Medical Battalion Training Site trains Oak Grove High School Students

Photo By Staff Sgt. Kenneth Hatten | MSTC Instructor April Bishop, left, instructs Christian Rapetti on the use of the Combat Application Tourniquet as part of a training day for Oak Grove High School hosted by the Medical Battalion Training Site at CSJFTC.  

CAMP SHELBY, MS, UNITED STATES

03.05.2013

Story by Staff Sgt. Kenneth Hatten 

Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center

CAMP SHELBY, Miss. - The Regional Training Institute – Medical Battalion Training Site at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center hosted a special training event for a group of Allied Health students from Oak Grove High School March 5.

“We told them the kind of things we wanted our students to experience here as far as training, and the people at the Medical Battalion Training Site set everything up and we’re very grateful,” said Tammy Anderson, Allied Health/Sports Medicine teacher at Oak Grove High School.

The students were introduced to state of the art medical training simulations and life-saving techniques used by military and civilian medical personnel to save lives during emergencies.

“Maybe 20 to 30 percent of my students are looking to go into the medical professions,” said Anderson, “but the primary use we envision for this training is emergency situations in or around the students’ homes. However, if some of them decide to become volunteer firefighters or emergency responders in their communities, this training will greatly benefit them.”

The training events took place in the Medical Simulation Training Center, and featured classes on application of simulated injuries using “moulage,” or stage makeup that simulates injuries, the use of the Combat Application Tourniquet and how to transport a casualty.

“Every time our country goes to war, the Army makes changes and improvements to the way wounded soldiers are treated on the battlefield, and these changes are echoed in the civilian community,” said Master Sgt. Tammy Nattrass. “What these students are seeing in the MSTC is how the Army has adopted a different formula for successful casualty care, called TC3, or Tactical Combat Casualty Care.”

One of the main components of TC3 is the priority treatment of extremity bleeding, which is also reflected in the current national standard for Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics.

“The national standard for EMT’s has changed based on our combat experience,” said Nattrass. “Now, in the civilian sector, bleeding is treated first, and our Combat Application Tourniquet has found its way into the civilian workforce as part of the national standard. If these students go on to become EMT’s or Paramedics, they will see the very same paradigm where extremity bleeding is treated first in order to save a casualty who might have otherwise died.”

Several of the students took part in the hand-on portions of the training events, and seemed impressed with the level of realism they found in the simulation systems.

Ninth-grader Christian Rapetti commented on the Combat Application Tourniquet class, “It was pretty cool, and I think this training will help me in the future because I’m thinking about a career in Sports Medicine.”

The capabilities of the MSTC environment gave the students a close look at the most realistic conditions possible outside of actual experience, said Nattrass.

“We have the capability to show these students simulation devices that they probably won’t have the opportunity to see in their classroom setting,” said Nattrass, “and we have the expertise in our MSTC staff to show them how these simulations can create realistic training that translates into lives saved on the battlefield or on the city streets.”

While the primary mission of the MSTC is to train Combat Medics and Combat Lifesavers, the facility also conducts training for personnel from other branches of the armed forces, and is currently gearing up to provide training for law enforcement agencies.

“We expect to start helping with the training of local SWAT teams very soon,” said Nattrass. “We have state of the art facilities with millions of dollars worth of assets right here, and it’s ultimately for the purpose of training people on casualty care in a realistic environment.”

• Date Taken: 03.05.2013
• Date Posted: 05.21.2013 16:38
• Story ID: 107334
• Location: CAMP SHELBY, MS, US