Photo By Lori Newman | Air Force 1st Lt. Rassel Kibigting, registered nurse on 2W, demonstrates proper...... read more read more
Subscribe
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas, Dec. 10, 2025 – Medical/Surgical Section nursing staff at Brooke Army Medical Center participated in a simulation training skills fair Nov. 17-21.
The revamped training platform consisted of 28 facilitators (staff volunteers), led by Air Force 1st Lt. Dana Bartko, Army 1st Lt. Emma Jost, and 2nd Lt. Aiden Fox who ran six, four-hour sessions around the clock, resulting in 338 or 97% of staff being trained within a five-day period.
“This is the first time that we've done it 24 hours each day,” said Army Lt. Col. Betty Moore, Medical/Surgical Section inpatient nursing chief. “Our instructors were pivotal to making this event a success.”
“We also have QR codes that we're using to get feedback for the pre-test, post-test, and to see if the education and the materials is actually relevant,” she added.
Each month the Section Education Practice Committee Council helps to ensure medical surgical staff stay up to date on the critical skills they need to perform their jobs, explained Jost.
“Every month there's a new topic that is taught with in-services,” Jost said. “Whether it's the use of restraints, trach care, wound care, whatever we need to either refresh on, re-educate on, or just to make sure there's a competency met so that all of our nurses and techs are on the same page in giving our patients the best care. Simulation combines those topics and puts them in scenarios so that we can work as a team.”
“During this simulation training the staff isn’t just with their own floor or section,” Bartko added. “They need to work with a team of nurses, techs, and certified nursing assistants from across the med/surg section. It set a singular standard across the section.”
The simulation training consisted of laboratory training, tracheostomy care, Difficult Airway Response Team (DART) activation, pressure injury prevention, peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) and central line care, suicide precautions, restraint protocols, fall prevention and specialty bed operation.
“I think another thing that’s good about doing the simulation training is that it sets a single standard across our med/surg section,” Bartko said.
Army 2nd Lt. Patrick Bulley, registered nurse on 4 West, said he thought the training went well.
“I think it ran really smoothly,” Bulley said. “The lab walkthrough was helpful. It taught us how to submit labs properly and critiqued some of the small errors we might be making on the floor which is nice to have clarification on. After that we broke into smaller groups (to go to different simulation rooms).”
“I think it was very informative,” he added. “There was a lot of important information that was covered very quickly but I think it was effective.”
The next Medical/Surgical Section simulation training skills fair will be in May 2026.
“I am incredibly proud of the medical-surgical section for their hard work and collaboration in successfully completing the skills fair,” said Army Col. Marie Carmona, deputy commander for inpatient services. “Their dedication, professionalism, and commitment to excellence were evident throughout the event.”
“This initiative not only showcased their skills but also fostered collaboration and knowledge sharing among our team,” she added. “This is a testament to their unwavering effort in ensuring we maintain the highest standards of care for our patients.”
| Date Taken: | 12.10.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 12.10.2025 10:13 |
| Story ID: | 553693 |
| Location: | FORT SAM HOUSTON, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 58 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Medical-surgical nursing staff completes bi-annual simulation training, by Lori Newman, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
