Vol. 27 No. 33 www.cnic.navy.mil/bethesda/ August 20, 2015

By Bernard S. LittleWRNMMC Public

Affairs staff writer

Professionalism, joint-ness and family are threevalues officers of theNavy’s Medical ServiceCorps (MSC) focus on tobetter serve beneficiariesand the nation, said RearAdm. Terry J. Moulton.

The director of theMSC, Moulton discussedthe state of the corps dur-ing its professional devel-opment symposium, heldin conjunction with the68th anniversary of thecorps’s creation, Aug. 7 inthe Memorial Auditoriumat Walter Reed National

Military Medical Center(WRNMMC).

Aligned with NavyMedicine’s objectivesof readiness, value andjointness, Moulton saidthe MSC values providethe “strength and thehallmark” of the corps(professionalism), as wellas the future course forwhich it must operate go-ing forward (jointness),and “the foundation thatmakes us strong and ca-pable naval officers (fam-ily).”

The admiral describedthe MSC as an integralpart of Navy Medicine,and one of its most di-verse corps comprised of

approximately 2,800 ac-tive duty and reserve of-ficers serving in 31 sub-specialties under threemajor categories: health-care administrators, clini-cians and scientists.

Originally called theNavy Hospital Corps inWorld War I, the MSCwas officially authorizedby the Army-Navy Medi-cal Service Corps Act onAug. 4, 1947 of that year.The corps originally hadfour specialist sections:supply and administra-tion, optometry, allied sci-ences, and pharmacy.

Moulton explainedthat in support of NavyMedicine’s readiness and

health benefits missions,MSC officers serve in avariety of settings, includ-ing in medical treatmentfacilities and branch clin-ics, on ships, in researchcenters and laboratories,as well as on expedition-ary medical operations.

“Your record is yourresume,” Moulton added.“Your job is to make sureyour resume [as well as]your photograph, aregood and current. As yougo in your career, thinkabout the job you haveand how you plan to buildyour resume. Look tomake yourself better andmore competitive through

Navy Medical Service Corps Celebrates 68 Years of Service

Photo by Bernard S. Little

Rear Adm. Terry J. Moulton, director of theNavy Medical Service Corps, speaks during aprofessional development seminar celebrat-ing the corps’s 68th anniversary at WalterReed National Military Medical Center Aug.7. See MEDICAL page 4

By AndrewDamstedt

NSAB Public Affairsstaff writer

When the shots start-ed, the group of four gotdown, returned fire andthen started assessingthe damage. Next, theyran over to two otherswho were injured.

“I’m hit!”“It’s going to be al-

right. Talk to me. Whathappened?”

“My leg is bleeding.” “Ican’t breathe.”

“Can we get a tourni-quet on that? Can we geta tourniquet on that?”

“You’re going to be al-right, you’re going to bealright.”

“I can’t see.” “What’swrong with him?”

“We’re taking care ofhim, alright; I want youto focus on us.”

Two were injured – onewith a gunshot wound,collapsed lung and burnt

airway – and anotherwith a junctional bleedand an eye injury in thissimulated battlefieldscenario that’s designedto test the knowledgethat Uniformed ServicesUniversity of the HealthSciences (USU) medicalstudents learned duringtheir first year.

The Advanced Com-bat Medical Experience(ACME) course is oneof the first things themedical school studentsexperience during theirsecond year at USU.The ACME course wasfirst offered last yearand one change to thisyear’s combat scenariowas arming the studentswith paintball guns.

“Last year, the stu-dents didn’t have realpaintball guns, just theaggressor had paint-ball guns,” said Hospi-tal Corpsman 1st Class

Course Tests Military Medical Students’ Combat Knowledge

Photo by Andrew Damstedt

A Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) second-year medical stu-dent provides treatment to Air Force 2nd Lt. Zac Tchopev, who played the role of a patientby wearing a ‘cut suit’ that allowed real procedures to be performed on him during theAdvanced Combat Medical Experience course.See COMBAT page 6

