New simulation lab comes to 22nd Medical Group

Photo By Airman 1st Class Gavin Hameed | Master Sgt. Brian Balcom (center), 22nd Medical Group Flight Medicine flight chief, connects a defibrillator to a CAE Apollo mannequin Nov. 30, 2022, at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas. The CAE Apollo high-fidelity mannequin is part of a new simulation lab the 22nd MDG will utilize for emergency health care training. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Gavin Hameed)  

MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, KS, UNITED STATES

12.05.2022

Story by Airman Gavin Hameed 

22nd Air Refueling Wing

The 22nd Medical Group unveiled a new simulation lab to provide Airmen with hands-on training for future emergency situations Nov. 30, 2022.
At the source of the sim lab is a high-fidelity mannequin with a wide range of life-like features such as breathing, circulation, bleeding, fluid secretions and speech to deliver realistic simulation-based emergency health care.
“The sim lab allows our medical Airmen to perform realistic hands-on training such as CPR and advanced Tactical Combat Casualty Care, with a variety of exercises to simulate emergency situations and responses that they would otherwise learn in a classroom setting,”
said Tech. Sgt. Christopher Prieto, 22nd Healthcare Operations Squadron flight chief for medical services “This gives us the opportunity to train our medics on various skills they’ll need for deployment and upgrade training.”
Learning these skills will improve the ability of conserving life and limb. It also allows providers to experience realistic scenarios and prevent mistakes in a real emergency situation thereby improving medical response time and quality of healthcare.
“This training is important for McConnell because we are an ambulatory center, but we don't have inpatient care,” said Lt. Col. Kawana Rawls, 22nd HCOS commander. “Our critical wartime requirements for providing medical care define that we'd be able to take care of patients whether through an inpatient facility or sustained field care.”
The difference between the two types of care is inpatient is hospitalized while outpatient does not require hospitalization. Use of the sim lab will allow the medical providers to practice their inpatient skills in an outpatient setting to better train medical personnel.
Along with the new mannequin, the sim lab has future plans to implement virtual reality headsets for more immersive training and expand potential training opportunities.
“If we had to maintain care of a patient for hours or several days, the sim lab gives us the capability to do that,” said Rawls. “This sim brings another element of training that wouldn't be possible here otherwise. It adds another level of training ensuring our Airmen are prepared for the next conflict.”

• Date Taken: 12.05.2022
• Date Posted: 12.05.2022 17:29
• Story ID: 434490
• Location: MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, KS, US