Photo By Gino Mattorano | Sgt. Eduardo Morales, left, the assistant NCO in charge of the EACH Optometry Clinic,...... read more read more
Airmen from the 910th Medical Squadron from Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, visited Evans Army Community Hospital June 16-27 to brush up on critical medical skills.
The 18 Air Force Reservists received training in their Air Force specialties in a variety of hospital areas to include the emergency department, intensive care unit, inpatient, optometry, behavioral health, and others.
Lt. Col. Devin Conway, a clinical nurse assigned to the 910th Medical Squadron at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, was the officer in charge of the annual Air Force Reserve training tour, which helped the Airmen maintain currency in critical skills required for their Air Force specialties.
“During peacetime, the 910th MDS supports the Airmen of the 910th Airlift Wing for physical examinations, immunizations, pre- and post-deployment medical screenings and medical readiness,” Conway said.
“The 910th MDS is also an Expeditionary Medical Support Unit that provides manpower augmentation for medical support of Expeditionary Air Force activities for Air Force theater hospitals and medical treatment facilities. We have the capability to stand up a field hospital and can provide support that includes triage, treatment and stabilization of patients for transport and return to duty.”
The Air Force team was made up of a mix of medical specialties including medical, optometry, behavioral health, and dietary technicians, medical administrators, nurses and the unit’s first sergeant.
Since many Air Force Reservists don’t practice their craft every day, they rely on their duty weekends and two-week summer training sessions to ensure they maintain readiness in their primary duties, according to Conway.
“Many of our enlisted medical technicians don't work in a healthcare setting, so this training is vital for them to remain proficient in their primary duties,” Conway said. “I work in healthcare, but in my civilian job I am an outpatient breastfeeding medicine and women’s health triage nurse, so I don’t normally get inpatient hours. Our nurses need 144 hours of inpatient care in a hospital setting every two years, and our medical technicians are required to receive 40 hours of trauma training, either in an intensive care unit or an emergency department. The training we received at EACH helps us to maintain our proficiency, and was a unique opportunity to learn more about how the Army provides care to its beneficiaries.”
Conway says she was surprised to learn that a large percentage of the training provided by the EACH education department met her team’s Air Force requirements.
“Training with the Army is beneficial to help us familiarize with each other’s needs and capabilities in case we deploy together,” Conway said. “When it comes to trauma care, it was nice to see that the training the Army provides to its medical staff is becoming more similar to how the Air Force trains. Having a common operating picture is so important in providing combat casualty care.”
Air Force Medical Reservists have to maintain their trauma and inpatient training in order to remain eligible for deployments, so Conway says they have to maximize their training opportunities.
On the enlisted side, Air Force medical technicians need training to achieve proficiency in their primary Air Force specialties, and the classes provided by the EACH Education Department helped the Airmen meet many of their training objectives, according to Senior Master Sgt. Andrea Kirks, the NCO in charge for the 910th MDS Reserve training tour.
“The classroom training has been amazing,” said Kirks. “Staff Sgt. Ian Caro and the whole team are very knowledgeable and do a great job teaching. Many of our Airmen are still learning their primary duties, so the classroom training was invaluable in helping them achieve proficiency. They even helped us bring some training information back to our home station.”
Tech. Sgt. Crystal Walker, an Air Force optometry technician, said that the training she received from the EACH optometry department was extremely beneficial in preparing her for future deployments or contingencies.
“We received training on optometry equipment that we don’t have at our home station,” Walker said. “The EACH optometry team was fantastic, especially Sgt. Eduardo Morales (alternate NCO in charge). They went above and beyond to provide valuable training, and they were so friendly and professional. We really appreciate all they did.”
Capt. Tracy Kerkow, Chief of the EACH Department of Education, says that the DoE team was glad to be able to facilitate training for their Air Force brethren.
“We are deeply committed to maintaining a Ready Medical Force and proactively supporting our partner services in any capacity,” Kerkow stated. “This collaborative opportunity benefited our Air Force partners while demonstrating the exceptional quality of the program our NCOs have developed and cultivated – a program that directly contributed to the 910th MDS’s success in achieving critical training objectives.”
Conway says that overall, the experience was extremely beneficial for the Airmen of the 910th MDS.
I can’t thank the Evans team enough for allowing us to do this training here,” Conway said. “The trauma training is invaluable. We have to maintain those basic critical care skills in case we need them, either at our home station or downrange. When we deploy, we need to be able to step right in and work as part of the medical team.”
| Date Taken: | 07.03.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.03.2025 16:50 |
| Story ID: | 516950 |
| Location: | FORT CARSON, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 36 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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