Walking into an empty medical clinic and getting it up and running in under three hours is no easy task, but a group of Soldiers — primarily from the Wisconsin National Guard’s 135th Medical Company — who came to the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) at Fort Johnson, Louisiana, for the 24-08 training rotation with the 32nd “Red Arrow” Infantry Brigade Combat Team were up to the task.
A call for volunteers to staff the clinic at JRTC went out, and the medics, nurses and physicians of the Wisconsin National Guard and surrounding states stepped up to take on the mission. They drove a box truck full of supplies down so that the JRTC Aid Station Rear (JASR) would be fully functional on the first day of training.
Each rotational training unit brings in a support group that includes elements such as a medical team, cooks and transportation, and others, explained Maj. Erin Harrington, the JASR officer in charge.
“The rotational support group teams support the real-world, day-to-day issues that arise during the exercise,” Harrington said, “whereas the troops and units directly involved in the training rotation are for the most part working in a notional capacity throughout the two weeks they are in the box.”
Sgt. Jasmine Miller, a combat medic who is the patient hold and clinic noncommissioned officer in charge for the JASR this rotation, said it was impressive to see the team come together and build the clinic essentially from nothing to functioning in such a short period of time.
“A lot of our medics are newer to the military and have never had an experience like this,” Miller observed. “Seeing it be built up and seeing their roles develop, seeing them become more confident in their skills, and seeing how effective and efficient we’ve been with the patient load that we’ve been receiving has been amazing.”
One of the best parts about working this type of training rotation is seeing how excited the medics are to do their jobs and learn new skills, said Sgt. 1st Class Scott Coleman, the JASR noncommissioned officer in charge.
“It’s rare for National Guard medics to be in a situation where on a daily basis they are able to practice doing the initial evaluation, taking vitals, doing subjective and objective analysis, determining what they think might be wrong, and then consulting with the provider and coming up with a plan,” Coleman said. “The medics are learning a lot, and the providers are doing an outstanding job teaching things. In the Guard, we don’t get a chance to do this at this scale.”
1st Lt. Jennifer Vanden Bosch, the JASR Clinic operations officer, has been impressed with the flexibility of the medical staff and their ability to adjust to changes as they frequently arise.
“We’ve had a lot of challenges, but everyone has been great about coming to it with a lot of openness and positivity,” Vanden Bosch said. “It’s been a great opportunity to learn and to work alongside fellow Wisconsin Soldiers in addition to getting to know troops from our supporting states.”
Coleman said the volume of Soldiers and patients that have come through has been the most surprising part so far.
“I sent the number breakdown to a friend who is a nurse practitioner, and he practices emergency medicine in Chicago, and he was impressed by the volume of patient care we have handled,” Coleman said.
Harrington said they wouldn’t have been nearly as successful without the support of the local medical community.
“Every person in the medical community we’ve contacted or has reached out to us in the area has been wonderful,” Harrington said. “They’ve been very powerful enablers and advocates, and the information sharing has been great once those contacts were established.”