2 Thursday, August 20, 2015 The Journal

Published by offset every Thurs-day by Comprint Military Publi-cations, 9030 Comprint Court,Gaithersburg, Md. 20877, aprivate firm in no way con-nected with the U.S. Navy,under exclusive written con-tract with Naval Support ActivityBethesda, Md. This commercialenterprise newspaper is an autho-rized publication for members of themilitary services. Contents of The Journalare not necessarily the official views of, norendorsed by, the U.S. Government, the De-partment of Defense, or the Department ofthe Navy. The appearance of advertising inthis publication, including inserts or supple-ments, does not constitute endorsement bythe Department of Defense or Comprint,Inc., of the products or services advertised.Everything advertised in this publicationshall be made available for purchase, useor patronage without regard to race, color,

religion, sex, national origin,age, marital status, physicalhandicap, political affiliationor any other non-merit fac-tor of the purchaser, user,or patron. Editorial contentis edited, prepared and pro-vided by the Public AffairsOffice, Naval Support Activ-

ity Bethesda, Md. News copyshould be submitted to the Pub-

lic Affairs Office, Building 17, first floor,across from PSD, by noon one week pre-ceding the desired publication date. Newsitems are welcomed from all installationsources. Inquiries about news copy will beanswered by calling 301-295-1803. Com-mercial advertising should be placed withthe publisher by calling 301-921-2800.Publisher’s advertising offices are locatedat 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, Md.20877. Classified ads can be placed bycalling 301-670-1700.

Naval Support Activity (NSA) BethesdaCommanding Officer: Capt. Marvin L. JonesPublic Affairs Officer: Ronald D. InmanPublic Affairs Office: 301-295-1803

Journal StaffManaging Editor MC3 Hank GettysWRNMMC Editor Bernard Little

Staff Writers MC1 Christopher KruckeAndrew DamstedtSarah MarshallSharon Renee TaylorJoseph Nieves

NSABethesdaFleet And Family Support Center 301-319-4087

Walter Reed National Military Medical CenterOffice of Media Relations 301-295-5727

NSAB Emergency Information Line 301-295-6246

NSAB OmbudsmanMichelle Herrera 240-370-5421

NSAB Chaplain’s Office 301-319-4443/4706

Sexual Assault ResponseCoordinator Hotline 301-442-2053

Visit us on Facebook:Naval Support Activity Bethesda page:https://www.facebook.com/NSABethesda

Walter Reed National Medical Center page:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Walter-Reed-National-Military-Medical-Center/295857217111107

Uniformed Services University of the HealthSciences page:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Uniformed-Services-University-of-the-Health-Sciences/96338890888?fref=ts

We are making strongprogress on our initiativesto improve the patient’sexperience of care, and itis gratifying and very en-couraging to be able to workwith the stellar leaders andstaffs at our Market Mili-tary Treatment Facilities(MTFs) to accomplish ourmission and position our-selves to provide even bet-ter health care. You nowhave the opportunity toaccess enhanced programsand services throughout thearea by enrolling in TRI-CARE Prime at an MTF inthe National Capital Region(NCR) Multi-Service Market.You can find out more about NCR MTFs andprograms at http://epublish.panaprint.com/publication?i=242565.

The “market” approach to health-care deliv-ery was adopted to provide you and your fam-ily with excellent patient care anywhere in theNCR regardless of your MTF enrollment site.You can enroll with one of these NCR MarketMTFs at www.hnfs.com:

• Andrew Rader Army Health Clinic• Kimbrough Ambulatory Care Center• Dumfries Health Center• Malcolm Grow Medical Clinics &• Fairfax Health Center Surgery Center• Fort Belvoir Community Hospital• Naval Health Clinic Annapolis• Fort McNair Army Health Clinic (now open

to active duty, retirees, and family members)• Naval Health Clinic Quantico• Walter Reed National Military Medical

Center• Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling ClinicThe TRICARE Nurse Advice Line is avail-

able to NCR enrolled patients 24 hours a day,seven days a week at (800) 874-2273. Thisfree service helps you decide how to best ad-

dress urgent health concerns,schedule a same-day appoint-ment with your Primary CareManager and direct you to anurgent care center withouthaving to pay point-of-servicecopays. Also, the Fast Trackservice located in the WalterReed National Military Medi-cal Center Emergency Depart-ment is available to meet yoururgent care needs. Fast Trackis for patients over 12 monthsof age and is open every day 10a.m. to 9 p.m. You do not needa referral or an appointmentand projected wait times are

usually less than an hour.With TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery

you can easily order your prescription refillsby mail, phone, or Internet. After enrolling inthe program, you can speak to a pharmacist24 hours a day, seven days a week; toll free at(877) 363-1433 or access services online at www.express-scripts.com/TRICARE.

