Advanced Combat Trauma Course

Well- today is half over- I am getting ready for the final part of this 3 day course. The first part of the day we geared up in teams of 3 to enter a scenario with wounded people- it was preety cool. Our patients are about $90,000 on the High side. They can speak, blink, breath, and BLEED. There were no DUMB Annies here! Yeah! they can bleed- the instructors can control what happens to your patient if you are not adequatley SAVING them. From applying two tourniques (as I did) one amputed leg and one arm fracture with brachial bleeding- while in the dark... good thing I was wearing a head light on my Kevlar! I just delayed in 'turning it on! lol. Still then you move to breathing- the dummys chest actually was unequal and had a gun shot wound to the abdomen- a possible pneumothorax was suspected- so I had to decompress his wounded side with a 14 g needle inbetween the  2 & 3 midclavicular notch until his chest began to rise. Amazing once you do that- the chest will begin to rise and fall bilaterally. Seal  the chest wound-  put in an airway- and then an IV- while in this "cave" like atmosphere with screaming and other members trying to save their patients. Ha! I was the only one who saved mine. My instructor at the end said- you are an "OR nurse right?"..Roger that! Then my team came to assist me and then we had to package my patient up and ready to have him removed for Air transport. * That last part was a verbal. But considering I was the only one who had the "9 lane" paper on his person who could answer it... I won!

Well we all on extended rotating lunches while SATGE 2 starts. Now we have 3 teams of  7- and each leader will take their team outside for a more real scenario under PAINTBALL fire! Did I mentoin that I was a team leader by default- 1 of 3 Officers in the class- so done deal! Anyway- the causalties are with real "local" civilians as our patinets and where we need to supress fire first as a team without getting hit! ouch! *Yes we get to fire back- with paint balls! Then treat the casulities. And then actually load them up in military vehicles for tranport...with out dropping them. We practiced on eachother as a team yeaterday- and yes my team almost dropped me while strapped on a strecther- until I grabed both of their arms. Anyway- need to go. I will have pictures later when I am on my computer- for now I am at the MWR! Peace Out!  K+