Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Alonzo Martin-Frazier | PHILIPPINE SEA (May 7, 2022) The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile...... read more read more
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PHILIPPINE SEA (April 30, 2022) The medical training team (MTT) aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) is responsible for training the ship’s stretcher bearers and personnel as first responders to provide lifesaving medical care and support in the event of shipboard medical emergencies. Each week, stretcher bearers sharpen their lifesaving skills and reinforce first-response procedural knowledge under the guidance and supervision of the MTT.
MTT teaches Sailors hands-on first aid procedures and basic medical knowledge needed to respond to casualties in both tactical and non-tactical environments. This includes primary and secondary medical assessment methods and triage and basic procedures like administering intravenous therapy.
“Getting more people qualified as stretcher bearers was one of the changes Mobile Bay implemented after the results of the USS Bonhomme Richard fire investigation,” Chief Hospital Corpsman Herman Cea said. “Now, not only do we focus on training our ‘A-team’ stretcher bearers, the people who are always on call to handle casualties, we make sure everyone aboard is trained and qualified to step into that first responder role as added coverage.”
Mobile Bay’s current medical team consists of two hospital corpsmen (HMs) and one independent duty corpsman (IDC). MTT members can be from any department and division aboard in support of their training requirements. When training for personnel casualties, MTT teaches personnel to assess and safely transport injured Sailors to one of the battle dressing stations (BDSs) aboard, where they will provide care and document as needed, and, as a last resort, prepare personnel to receive a higher echelon of care via medical evacuation.
“MTT is the biggest blessing because it feels like there are more ‘corpsman’ than we are billeted for by far,” Cea said. “We can balance daily operations and medical care with a comprehensive training plan because of that support.”
MTT members must achieve damage control qualifications and attend a tactical care course for three weeks before they can become fully designated team members. Interested Sailors are expected to be seasoned stretcher bearers with a mastery of general medical guidelines and first response procedures. They must be able to lead and train stretcher bearers, as well as encourage a sense of urgency within Sailors during each training environment.
“I can’t think of a more critical job onboard the ship than doing what we do,” Cea said. “That’s why it’s important that not only the Sailors saving lives know what they’re doing, but that their knowledge and experience is transferred to other Sailors as these stretcher bearers grow to eventually become the medical training team members themselves.”
The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is on a scheduled deployment in the 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability through alliances and partnerships while serving as a ready-response force in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
| Date Taken: | 04.30.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 05.28.2022 08:51 |
| Story ID: | 421774 |
| Location: | PHILIPPINE SEA |
| Web Views: | 52 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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