With Secure Messaging you can consult yourphysician on your schedule by using web basedaccess to your Primary Care Manager, Special-ist or Medical Home Team. You can also bookappointments and referrals, renew medications,and obtain lab results. Ask you primary or spe-cialty care clinic for information or visit www.relayhealth.com.

We are committed to providing the best careto our very deserving military members andtheir families. I encourage your involvementin achieving our goals of becoming partners inyour care and advancing our world class health-care system for the benefit of our patients.

Thank you for your service and support,Rear Adm. Raquel BonoDirector, National Capital RegionMedical Directorate

Director’s Column Women’s Equality DayThe Mul t i -Cu l tu ra l

Committee at Walter ReedNational Military MedicalCenter will host a Women’sEquality Day observance onAug. 27 at 11:30 a.m. in theAmerica Building (Bldg. 19),in the lobby. Master Sgt. StaciHarrison will be the guestspeaker and the Tia DaeBand is scheduled to perform.Women’s Equality Day is Aug.26. For more information, con-tact Chief Hospital CorpsmanReese at 301-319-2624 orHospital Corpsman 2nd ClassSilvey at 301-295-4263.

NCOER TrainingNon-Commissioned Officer

Evaluation Report (NCOER)Training is scheduled for Aug.24 from 8 to 10 a.m., and from 2to 4 p.m. in the USO Building.The training is for all NCOs,officers and Navy personnelwho rate an Army NCO. Formore information, call MasterSgt. Noble at 301-319-2514.

TeamSTEPPS TrainingTeamSTEPPS (Teamwork

Skills, Team Strategies andTools to Enhance Performanceand Patient Safety) Trainingfour-hour fundamental courseis Aug. 21, and the two-daytrain-the-trainer course is Sept.28-29. For registration, timesand location, contact HospitalEducation and Training(HEAT) at dha.bethesda.ncr-medical.list.wrnm-class-regis-tration@mail.mil.

Bethesda Notebook

The Journal Thursday, August 20, 2015 3

By Sgt. 1st ClassJon Cupp

Warrior TransitionBrigade-National CapitalRegion Public Affairs

Life as a wounded, ill or in-jured military service memberisn’t easy. The road to recoveryfor these warriors is sometimespaved with hardships complicat-ed by changes to their mobility,their thought process due to pre-scribedmedications after surgeryand other issues caused by majorconditions, such as cancer, post-traumatic stress or a traumaticbrain injury.In such cases where severely

wounded, ill or injured troops areincapable of fully managing theirday-to-day affairs on their own,the military offers the option ofnon-medical attendants (NMAs),who serve as live-in caregivers tohelp these troops as they contin-ue treatment andwork to recover.For Warrior Transition Bri-

gade-National Capital Region(WTB-NCR) Soldiers at Na-val Support Activity Bethesda(NSAB), NMAs can be a godsend,according to Linda Rasnake, aWTB-NCR family readiness sup-port assistant.“Once a wounded, ill or injured

Soldier gets here, not all of themneed an NMA, but for those thatdo, the NMAs assist with dailyliving which can be things likegetting someone from their bedto a [wheel] chair, feeding themand in some cases clothing them,”said Rasnake. “When a warriorgets injured, their whole lives

have changed, either emotion-ally or physically or whatever thecase may be, whether from a TBIor from something like PTSD.”“They may not be able to re-

member to take their pills or re-member what appointments theyhave to go to each day. The WTBSoldier’s jobwhile here is to recov-er, so their major responsibility isto get to their appointments, andlater on down the road, to workon their transition either back toactive duty or on to civilian life,”added Rasnake. “The NMAs helpthem to get them through theirdaily routine so there are no hic-cups and also assist them in theirtransition.”Along with helping with the

