not only allows unit members to enhance their medical skills in a diverse, real-world environment but also provides medics with hands-on opportunities to refresh their skills, validate competencies and stay current with clinical best practices.