ABP officers practice IVs during medical course

CAMP LEATHERNECK, AFGHANISTAN

10.03.2010

Story by Lance Cpl. Jeremy Fasci 

Regional Command Southwest

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – Afghan Border Patrol officers are learning how a tiny needle can be a life saving tool.

The officers learned how to properly administer intravenous fluids, Oct. 3. They are training with Navy corpsmen in a medical training course at the Joint Security Academy Southwest at Camp Leatherneck.

Students in the course are keeping a hectic pace to learn as much as they can throughout the three-week course. They were hand-selected by their commanders to attend the course, many of them demonstrating a stronger educational foundation than their peers. All of the students were willing and anxious to participate in any of the practical application portions of the course, even when it came to meeting the sharp end of a cold needle.

“My advice as a team leader for my soldiers is to pay keen attention during the lesson,” said Rahmatullah, an Afghan Border Patrol officer and the class leader for the medical course. He added he wanted the officers to“keep each word of this training in their minds because it will help them in the future.”

The students were given classes all morning, teaching them about the different parts of an IV. Instructors went in depth into how to properly use each piece and what the importance of the proper functions.

Students were taught how to make sure the pieces did not become contaminated while administering the IV on a patient. Understanding the risks of contamination during the process of administering an IV is vital, given the rough conditions in which many of the border patrol officers operate.

After going through all the classes, the students were afforded the opportunity to see how instructors, who are corpsmen from different units within Regional Command Southwest, give a proper IV. This method gave real-time demonstration on people, emphasizing the classroom time they spent learning about the different parts and their use.

Then, the moment of truth arrived. The Afghan Border Police wouldn’t be practicing on simulated patients or even their Navy instructors. They would practice on one another.

Students partnered up to practice giving each other IVs. Each group was assisted by one of the instructors while attempting to administer the IV.

“They were nervous at first, once you give them a little bit of coaching, they administered the IV pretty easily,” said Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Joseph Lemmons, a hospital corpsman with I Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group.

As the blood began to flow, the hours of classroom instruction became evident. The majority of them successfully completed the task on the first attempt.

As the course moves into the third week the students are almost ready to participate in the two-day final exercise, which is also serving as the final exam for the course. The course will give the students a variety of skills to help their advancement in the medical field.

“It is necessary for us to have some basic medical knowledge to become a good medic in the future,” said Rahmatullah, 28, from Kabul province.

• Date Taken: 10.03.2010
• Date Posted: 10.04.2010 13:45
• Story ID: 57486
• Location: CAMP LEATHERNECK, AF