Machine gun fire echoes across the room as lights flicker during a trauma lane evaluation in the Evans Army Community Hospital (EACH) simulation lab Nov. 13, 2020.
A combat medic tries to drown out the chaos to properly assess a casualty dummy for injuries while being graded by an instructor during the culminating event at Medic University (Medic U).
The Department of Education (DoE) resumed Medic U courses for fiscal 2021 after its closure in early March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The seven-month hiatus allowed the DoE staff to implement a more robust training schedule for combat medics stationed at Fort Carson to include 4th Infantry Division Soldiers.
Maj. Ernest Dela Cruz, DoE chief, assumed responsibility of the Medic U curriculum when he arrived at EACH in July and worked with his team to revamp the course.
“It’s a 26-day program where medics come to us — belong to the Department of Education — and we rotate them through the hospital,” said Dela Cruz. “The whole point of Medic U is to get them some exposure to patient care while they’re here and make them better medics when they go back to their line units.”
Dela Cruz structured the new program based on feedback from some of his previous medics who completed Medic U rotations at another medical treatment facility. He identified the areas they benefitted from most and used that to improve the program at EACH.
According to Dela Cruz, medics typically have limited patient care hours when assigned to deployable units. Medic U courses at EACH offer 4th Inf. Div. medics the opportunity to work with live patients and expand their medical knowledge.
“It was important to open the rotations back up so that we can get the Soldiers trained and ensure they are proficient at their job for when they go on deployments with their units,” said Sgt. 1st Class Myrtis Richards, DoE NCO in charge.
Medic U is centered on the U.S. Army Medical Command’s (MEDCOM) Individual Critical Task List (ICTL) training requirements. Combat medics complete these requirements by rotating through 10 clinics in the hospital, including the emergency department, intensive care unit and the pediatric clinic.
The curriculum also allows students to rotate through the COVID-19 Centralized Screening and Testing Center (CSTC) for experience with patient care during the pandemic.
Medics are required to complete their ICTLs to be considered ready for deployment. All training tasks are validated by DoE leadership to ensure students return to their units having exercised skill sets beyond trauma and resuscitation.
There is also a lecture portion during the course that covers pharmacology, neurology, burn care, toxicology, airway management, trauma management and blood use.
Previously, the course would allow up to 22 students to enroll per iteration, but the DoE reduced the class size down to 12 students in response to the pandemic.
Sgt. Anthony Ryan, a combat medic with 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Inf. Div., is one of only nine students in the first iteration.
“I’m excited to take back a lot of this and teach my Soldiers,” said Ryan, class leader. “A lot of my Soldiers have already built their packets and turned them in for the next course.”
The DoE has also added table eight exercises to the curriculum – a recertification program for combat medics to retain their Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) license.
Only approved sites have the authority to validate EMT licenses so the DoE petitioned for, and was granted, its own site code before fiscal 2021 rotations began.
To graduate from Medic U, combat medics must pass the table eight trauma and medic lanes in the EACH Simulation Lab on the final day of rotations.
“If they don’t pass the lanes then we will have them retrain and come back at a later date to pass,” said Sgt. Tristen Rivera, coordinator, Medic U. “We don’t expect anybody to fail when they come through this program.”
Upon graduation, students return to their units with 114 Continuing Education credits, Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certifications, and all ICTLs completed.
The second iteration began Nov. 24 and will continue through Dec. 19, 2020, with six more courses lined up for the rest of fiscal 2021.
Those interested in signing up for the course must first submit a packet through their unit leadership. For any questions regarding the process, contact Rivera at 524-7527.
“My advice to (the medics) is to take in as much as possible,” said Richards. “Take notes, ask questions about anything you do not understand and go back to your units to teach your Soldiers on what you have learned here.”
| Date Taken: | 12.07.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 08.17.2021 15:17 |
| Story ID: | 403278 |
| Location: | FORT CARSON, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 61 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Medic University reopens for fiscal 2021, by Emily Klinkenborg, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
