Photo By Chief Petty Officer Kyle Steckler | 210429-N-RG482-0067 (April 29, 2021) BREMERTON, Wash. – Sailors assigned to Navy...... read more read more
“WAAAAAH! WAAAAAH! WAAAAAH!”
The mimicked sound of a crying baby weaves its way through the small crowd outside the quarterdeck of Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Bremerton.
Two seasoned U.S. Navy hospital corpsmen, both having served with Sailors and Marines around the world, race to swaddle baby dolls lying on a table in front of them.
“WAAAAAH! WAAAAAH! WAAAAAH!”
The timer stands at the ready, ready to declare a winner. A dozen onlookers under cloudless blue, Pacific Northwest sky, cheering on their swaddler of choice. The “swathletes” check the progress of their respective opponent, furiously folding the baby blanket around their doll in the correct order.
“WAAAAAH! WAAAAAH! WAAAAAH!”
“Done!” shouts the winner, raising his fists in victory, then taps elbows, COVID-19 style, with his opponent as two more hospital corpsmen take their place, ready to begin their own baby swaddling battle.
This was just one of the scenes at a job specialty fair hosted by the command’s Hospital Corpsman (HM) Ball Committee. The committee includes approximately a dozen Sailors charged with planning the command’s annual HM Ball held every June near the anniversary – June 17 - of the rate’s birthday.
Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Julius Ramirez, Directorate of Clinical Support Services leading petty officer and HM Ball Committee president, said there were two primary reasons for holding the specialty fair.
“We really wanted to give Sailors a chance to show some pride in their specialties,” said Ramirez. “The HM rate is very big. Many Sailors may not get a chance to interact and learn about job specialties in their own rate. This event was designed to give these Sailors a couple hours to talk to each other about intricacies they might not have been aware of.”
“Another reason we wanted to host this event was to give non-specialized hospital corpsmen, some of whom may have just left their initial training, the opportunity to talk to subject matter experts in specialties they may be interested in pursuing,” added Ramirez.
The fair featured nearly two dozen static and interactive displays highlighting the breadth of work conducted by the nearly 500 hospital corpsmen stationed at NMRTC Bremerton and its three satellite clinics, Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Unit’s (NMRTU) Bangor and Everett, and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard detachment. These displays included information on cardiovascular technicians (CVT), general surgery, independent duty corpsmen, nuclear medicine, dental technicians and pharmacy technicians, just to name a few.
“We’re the largest rate in the Navy,” explained Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Mary Neff, Dental leading petty officer at NMRTU Bangor. “We want to get the word out about what we can do as corpsman, but this fair isn’t just focusing on HMs. We can’t do our jobs without the vital support from the supporting rates at the hospital. We also have displays and representation from logistics specialists, personnel specialists, yeoman and master-at-arms.”
Yeoman 3rd Class Rachel Guevara, an executive assistant and personnel clerk, said it was nice to be included and highlighted at a command that naturally focuses so heavily on corpsman specialties.
“We work at a hospital,” said Guevara. “Of course there’s going to be a natural focus on HMs. It was really cool to be invited to prepare a display for this event. We’re really one big family here. One rate can’t function without the rest.”
Neff said that creative liberty was given to each group. They were encouraged to make the displays and presentations as interactive as possible.
“For example, at the dental booth, we have eggs in a variety of liquids including soda, vinegar and chocolate milk to demonstrate the effects of these things on your teeth,” said Neff. “We brought a lot of the equipment we use to do our jobs every day. Even brought oranges so participants could practice stapling and suturing.”
Some members of the intended audience were glad for the opportunity to interact with their peers, but said that the displays only served to reinforce their already-established career goals.
“I’ve been at the command for two years,” said Hospitalman Stephanie Roe, a member of the command’s general surgery team. “I’ve known for a while I want to pursue either being a surgical technician or a CVT. A lot of my family has heart problems, so pursuing a cardiovascular specialty would mean a lot to me.”
Neff said this event is one she’d like to hold on an annual, if not regular, basis.
“There are always new Sailors who need to be exposed to their options,” she said. “And there are always new, creative people ready to present a job in a way that just might change the course of someone’s career.”
| Date Taken: | 04.30.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 05.01.2021 18:48 |
| Story ID: | 395366 |
| Location: | BREMERTON, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 142 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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