Naval Expeditionary Medical Training Institute (NEMTI) at Camp Pendleton, California, conducted Navy Medicine’s first-ever Role I, II and III Expeditionary Medical Facility (EMF) training over the holiday season, helping ensure active duty and reserve Navy medical Sailors remain ready to deploy and save lives on the battlefield.
The weeklong training was also the first time NEMTI has held high-capacity EMF training in over a decade, using a 50-bed field hospital with an intensive care unit, operating room and ambulatory care capabilities.
“This course of instruction is designed to address the medical special needs of medical providers in a theater of war,” said Cmdr. Christopher Niles, director of training at Navy Medicine Operational Training Center (NMOTC), parent command of NEMTI. “Our mission is to train medical providers to be the best when the best is needed in today’s global operational tempo.”
The Navy Medicine students included enlisted and officer medical providers and support personnel from EMF Beaufort, South Carolina, who are now in “Tier 1 status,” meaning they are the able to deploy in 30 days if an EMF is needed. Each day of their hands-on training began with an equipment check and set-up before instructors would begin evolutions involving several combat-environment scenarios.
“We are doing what’s called functional-area training,” said Cmdr. Sharon House, officer-in-charge of NEMTI. “We put all the equipment in there, and we run casualty scenarios through the facility. It simulates an actual battlefield environment. They get an operations order, an execution order, and they receive casualties throughout the day.”
Exercises began with Role I units. Role I units are usually the first medical personnel on-scene in a combat scenario and use Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) techniques to perform point-of-injury treatment. Role I teams then transferred the simulated patients to the Role II crew.
Role II providers specialize in advanced trauma life-support capabilities. The Role II team practiced receiving casualties from the battlefield and worked to stabilize them with the intent to save life or limb. The Role II crew then prepared the patient for evacuation to the Role III unit, the 50-bed field hospital. Role III units can also be a brick-and-mortar military treatment facility located a safe distance from combat action.
After the simulated evacuation of a casualty, the Role III unit trained to receive patients for definitive care, care provided to conclusively manage a patient’s condition. The main goal was to practice post-operation recovery methods using advanced equipment and provide extended care as needed.
Exercising Role I, II and III casualty care, and patient receiving and evacuation offered participants a chance to hone their life-and-limb-saving skills. It was also an opportunity for EMF members to practice their trade with those who could be working by their side during a real-world deployment.
“It’s a great team-building exercise,” said House, adding that training like this provides a good opportunity for the camaraderie that ensures the unit's readiness. “They are evaluating their Tier 1 status readiness capability. We are getting them ready for deployment.”
NEMTI and NMOTC are part of the Navy Medicine team, a global healthcare network of 63,000 Navy medical personnel around the world which provide high quality health care to more than one million eligible beneficiaries. Navy Medicine personnel deploy with Sailors and Marines worldwide, providing critical mission support aboard ship, in the air, under the sea and on the battlefield.