normal daily activities of shop-ping, cleaning, cooking, laundryand assisting patients with ap-pointments, NMAs help preparemedications, ensuring properdosage for patients and keepingthem on schedule for taking theirmeds.They are also required to mo-

tivate patients to work on theirtransition plans to include suchthings as future employment/ed-ucation goals, keep up their spir-its and serve as an advocate forthe Soldier with regard to medi-cal and administrative issues.Durham, North Carolina, na-

tive Christy Blankenship, an

Non-Medical Attendants Help Ease Stressof Recovery for Wounded, Ill, Injured

Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jon Cupp

Sgt. Eric Osborne (left), a patient and Soldier withthe Warrior Transition Brigade-National Capital Re-gion, heads to a medical appointment July 29 with hisnon-medical attendant (NMA) Christy Blankenship atWalter Reed National Military Medical Center on Na-val Support Activity Bethesda.

See STRESS page 5

By Bernard S. LittleWRNMMC Public

Affairsstaff writer

Two Airmen recently com-pleted the first ever jointtraining program for AirForce enlisted psychiatrictechnicians at Walter ReedNational Military MedicalCenter (WRNMMC).Airmen 1st Class Victor

Gutierrez and Justin Jonesboth expressed a desire tobetter serve military health-care beneficiaries now thatthey have completed thetraining at WRNMMC.“It was a really good expe-

rience and I felt I learned alot,” said Gutierrez. “What Ifound most rewarding aboutthe training was being ableto see the change from whenbeneficiaries first get here,and as you work with them,how they get better.”Jones agreed.“I got a chance to do some

things I wouldn’t normallydo, and I got a chance to workwith some patients who re-ally opened my eyes andhumbled me,” he said. “Tohelp those people and learnmore about the medical sideof mental health was very re-warding.”During a brief ceremony

Aug. 14 recognizing the Air-men, Army Sgt. 1st ClassJonathan Colon, senior en-listed leader of the Director-

ate of Behavioral Health atWRNMMC, explained howthe joint training began.Colon, who helped spear-

head the effort, said to hisknowledge the Air Force cur-rently has only one inpatientpsychiatry facility, so there’slimited opportunity for theirpsych techs to receive train-ing on inpatient operations.This led to discussion of Air-men who work in behavioralhealth at Malcolm GrowMedical Clinics and SurgeryCenter, Joint Base Andrews,Md., coming to WRNMMC fortraining, he added.Gutierrez and Jones

trained at WRNMMC forthe past six months to “buildtheir skills set and help thembecome better well-roundedpsych techs,” Colon said.Also at the ceremony,

WRNMMC Director, Maj.Gen. (Dr.) Jeffrey B. Clark,said the medical center hasone priority: “An extraordi-nary patient experience forevery patient, every time.”He said in line with that pri-ority, there must be access tothat care, and it must be de-livered with compassion. Heencouraged not only Gutier-rez and Jones, but all staffat WRNMMC to provide ex-traordinary and compassion-ate care to “all we are privi-leged to serve.” The generalthen presented each of theAirmen with a WRNMMCcoin for their achievement.

Airmen Complete First JointTraining for Air Force Psych Techs

Secretary of Defense Visits with Wounded Warriors

Photos by MC3 Hank Gettys

Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter meets with a group of Wounded War-riors Aug. 18 in Bldg. 62 aboard Naval Support Activity Bethesda.

4 Thursday, August 20, 2015 The Journal

experience, joining professional orga-nizations, and attending training. Allthose add up for your resume.”

Army Col. Eva Calero, a laboratoryofficer, expressed similar sentimentsin discussing the Army’s Medical Ser-vice Corps (MS), sister corps to the Na-vy’s MSC, during the symposium. Shesaid like the Navy’s MSC, the missionof the Army MS is to provide “uniquelyqualified administrative, clinical, andscientific leaders to best enable a sys-tem for health.” She also stressed theimportance of assignments, trainingand mentorship in career progressionfor officers within the MS.

