Celebrating Veteran’s Day today in the United States, HealthySimulation.com celebrates military veterans with a look back at some of our most read military medical simulation articles from the past 10 years. From helicopter crash simulators to entire simulated oceans, and from the latest in medical communication practices to surgical cut suits for TCCC real-time training, military-based healthcare simulation is always in a league of its own — Happy Veteran’s Day!
U.S. Military Uses Underwater Helicopter Simulator To Save Marine Lives: Marines endure this stressful training to give them the skills and mindset to safely exit from a sinking aircraft. “The reason we start in the classroom and move up to the dunker is to build confidence so they don’t just panic when they are flipped upside down in the water,” said Pitchford. “The craft and gear can easily be replaced, but lives can’t.”
Open Resources From Journal of Special Operations Medicine and Wilderness & Environmental Medicine: The Journal of Special Operations Medicine (JSOM) and Wilderness & Environmental Medicine continues a long-standing shared science program. As the official Journal of the Special Operations Medical Association, the JSOM focus is on unconventional and operational medicine, to include tactical casualty care, practiced in the remote and austere environment. Their subscribers are from the Special Operations Forces (SOF), law enforcement civilian and government agencies with tactical emergency medical support (TEMS), and anyone interested in emergency or wilderness medicine. They host an official forum for professional discourse on global Special Operations medicine that transcends the boundary between military and civilian medicine by bringing forth practical and sensible ideas and techniques to the provider currently operating in a tactical or law enforcement environment. Certainly there are great simulation resources here for those engaged in military or wilderness healthcare!
USAF Warrior Medics Train Through Wide Area Virtual Environment System: The United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command at the Brooke Army Medical Center U.S. trains like no other, with a unique simulated environment system called the Wide Area Virtual Environment, or WAVE. Building environments that create blended learning, service members can simulate healthcare engagements “on the move” between multiple patient scenario surroundings, all while responding to threats in real time.
TOM Man – Tactical Operations Medical Manikin Review: The Tactical Operations Medical Manikin was designed by TSgt. Keary Miller, an Air Force PJ (Pararescue man) who won the Silver Star for his bravery at the Battle of Takur Ghar in Afghanistan. Although the 2002 Takur Ghar engagement has been labeled “the deadliest day of combat for an American unit since 18 Rangers and Special Operations soldiers died in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993”, Miller was able to save the lives of 10 gravely wounded men. TOM Man, therefore, was designed and built by someone with the direct experience necessary to help train others in the life saving techniques required in chaotic austere environments.
Military Simulates for TeamSTEPPS: Communication Practice is Key: TeamSTEPPS is the Department of the Army’s patient safety framework adopted by the Army Medical Command to enhance healthcare team performance and improve patient safety. The training audience for this particular exercise is the Soldiers from the 807th Medical Command’s 228th Combat Support Hospital based out of San Antonio, Texas. The exercise held 2-4 Jun. provides a crawl, walk, run format for the Soldiers. Col. Elizabeth Anderson, Medical Readiness and Training Command’s exercise director for the simulation center’s TeamSTEPPS exercise, explains why this training is so important.
U.S. Navy Trusts Simulation So Much, They Built Their Own Ocean: The U.S. Military spares no expense when the opportunity to learn from real world environments in controlled, predictable, repeatable, and experimental ways. With a budget that dwarfs healthcare simulation, the consistent end result for ROI on training is always, consistently, 100%: simulate. It should be no surprise then, that the U.S. Navy has their own “ocean”. Originally built in 1962, MASK is supported by over 3,600 scientists, engineers, and technicians the space was upgraded in 2013 with finger-like technologies to better mimic water conditions.
Cut Suit Demo by “Strategic Operations” (Written way back in 2011!): The CUT SUIT, is a experiential immersive learning service provided by Strategic Operations wherein a medically trained acting professional wears a moulage suit over chest, torso and limbs in-order to present a live-victim engagement. During the demonstration and with Las Vegas based Thunderbirds flying overhead, a mock IED explosion rocked the audience to attention as a soldier stumbled from behind the vehicle, simulating massive limb bleeding, blocked airway, traumatic brain injury and shock. In all honesty, the realism of seeing a professional actor beg the paramedic to “save his leg” gave me goosebumps.
