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319th MDG holds hands-on, battle-field training for medics

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Roxanne Belovarac
  • 319th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs

The 319th Medical Group held training Dec. 1 that gave its medics hands-on practice in a range of situations from basic skills to battlefield casualty care with innovative technologies provided by the University of North Dakota.

The training was broken up into four different scenarios: adult cardiac situations, body trauma, hemorrhage management and basic EMT skills.

At the adult cardiac event station, medics provided aid to heart attack and cardiac arrest patients.

Medics practicing at the body trauma station treated injuries caused by simulated improvised explosive devices and focused on burn wounds.

Another station introduced medics to hemorrhage management by treating simulated amputations with loss of limbs and lacerations.

The last segment included smaller skill stations that allowed medics to practice a variety of hands-on skills including inserting a catheter, preforming CPR, inserting a breathing tube into a patient’s airway and properly placing an IV.

In addition to the state-of-the-art mannequins, that respond and sound like actual patients, UND provided a simulated ambulance that gave the 319th MDG medics the opportunity to practice skills they may need to use in their day-to-day job.

“This training is different from our usual online job-specific courses,” said Capt. Amber Kracht-Smith, the 319th MDG flight commander for family health, pediatrics, ambulance services and immunizations. “All of the training done today is hands-on and will get our airmen as close to real-life scenarios as you can get without bringing a human element into it.”

While working at the stations the medics collaborated with others from different Air Force medical careers, making for a diverse training environment with a wide range of medical knowledge.

“I think the best part of this training is having such variation on our teams with people from different specialties,” said Maj. Timothy Reid, a medical physician with the 319th MDG.  “It helped us learn how to communicate with each other and work with different skills within our career fields.”

As the Air Force responds to changing threats around the globe, the training of airmen needs to adapt with them. Life-like training opportunities like this one helps ensure the 319th Reconnaissance Wing is prepared to provide combat-ready airmen to the fight.

“This was a great opportunity for our medics to practice skills that are used commonly in a battlefield experience without a loss of life,” said Kracht-Smith. “Preparing them for wherever the mission might take them, whether they respond to something on a deployment or at home, they need to be ready for whatever comes.”