thedrifter
10-16-07, 07:26 PM
More Marines receive basic medical training
By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Oct 16, 2007 18:55:12 EDT
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — The chuckles and sarcastic comments belied an underlying nervousness among the class of Marines.
They were about to stick each other in the arms with needles and catheters — if all went well, only once.
“What does a good vein look like? How does it feel?” asked Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class (FMF) Michael Bundenson during the second of a four-day Combat Lifesaver Course at Camp Pendleton’s Camp San Mateo.
Some fidgeted in their seats.
“Big,” said one, and many glanced down to look at their own arms. “Springy,” said another.
The prospect of needles and blood clearly was discomfiting. But 16 members of 5th Marine Regiment’s headquarters jotted notes and listened while Bundenson led them through the basic steps, equipment and procedures to administer an IV, used to hydrate and stabilize a wounded patient.
Bundenson, a certified combat lifesaver trainer with 5th Marines, is part of the Marine Corps’ effort to increase the number of front-line combat first responders.
In the past year, the Corps has been expanding its combat lifesaving capabilities with a revamped program designed to save more lives on the battlefield. They are building more certified combat lifesaver trainers within units, mandating combat-lifesaving refresher training and requiring commanders to integrate more first aid and lifesaving skills in their units.
According to Marine Administrative Message 363/06, issued last year, the overarching goal is to “eliminate preventable loss of life on the battlefield” by having more trained Marines to shorten the time needed to stabilize wounded troops and get them to proper medical care within the “golden hour” after an incident.
Marines learn about hemorrhage control, airway management and treating shock. At San Mateo, students also learned about combat evacuations and different types of wounds — such as penetrating chest wounds or burns — they may encounter in combat.
“Hopefully, we won’t have to use this,” said Staff Sgt. Steven Cheatham, an administrative chief and former KC-130 crewman, who believes the course is invaluable for Marines.
“Now they’re getting the experience of sticking a needle in somebody and maybe saving their life some day. It’s really opening up their confidence.”
In combat, if bullets are flying and the platoon corpsman goes down, “to be able to stabilize that patient and get him into the rear for that golden hour will increase their survival rate,” Cheatham said.
Practical application at this CLS class is as real as it gets. A day earlier, Bundenson had the Marines stick breathing tubes up each other’s noses and down their throats to learn how to get a wounded patient breathing again.
“I notice that more people learn by doing it,” he said.
Inserting an IV — pricking the skin with a needle and then pushing a flexible catheter into a vein — isn’t always perfect the first time.
Sgt. Estraisand DaSilva trained his eyes on the right arm of Staff Sgt. John Trias while DaSilva’s finger felt for a vein ripe for the pricking. He punched the needle through the skin, but the catheter didn’t take hold, and the site swelled a blackish-red. DaSilva, with Bundenson at his side, tried again. The second try worked, but the site also swelled. Doc reassured him as he secured the tubing with tape.
“You’re getting the vein,” Bundenson told him. “That’s a good thing,”
Trias, 27, didn’t flinch. “It felt weird at first,” said the personnel administrative clerk, preparing for his first deployment to Iraq. “It didn’t hurt at all.”
DaSilva, a 27-year-old field wireman, realized the first error in placing the catheter.
“You actually have to push it down and follow it into the vein,” he said. “You definitely have to follow the procedures.”
Ellie
By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Oct 16, 2007 18:55:12 EDT
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — The chuckles and sarcastic comments belied an underlying nervousness among the class of Marines.
They were about to stick each other in the arms with needles and catheters — if all went well, only once.
“What does a good vein look like? How does it feel?” asked Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class (FMF) Michael Bundenson during the second of a four-day Combat Lifesaver Course at Camp Pendleton’s Camp San Mateo.
Some fidgeted in their seats.
“Big,” said one, and many glanced down to look at their own arms. “Springy,” said another.
The prospect of needles and blood clearly was discomfiting. But 16 members of 5th Marine Regiment’s headquarters jotted notes and listened while Bundenson led them through the basic steps, equipment and procedures to administer an IV, used to hydrate and stabilize a wounded patient.
Bundenson, a certified combat lifesaver trainer with 5th Marines, is part of the Marine Corps’ effort to increase the number of front-line combat first responders.
In the past year, the Corps has been expanding its combat lifesaving capabilities with a revamped program designed to save more lives on the battlefield. They are building more certified combat lifesaver trainers within units, mandating combat-lifesaving refresher training and requiring commanders to integrate more first aid and lifesaving skills in their units.
According to Marine Administrative Message 363/06, issued last year, the overarching goal is to “eliminate preventable loss of life on the battlefield” by having more trained Marines to shorten the time needed to stabilize wounded troops and get them to proper medical care within the “golden hour” after an incident.
Marines learn about hemorrhage control, airway management and treating shock. At San Mateo, students also learned about combat evacuations and different types of wounds — such as penetrating chest wounds or burns — they may encounter in combat.
“Hopefully, we won’t have to use this,” said Staff Sgt. Steven Cheatham, an administrative chief and former KC-130 crewman, who believes the course is invaluable for Marines.
“Now they’re getting the experience of sticking a needle in somebody and maybe saving their life some day. It’s really opening up their confidence.”
In combat, if bullets are flying and the platoon corpsman goes down, “to be able to stabilize that patient and get him into the rear for that golden hour will increase their survival rate,” Cheatham said.
Practical application at this CLS class is as real as it gets. A day earlier, Bundenson had the Marines stick breathing tubes up each other’s noses and down their throats to learn how to get a wounded patient breathing again.
“I notice that more people learn by doing it,” he said.
Inserting an IV — pricking the skin with a needle and then pushing a flexible catheter into a vein — isn’t always perfect the first time.
Sgt. Estraisand DaSilva trained his eyes on the right arm of Staff Sgt. John Trias while DaSilva’s finger felt for a vein ripe for the pricking. He punched the needle through the skin, but the catheter didn’t take hold, and the site swelled a blackish-red. DaSilva, with Bundenson at his side, tried again. The second try worked, but the site also swelled. Doc reassured him as he secured the tubing with tape.
“You’re getting the vein,” Bundenson told him. “That’s a good thing,”
Trias, 27, didn’t flinch. “It felt weird at first,” said the personnel administrative clerk, preparing for his first deployment to Iraq. “It didn’t hurt at all.”
DaSilva, a 27-year-old field wireman, realized the first error in placing the catheter.
“You actually have to push it down and follow it into the vein,” he said. “You definitely have to follow the procedures.”
Ellie