Photo By Matthew Jones | FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa.-Soldiers training at the Pennsylvania National Guard’s...... read more read more
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FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa.— Soldiers from around the nation attend the Pennsylvania National Guard Medical Battalion Training Site’s 68W healthcare specialist requalification course here each year.
And for good reason. “It’s phenomenal,” said Sgt. Zachary Huntington, an Army Reservist from 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, based at Fort Carson, Colorado.
Huntington was speaking about the training he received while at the 68W capstone exercise held by the Medical Battalion Training Site, or MBTS. Huntington has spent the past several weeks with his classmates training hard to earn the 68W healthcare specialist designation, also called a combat medic, the first step in his career transition. He is currently qualified as a 36B or financial management technician, and he is attending the course in the hopes of becoming a flight medic. “This field exercise brings it all together,” he said.
The students spend time in the classroom environment with plenty of hands-on instruction to learn several different sets of skills to prepare them for their role as an emergency medical provider. The training is followed by their weeklong stint in a simulated deployment environment. During the final portion of the exercise the students put everything they’ve learned to the test —from running IVs to stabilizing head wounds in a simulated deployed environment.
“I’ve seen other courses run like this. This is the best 68W requalification course. We’ve received accolades from AMEDD Center and School Department of Combat Medic Training out of Fort Sam Houston, the lead for this training for all medics in the Army,” said Sgt. 1st Class Stephen Cleveland, the course manager for the 68W requalification course, Medical Battalion Training Site, 166th Regiment (Regional Training Institute), Pennsylvania Army National Guard. Students come from around the U.S. to train at the Ft. Indiantown Gap facility.
“Instead of sending many of these students away to a lengthier school designed for Soldiers just out of basic training, we offer the reclassification here at an excellent instructor to student ratio, and at a lower cost,” explained Capt. Brian Priest, administrator for the Medical Battalion Training Site, 166th Regiment (Regional Training Institute), Pennsylvania Army National Guard.
All of the graduates of the 68W healthcare specialist course are recognized as certified EMTs by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, a nationwide civilian organization.
“Right now we are focused on running the 68W requalification course,” said Priest. “Although we do offer some other types of training here including basic combat lifesaver courses for deploying service members.”
The school is slated to run at least four 68W requalification courses a year.
“We are one of two Medical Battalion Training Sites in the nation,” Priest said. “Additionally, we also provide administrative oversight of the Medical Simulation Training Center (MSTC) located next door, creating an extensive medical training complex here at Fort Indiantown Gap. Both the MBTS and MSTC offer a variety of realistic human simulators and adaptive training environments that, combined, offer tough and realistic training to Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and civilians.”
A variety of police and EMS personnel use the site to train in addition to Soldiers.
“We have a great organization with the best mission—we are training Soldiers to save people’s lives,” said Priest.
The Medical Battalion Training Site, 166th Regiment (Regional Training Institute), is run by members of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. The facility was established in 1989 and has become one of the best medical training sites in the nation. The facility offers classrooms, skill labs, simulation rooms that support the tenants of tactical combat casualty care (care under fire, tactical field care, and casualty evacuation), a covered training area with a simulated village, and a small Forward Operating Base . Students train on individual skills of the 68W, healthcare specialist as well as combat lifesaver tasks.
| Date Taken: | 04.03.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 04.03.2016 12:07 |
| Story ID: | 194197 |
| Location: | FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PA, US |
| Web Views: | 1,270 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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