Two Army medical teams have collaborated for their service in the Middle East.
Soldiers from the New York Army National Guard’s 42nd Infantry Division and the U.S. Army Reserve’s 3rd Medical Command (Forward) came together to train for their current mission overseas.
Both units differ in size and scope but share a common mission. Both organizations encompass various medical specialties and are responsible for planning and conducting medical activities within their area of operations.
According to Command Sgt. Maj. Jodi Renner, senior enlisted leader for the 3rd Medical Command, the most important beneficial part of the exchange, is that partnership and shared knowledge is fostered. She also went on to emphasize the importance of being unified in task and purpose.
Staff Sgt. Kelly Rushing, a noncommissioned officer in charge of 42nd Infantry Division clinical operations, agreed with Renner’s assessment and added the importance of remaining flexibility.
Rushing also said the interactions they experienced with the 3rd Medical Command provided a foundation of leadership and friendship that will help both organizations succeed while deployed.
Maj. Julie Valenza, the 42nd’s physician assistant in charge of clinical operations, said, each unit attended one another’s training, allowing them to share information, techniques and best practices.
The training events conducted were designed to simulate operations they may encounter while deployed overseas.
Training included specialized laboratory cross-training where Soldiers from the 42nd Infantry Division worked with lab officers from the 3rd medical command to learn specialized systems that may be in the 42nd’s theater of operations but not necessarily organic to their equipment inventory.
“We joined training by their lab officers to learn about the bio-machines that does testing for various diseases,” said Valenza.
Valenza also spoke of the benefits of the training they received on portable machines like the one called the iSTAT, which is used to analyze patients.
“In theater, they may have these machines,” said Valenza. “Having medics that are trained is a benefit. You never know what will happen.”
The training was certainly not one-sided. The 42nd ID medical team also provided valuable information and lessons for the 3rd Medical Command’s senior staff.
“We invited them to our Mission Readiness Exercise,” said Valenza. “They wanted additional information on how the 42nd ID conducted medical evacuation operation,” she added.
By the end of the exchange, Command Sgt. Maj. Renner focused on the benefits each Soldier will take away from the training.
“Soldiers are going to see and experience things that they would not normally see in the reserves,” said Renner. Each Soldier will gain valuable experience and a thorough understanding of the operational side of medical operations, she added.
| Date Taken: | 02.15.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 04.11.2020 05:13 |
| Story ID: | 367174 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 199 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, USAR and ARNG collaborate for deployment to CENTCOM AOR, by SSG Trevor Cullen, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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