Photo By Sgt. Carl A Johnson | 170322-Z-FO002-005: Col. Erica Clarkson, commander of the 121st Combat Support...... read more read more
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March 23, 2017
Soldiers participate in realistic medical training
Story by Capt. Bjarne J. Aanning
PYONGTAEK, South Korea – Soldiers from the 121st Combat Support Hospital participated in a mass casualty exercise at Camp Humphreys on March 22.
The training is used prepare the unit’s medical personnel for working in crisis situations while deployed.
It also helps push soldiers out of their comfort zone and using the different equipment to which they are not normally exposed. This helps soldiers gain confidence in their abilities to take care of patients.
“If we ever transition to hostilities where people actually have to deploy, they need to be able to function and feel comfortable functioning in this type of environment,” said Col. Erica Clarkson, 121st CSH commander.
The scale of this training is diverse and includes many of the same areas normally associated with a state-side hospital. Critical care, surgery, behavioral health, radiology, chaplain support and more have parts in the event.
“Nurses, doctors, medics, patient administration and everything that it would take to run a hospital are involved,” said Clarkson. “We have those people and those specialists available to manage the operation.”
The exercise also included ancillary support with the use of both ground and aviation assets. Moving patients to and from the hospital for treatment using these methods simulates how real-world events occur.
“We are testing the ability of the surgeons, along with the rest of our team, to properly deal with a mass casualty situation,” said Lt. Col. Donald Kimbler, acting detachment commander for the 121st CSH. “We’re training our ‘fight tonight’ mission. That mission is to take care of our causalities.”
Kimber said mass casualty means having multiple waves of patients arriving to be treated at the same time. The stress felt by the soldiers treating the many patients increase as resources are strained. That stress cannot get in the way of the mission to treat patients.
Techniques to simulate actual trauma suffered by soldiers during combat is achieved with the use of artificial wounds, called moulage. Soldiers who volunteer as patients are also given actual IV’s to reflect the real world treatments used in trauma situations. Patients who proceed to simulated surgery will stay in the operating theater for the same amount of time as a real surgery would take.
Clarkson said this level of training happens twice a year or more, depending on how much time is available and is an integral part of the expected state of readiness of any Army unit.
Soldiers of the 121st CSH are showing how well they come together to accomplish the job needed to take care patients who become wounded during combat utilize this opportunity to show their commander how much they have learned.
“Everybody is doing just a wonderful job,” said Clarkson. “I couldn’t be more proud of the team we have out here.”
170322-Z-FO002-001: Medical personnel with the 121st Combat Support Hospital assess a patient as a part of a mass casualty training exercise, at Camp Humphreys, near Pyongtaek, South Korea on March 22. The patient was not actually injured but was made to look like he had specific injuries to make the training realistic for the doctors that were participating. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Carl Johnson)
170322-Z-FO002-002: Medical personnel with the 121st Combat Support Hospital begin to cut-off a patient’s clothes in order to provide treatment during a simulated mass casualty exercise at Camp Humphreys, near Pyongtaek, South Korea on March 22. The patients were soldiers who were acting in order to assist the medical team in practicing their operations. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Carl Johnson)
170322-Z-FO002-003: A 121st Combat Support Hospital Soldier applies moulage to a fellow Soldier in order to simulate injuries during a mass casualty training exercise at Camp Humphrey’s near Pyontaek, South Korea on March 22. The make up is applied in manner that simulates specific injuries. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Carl Johnson)
170322-Z-FO002-004 A member of the 121st Combat Support Hospital lights an old uniform on fire to increase the realistic value of the mass casualty training exercise for the medical personnel at Camp Humphrey’s, near Pyongtaek, South Korea on March 22. The burnt uniform was placed on a soldier who had simulated burn injuries. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Carl Johnson)
170322-Z-FO002-005: Col. Erica Clarkson, commander of the 121st Combat Support Hospital and Brian Allgood Army Community Hospital explains the value of realistic training conducted by her 121st soldiers at Camp Humphrey’s, near Pyongtaek, South Korea on March 22. The 121st brings in multiple personnel to participate in the training, including dentists and veterinarians. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Carl Johnson)
| Date Taken: | 03.22.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 03.25.2017 10:14 |
| Story ID: | 228075 |
| Location: | DAEGU, 27, KR |
| Hometown: | RAPID CITY, SD, US |
| Web Views: | 186 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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