Other topics discussed during theday-long symposium included an up-date on Quality/Clinical Practice byretired Army Col. (Dr.) Thomas Fitz-Patrick, chief of quality at WRNMMC,and a briefing about Joint Medical Ex-ecutive Skills given by retired NavyMaster Chief Clinton Garrett, manag-er of the program for Navy Medicine.Garrett addressed the importance ofthat program’s initiatives as officersprogress through the ranks into se-nior roles as future executive leadersin military medicine.

“One of the things we always wantto keep in tune to is our professionaldevelopment,” said Navy Capt. Clar-ence Thomas, WRNMMC acting chiefof staff. He added professional devel-opment symposiums such as the onefor the MSC, provide information tolet individuals know how they fit intothe “big picture,” and how that trans-lates into what they do on a day-to-daybasis. In addition, he said the sympo-siums provide individuals with infor-mation they can use to progress intheir careers.

MEDICALContinued from pg. 1

By Paul BelloNational Museum of Health

and Medicine

With the new school year fast ap-proaching, the Defense and VeteransBrain Injury Center (DVBIC) and Na-tional Museum of Health and Medicine(NMHM) are teaming up to offer familiesa fun-filled forum where they can learnhow to minimize the risk of concussion,as well as how to recognize symptomsof a traumatic brain injury. The pre-sentation, “Your Head Matters: Wear aHelmet,” takes place during NMHM’smonthly Medical Museum Science Café,Tuesday,Aug. 25 from 6 – 7 p.m. in SilverSpring, Maryland.

The free evening program promises tobe informative, entertaining and unique,as Washington-based singer/songwriterMarsha Goodman-Wood will also be onhand to perform original songs that edu-cate children about safety. Wood’s aca-demic background is in cognitive neuro-science and her latest album, Gravity Va-cation, includes a song entitled “Wear aHelmet,” a tribute to a high school friendwho was injured in an accident.

“We want to reach school-age kids,as well as parents, and feel her (Wood)songs are a perfect complement to thenight’s theme,” said Pamela Sjolinder, re-gional education coordinator for DVBIC.“Our goal for presentations like this is totalk to parents and kids on a level wherekids can understand the material. Mostof all, we want this to be fun for everyoneinvolved.”

DVBIC will have a table of informa-tion available, such as its parent guides

detailing what to do when a child suffersa concussion or when to send childrenback to school following an injury. Theseguides also offer tips on how to stay offthe computer and how to cut back on

physical education after a child has suf-fered a brain injury. The Shannon Max-well books, “Big Boss Brain” and “My Dadis Invincible,” written especially for chil-dren of military parents who have suf-fered a traumatic brain injury, will alsobe available for families to take at theprogram.

Sjolinder, who briefs all the youthsports teams at Fort Belvoir and who hasworked this summer with its youth soc-cer and basketball camps, will also havea table where she will provide a hands-ondemonstration on how to properly wear abicycle helmet. She will be joined by hercolleague, Sherray Holland, a physician’sassistant and fellow educator at DVBIC,who has worked at a concussion carecenter helping youth athletes. She willmake a presentation that highlights theorganization’s new educational initiative,“A Head for the Future,” which has addi-tional information about concussions andprevention tips.

“Parents don’t always know whatto do with their child after a concus-sion. School teachers or athletic coachesunderstand the symptoms, but not somuch the parents,” Sjolinder said. “One

Music, Family Outreach Headline UpcomingScience Café Dealing with Head Injuries

Photo by Matthew Breitbart

Pamela Sjolinder, an educatorwith the Defense and VeteransBrain Injury Center (DVBIC),discusses the importance ofwearing a sports helmet with amiddle school student duringBrain Awareness Week, whichwas held at the National Mu-seum of Health and Medicine(NMHM) in Silver Spring, Md. inMarch.

See HEAD page 5

1051542 1050348

The Journal Thursday, August 20, 2015 5

NMA, said the best part of being a care-giver has been aiding the recovery of herfriend of six years, Sgt. Eric Osborne, alicensed practical nurse and patient withthe WTB-NCR who was sent to NSAB inJuly 2014 after an accident fractured hisankle, left fibula, right tibia, lateral hip,pelvis and two places in his back.

