Medical Service Corps Leader Development

Interesting read on potential Russian support to Iran to defend against a US ground invasion.

Not new, we’ve watched this tactic in Ukraine for years.

How are you replicating in your training?

Are Medical Simulation Training Centers flying drones over medics while providing care to simulate sounds of the new battlefield?

Have we changed individual first aid and combat life saver kit adjusting to longer evacuation timelines?

The gray zone described creates challenges that we often do not train to.

Thoughts?

How are you addressing?

Russia's Secret Playbook for Iran A leaked GRU document reveals Russia's plan to arm Iran with unjammable drones. Deniable by design. Dangerous by any measure.

Prolonged Field Care for the Combat Medic

COL Sean Keenan, a former Special Forces Group Surgeon defines prolonged field care (PFC) as "taking care of a patient who you know needs to be somewhere else for much longer than you are comfortable with.”

"Role I medical providers, whether that’s the platoon medic, or the Physician Assistant working in the battalion aid station (BAS) do not have patient holding capabilities. They have neither the equipment nor the space to take care of a patient who isn’t either being evacuated or returned to duty. PFC isn’t intended to create holding capability. PFC is meant to address the training gap which becomes apparent when MEDEVAC isn’t on their way and you are forced to hold your sick patient."

How Does this Match Up to the 68W MOS?

1. Monitoring. At a minimum, the average combat medic or corpsman should be able to measure a patient’s blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate, and temperature without any advanced equipment.

2. Resuscitation. One of the principles of Remote Damage Control Resuscitation (RCDR) is aggressive fluid resuscitation with fresh whole blood (FWB).

3. Ventilation & Oxygenation. It all comes back to the basics with respiration. The goal here is to optimize ventilation and mitigate or prevent ARDS or other positive pressure ventilation associated illnesses.

4. Managing the Airway. While the “gold standard” for an airway is a cuff inflated in the trachea, evidence shows that even well-trained medics and corpsmen have difficulty achieving endotracheal intubation.

5. Controlling Pain. Medic carries the Combat Wound Medication Pack (CWMP) with acetaminophen, oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate (OTFC) lozenges, and IV/IO or IM Ketamine.

6. Patient Assessment. A basic assessment requires no additional gear, and knowledge weighs nothing in a rucksack. All medics should be able to perform a physical exam without the use of advanced diagnostics and develop an awareness of unseen injuries.

7. Ongoing Care. While there are few specific tasks associated with nursing care, it is a vital component of keeping your patient relatively healthy and happy.

8. Performing Procedures. Basic interventions save lives.

9. Calling for Help. Communication is a base-level warrior task in which all Soldiers should be proficient. What is said once communication is established, on the other hand, takes practice.

10. Preparing for Evacuation. Combat medics having the knowledge to effectively anticipate and prepare for common problems encountered with evacuation will pay dividends for patient outcome.

Read the entire article at: https://nextgencombatmedic.com/2017/06/15/prolonged-field-care-for-the-combat-medic/