Photo By Sgt. Jason Drager | Members of the U.S. Army Reserve from the 7246 Medical Support Unit in Elkhorn, Neb.,...... read more read more
Medics from across Nebraska gathered at the Mead Training Site, Sept. 10, for the 2016 Squad Medic Challenge.
The challenge consisted of nine four-person medical teams, with each having to complete nine scenario-based lanes that tested their medic skills.
According to Staff Sgt. Sean Delancey, non-commissioned officer-in-charge of the challenge, the scenarios were designed to not only test individual skills, but also how the medics work as a team.
Eight of the teams were from the Nebraska Army National Guard and the ninth was from the 7246 Medical Support Unit, a U.S. Army Reserve unit based in Elkhorn, Nebraska.
“A lot of the National Guard and Reserve Soldiers don’t work, on the civilian side, in medicine,” said Delancey. “So, having this competition to test the skills they train on throughout their drill weekends, it shows the command staff where they’re at with their medical skills.”
Some of the medical skills tested included working sick call, administering an I.V., performing a high-angle rescue, spine board extraction, giving care in a moving ambulance, a litter carry, delivering a baby and even performing a surgical cricothyroidotomy on pig lungs.
“The best part of this challenge is all the resources are laid out for us,” said Sgt. Ed Neidig, a medic with the Nebraska Army National Guard’s Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1-134th Cavalry (Reconnaissance and Surveillance). “We have full-scale lanes, with qualified and competent graders who are impartial and unbiased to really give us good feedback on not just our own medical skills, but also on how we work together as a squad.”
Each lane had multiple graders who were tasked with assigning points to each medic and their squad. The graders also gave feedback and critiqued the participants on their skills.
“The overall goal is to help the medics perform their medical skills second nature so they don’t have to think about what to do, it will just be automatic,” said Master Sgt. Maritza Pearl, a medic with the 110th Multifunctional Medical Battalion. “They need to be able to do these skills during the day, at night or under strenuous conditions.”
The winner of this year’s 2016 Squad Medic Challenge was a team from the 1-134th Cavalry, which consisted of Sgt. Ed Neidig, Spc. Tyler Lamb, Spc. Austin Schrodt, and Spc. Alex Webster.
| Date Taken: | 09.12.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 09.21.2016 11:13 |
| Story ID: | 210185 |
| Location: | MEAD, NEBRASKA, US |
| Web Views: | 107 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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