“As a civilian, it’s easier for me to ad-vocate and deal with the military for [Os-borne], and with appointments, becausesometimes he forgets,” said Blankenship.“So I’ll help take some of the stress off himby talking with his nurse case managerand making an appointment so he doesn’thave to remember.”

“It can be a hard job, taking up a lotof time, but I enjoy it. When he was firsthere, he was having three or four appoint-ments a day, but now he is progressing,getting stronger and more independent,”added Blankenship. “The rewards havebeen that I get to see him getting betterand gaining back his independence as hebecomes able to do more things for him-self.”

In order to aid in Osborne’s psychologi-cal well-being,Blankenship said she need-ed to break up the monotony and tediumof the daily routine by finding recreationalactivities for him to do.

“When you’re here, your life is on holdand you’re not doing what you want todo, so you need to do things to keep yourspirits up and take a break from appoint-ments,” explained Blankenship. “We try todo things like going to themovies, taking atrip or eating a meal in Baltimore.”

Doctors, nurse case managers and oth-ers work with the local command to makedeterminations on whether a patient’scase warrants an NMA. NMAs can bemembers of a person’s immediate fam-ily such as a spouse, sibling or parent.In some cases, the NMA may be a friendor someone assigned by the command to

the service member. Once approved as anNMA, the care giver receives orders allow-ing them to live on base with their Soldier.

Having arrived to NSAB on NMA or-ders in July 2014, Rachel Williams looksafter her daughter, Spotsylvania,Virginia,native Spc. Allyson Williams, a combatmedic,who arrived to NSAB for treatmentin April 2014 after suffering tears in herhip and issues with her pelvis requiringmajor surgeries.

“It can be difficult as a parent notknowing what’s going on, especially whenI was back home in Massachusetts andshe (Allyson) was here,” said Rachel, whohails fromMerrimac,Massachusetts. “Butbeing here now as her NMA, I can actuallywatch her doing physical therapy and cansee the progress she’s making.”

Although NMAs are not required tohavemedical training, there are five train-ingmodules available to themwhich focuson NMA duties along with informationabout base amenities they are permittedto use while on NMA orders.

Soldiers who benefit from having live-in care givers said they are appreciativeof the NMA program.

“It’s nice to have an NMA, especially onthose days when I’m in a wheel chair [fora long] time and my arms get really tired.So having someone else push the chair hasbeen great,” said Osborne, who hails fromMichigan City, Indiana. “The normal tasksthat take people a few seconds to do, takememuch longer, so it’s a great help to havesomeone who can do those things.”

“Having an NMA is kind of a love, hatetype thing for me because it’s hard beingan independent person and then havingto go back to relying on someone else foreverything,” said Allyson. “But I honestlydon’t know what I would have done with-out having my mom here helping me es-pecially after all the types of surgeries I’vehad this last year. Having an NMA is avital part of recovery, especially for emo-tional stability and peace of mind.”

Currently, there are more than 50NMAs serving Soldiers of the WTB-NCRon NSAB.

STRESSContinued from pg. 3

thing I try to do is ask them questionsbecause most don’t know what to ask.A presentation like this definitely helpsMom and dad.”

NMHM’s Medical Museum ScienceCafés are a regular series of informaltalks that connect the mission of the De-partment of Defense museum with thepublic. NMHMwas founded as the ArmyMedical Museum in 1862 and moved toits new location in Silver Spring, Md. in2012. For more information on this pro-gram or other NMHM activities, pleasevisit www.medicalmuseum.mil.

HEADContinued from pg. 4

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Greggory Cannon, the non-commis-sioned officer in charge of the course.“So this year, we made the change thateverybody in the care-under-fire sce-nario had paintball guns so they’d firethem back and forth just like in a realwar scenario.”

Cannon said that change helpedbring combat awareness to the medicalstudents, so they’re not just focused onthe medical side but they also focus onthe tactical care, “stay low, and shootback and return fire and yell out tothe casualties to come back and helpthemselves put a tourniquet on forthemselves.”

USU Assistant Professor CraigGoolsby, who oversaw the training ex-ercise, said the course is designed toteach second-year military medicalstudents tactical combat casualty care.

