Courtesy Photo | 210203-N-ZZ999-1005 SAN DIEGO (Feb 3, 2021) Sailors assigned to hospital ship USNS...... read more read more
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SAN DIEGO – Hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) conducted a training evolution called Mercy Exercise (MERCEX) 21-2 Jan. 12 to 14.
MERCEX 21-2 was held in order to sustain mission readiness while Mercy is in an extended maintenance period, and the ship was reconfigured to accommodate the MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft.
One hundred twelve reduced and full operating status personnel assigned to Mercy’s critical core tier accomplished training objectives using a combination of live and virtual training activities aboard Naval Medical Readiness and Training Command San Diego (NMRTC).
Training objectives are part of a 24 month training curriculum and exercise knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform mission-essential tasks. Subject matter experts from United States Transportation Command (TRANSCOM), Navy Health Research Center (NHRC) and Surface Warfare Medical Institute (SWMI) provided introductions to TRANSCOM Regulating and Command & Control Evacuation System, data capture and manipulation using the digital pen and medical regulating. Training sustained and extended the skills and ability of personnel to execute the hospital ship’s primary mission.
Lessons learned during the recent Defense Support of Civil Authorities mission to Los Angeles and during past quarterly Mercy exercises were incorporated to improve the quality of the exercise and to establish organizational memory.
“Our winter MERCEX was the culmination of months of planning to conduct a first ever virtual training evolution,” said Captain Tim Quast, Mercy’s commanding officer. “Our normal MERCEX crew was truncated for safety, but we were able to maximize training value. We chose high-value subjects ranging from food safety and nutrition, to basic trauma procedures and table top exercises. [They were all performed] with COVID safety in mind. Our team showed up ready and enthusiastic, and this was a big win.”
Service members became familiar with the mission and capabilities of Mercy and reviewed shipboard safety and egress procedures. They familiarized themselves with the embarkation processes that would be used during hospital ship activation. Administrative readiness of personnel assigned to the hospital ship’s operational platform were validated as well.
“MERCEX looked different in the midst of the pandemic but regardless of these conditions, our team was still able to accomplish training to its finest standards yet,” said Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Ashley Ngatia, a physical therapy technician assigned to Mercy. All departments were provided tools to help keep up with readiness and five day activation."
Medical personnel engaged in didactic lectures which covered shipboard first aid of the 11 basic wounds, operational charting, intraosseous needle insertion, airway management and physical assessment to broaden their clinical acumen, administrative skills and treatment of patients. To ensure muscle memory, small training groups actively engaged in simulated, patient care scenarios which demonstrated their knowledge, skills and abilities.
Supply personnel received training on the Defense Medical Logistics Standard Support system, which recently was updated aboard Mercy. Culinary specialists also received food service financial and records management training from the U.S. Naval Supply Systems Command, Fleet Logistics Center San Diego and Navy Food Management Team (NMFT). Mercy was the first ship to receive virtual training from NFMT due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Laboratory and pharmacy personnel reviewed the authorized medical allowance list for their departments, and became familiar with equipment and consumables. Pharmacy personnel participated in a virtual walkthrough of their spaces while lab personnel reviewed handheld blood analyzer standard operating procedures. They demonstrated the ability to train other medical professionals on proper use during patient care.
MERCEX 21-2 culminated in a table top exercise for medical professionals, patient administrators and clinical support personnel. The group reviewed and clarified roles and responsibilities of directorates and teams during the reception and care of casualties. Careful planning mitigated the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
“During any MERCEX, I feel the best training takes place on the ship, where we would be training in the same places that we will actually be using in a real-world situation,” said Lt. Cmdr. Bill Lawson, Mercy’s patient administration officer. “However, doing a table top exercise in the midst of COVID was a good work around. There wasn’t a single moment that I didn’t feel safe.”
Mercy leadership looks forward to MERCEX 21-3, which will build on the content of MERCEX 21-2, and generate readiness while the ship is underway.
NMRTC’s mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high quality healthcare services and shape the future of military medicine through education, training and research.
Visit navy.mil or facebook.com/NMCSD for more information.
| Date Taken: | 02.03.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 02.04.2021 18:30 |
| Story ID: | 388290 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 146 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Service Members Participate in MERCEX 21-2, by PO3 Harley Sarmiento, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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