Photo By Douglas Stutz | Carrying the load…Hospitalman Kevin Stout, a Redding, Calif. native, assigned to...... read more read more
“I am Hospitalman Kevin Stout, assigned to Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Bremerton Detachment Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS).”
Stout, a Redding, Calif. native attended Pioneer Continuation school, and is currently handling such duties as providing acute care, working as a laboratory technician and helping with the clinic’s Occupational Health program, the largest of its kind in the Department of the Navy, serving approximately 15,000 Department of Defense (DoD) shipyard workers.
He also took part in the recent Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) Radiation Health audit that resulted in zero discrepancies for the third year in a row, considered a remarkable achievement due to being the largest radiation health program in DoD.
The ‘Rad Health’ program is cited as the ‘gold standard’ by Naval Sea Systems Command and BUMED audits.
Stout is emblematic of why the program is so highly regarded and a standard of excellence. He was recognized by the shipyard’s leadership for performing flawlessly under pressure, conducting a contaminated person drill as part of the overall Radiation Health audit.
“I was [providing] corpsman coverage during the Contaminated Injured Person Assessment. It was my job to ensure overall safety and medical stability of the casualty,” said Stout. “The drill was a simulation of a radiation contaminated injury. I responded to a contaminated laceration on the hand. Medical takes priority in these kinds of situations. I quickly assessed the patient and got the bleeding under control. At that point, the very capable Radiation Health team and I started the decontamination process by cleaning the injury to ensure all contaminates were off or out of the patient.”
The PSNS Radiation Health Division was very impressed by Stout’s emergency medical response in the simulated drill scenario, as well as his demonstration of the strong working relationship between the clinic and the shipyard.
“With the excellent communication between the Rad Health team and I, we were able to show the worker our care for his well-being and get him the help he needs efficiently. I think working as a team shows every worker in the shipyard they’re safe at their job and will receive the highest quality of care,” explained Stout, adding that in his approximately four years in the Navy he has the necessary qualifications to handle such scenarios.
Even so, every situation can present a different set of unexpected trials.
“I have trained a good amount for these kinds of situations. The drill can get complicated if we are not communicating with each other or if we spread the contamination,” continued Stout, “With the added restrictions in place due to COVID-19, I would say the most challenging was being able to see out of my glasses while I was wearing a mask and face shield.”
Stout attests that it was gratifying to handle his responsibilities in the drill relying on his acquired knowledge, and knowing that the training he’s done has paid off by being able to address and assess any injured personnel.
“The most important elements demonstrated and shared during such a drill were clinical expertise, composure and professionalism,” Stout remarked.
Stout received the Demonstrated Quality Award by Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Radiation Health Division, ‘as the responding provider to a simulated contaminated injured worker drill during the annual Navy Medicine audit of the shipyard’s Radiation Health Program. HN Stout demonstrated clinical expertise, composure and professionalism. His actions were evaluated as excellent and are indicative of the exemplary partnership enjoyed by the detachment and Radiation Health Division.’
As has been the case for the past six-plus months, Stout has also been directly involved in helping to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
“My fellow corpsmen and I have screened every single person as they walk through the clinic entrance and take part in cleaning the entire building multiple times a day. I’ve been assigned to our Employee Medicine clinic during this time. Any civilian that comes in for work-related injuries is screened to see if they need light duty or can return to work. My job is to ensure that our shipyard workers are getting the best treatment to continue performing their jobs on the various projects going on in the shipyard,” said Stout, who performs a variety of duties such as pharmacy technician, hazardous waste manager and phlebotomist.
Stout became interested in a Navy Medicine career for job security.
“We always need medical care and law enforcement. I’ve always been interested in the medical field and this was a good opportunity,” related Stout, who has also been stationed at San Antonio, Texas, Portsmouth, Va. and Camp Pendleton, Calif.
When asked to sum up his experience with the Navy in one sentence, Stout replied, “Adapting to change like no other.”
| Date Taken: | 09.01.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 09.01.2020 10:14 |
| Story ID: | 377208 |
| Location: | BREMERTON , WA, US |
| Web Views: | 312 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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