“This is a set of skills and knowl-edge they will need to provide effectivemedical care for our combat woundedcasualties on the battlefield,” he said.

The training took place in the wood-ed area across the street from the uni-versity where the medical studentscame under fire, returned fire andprovided basic medical interventions.There were four different scenarios inwhich the medical students had to pro-vide treatment such as putting tubesin to breathe for people, inserting nee-dles into the chest to alleviate breath-ing problems and starting IVs to getfluids, among others, Goolsby said.

Air Force 2nd Lt. Zac Tchopev, a sec-ond-year medical student who tookthe course earlier this summer so hecould be an ACME teaching assistant,played the patient who had a gunshotwound.

“Our classmates did an excellentjob,” Tchopev said. “It’s fun being thepatient because you get to act a littlebit and stress out your classmates, butthey did a good job under pressure,controlling the bleeding and address-ing our needs.”

Navy Ensign Mike Andersen, whoplayed the patient with a junctionalbleed, said he was impressed by thetwo treating him “in their ability tocommunicate with each other and withme as a patient and reassure me thatI was getting the proper care and that[Tchopev] was also getting the propertreatment. They were very good atredirecting my concerns to calm medown and keep me calm.”

Andersen said he thinks this train-ing is beneficial because it allowsfor some practical application to thethings they’ve learned in classes andfrom textbooks.

“We’re going forward to be militaryphysicians and having been deployedto Iraq before and walking around ona base, it’s very possible for a rocket tocome over and the physician to have toassume that role that would normallybe filled by a medic or corpsman,” hesaid.

Goolsby said the course is designedto teach leadership skills as well.

“We expect as they go out into themilitary after graduation, they’ll beable to become leaders in terms ofbattlefield medicine,” Goolsby said.“Whatever specialty or wherever theygo, there’s knowledge of battlefieldmedicine and appreciation for that intheir future military careers.”

Another aspect of the course tookplace in the classroom where the medi-cal students heard from Wounded War-riors about being wounded in combatand the treatment they received.

Army Capt. Gavin White showedthe students video footage of his inju-ries – a broken left leg, an above-kneeamputation, and pelvis fracture – hereceived after he was hit by an im-provised explosive device while doingroute clearance in Afghanistan. Thevideo shows his injuries, how he andothers reacted to the situation and thecare he received after being hit.

“You can see still photos, and I cantell stories all day, but actually seeingthis is actually what went on – kind ofthe gory details – helps as a teachingpoint,” White said.

Army Sgt. Maj. Brent Jurgersen,who was injured twice in combat, saidhe came to talk about his injuries andsubsequent treatment with the medi-cal students because he thinks it’s agood opportunity for them to see howtheir education and training will helptheir fellow service members.

Jurgersen’s first injury was a gun-shot wound to the face, which shred-ded his tongue, and severely rippedhis lip and left him in a coma. Afterrecovering from those wounds, he wentback to Iraq and while on a reconnais-sance patrol his Humvee was hit by arocket-propelled grenade, which leftJurgersen with a compressed skullfracture, traumatic brain injury, left-leg amputation and right-hand frac-ture, plus numerous shrapnel woundsand burns to his body.

“Some of the challenges we havenow is these injuries give a lifetime,”he said. “I think most American peoplethink, they see our Warriors and ourveterans skiing and riding bikes andeverything else like that. But whatthey don’t see is the lifelong effectsof some of these injuries, and I don’tthink we still quite understand whatsome of those effects are – even someof the below-knee amputees now arestarting to have some back problems.”

The advice the two had for the med-ical students:

White said the medical studentsshould be advocates for continuousand realistic medical training wher-ever they end up after leaving USU.

Jurgersen said they should be con-fident in their skills and portray thatconfidence to others.

“I couldn’t care less what color ofuniform you’re wearing,” he said. “Itnever matters to me one minute in mylife. I know what your eyes say. Thefact is you’re taking care of us andthat’s what matters.”

COMBATContinued from pg. 1

1051526

The Journal Thursday, August 20, 2015 7

8 Thursday, August 20, 2015 The Journal

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