Filling the Need 
Medical Skills Lab provides training 
boost to all services 

By Master Sgt. Patrick E. Clarke 

The atmosphere is intense. In one room, military medical specialists polish their cardiopulmonary resuscitation skills. In a lab next door, another group learns the finer points of administering intravenous fluids to a patient. Meanwhile, just outside, troops don protective gear and practice chemical warfare training. 

Another busy unit training assembly for an Air Force Reserve medical unit? It would appear so. But after a closer look, you notice Navy, Coast Guard and Army uniforms mixed in with the Air Force blue. Despite the different uniforms, everyone is working together with a single goal in mind — sharpening their skills to provide patients with the best care possible. 

It’s a typical day at the joint-service Medical Skills Lab, the brainchild of Col. Carol Lunger, commander of the Air Force Reserve’s 514th Aeromedical Staging Squadron, McGuire Air Force Base, N.J. 

“When I was in training positions in the squadron, I was frustrated by the difficulty in getting hands-on training,” Lunger said. “Then I started doing staff assistance visits and saw this was an Air Force Reserve-wide problem, especially with the downsizing of medical treatment facilities in the military and the difficulty of getting training at civilian hospitals due to legal implications.” 

In July 1996, she wrote a letter to the medical group commander at McGuire describing her vision of a joint-service medical skills facility. With her commander’s blessing and the support of the 514th Airlift Wing commander, Lunger began looking for a location for the lab. 

“We wanted to find a neutral building so we could keep politics out of who would get priorities on training,” she said. 

Unable to find an available building at McGuire, Lunger finally found a suitable location at neighboring Fort Dix. After intense preparation and planning, the lab opened May 16. As of Sept. 30, more than 1,700 people had received training. 

“Now when the Fort Dix commander lists the number of agencies represented on this facility, he always mentions the skills lab,” said Col. Scott Nichols, 514th AW commander. 

Nichols commended Lunger for her initiative. 

“It’s a smart way of doing business,” he said. “In the past, there were quite a few military hospitals around here, so we did have an opportunity for our people to learn with live patients. That opportunity has diminished. The alternative was this type of simulated training, where mannequins can represent patients with any number of traumatic symptoms.” 

“This is the closest you can get to working on a real person,” said Maj. (Dr.) Mike McNamee, Medical Skills Lab coordinator. “If a mannequin is dropped, it’ll survive. Besides, I’d rather have someone in an exercise participate or observe rather than spend their time on a litter (acting like a patient). 

“We teach all branches of the service, including active duty. This is the only training site of its kind I’m aware of. We can even simulate an operating room. We have the beds, stainless steel surgical equipment, resuscitators and so on.” 

McNamee said being involved in the development of the skills lab is something of a dream come true for him. He demonstrates his dedication to the lab with long hours and hard work. 

“Our aeromedical staging squadron keeps this facility open seven days a week,” he said. “We’ve even started doing night classes.” 

McNamee and Tech. Sgt. Debra Simmons, NCO in charge of the lab, staff the facility on a full-time basis. Three other enlisted troops work there on a regular basis. 

“We’re here because we want to be here,” said Senior Airman Timothy Downey, staff assistant. “We can sharpen our skills and have contact with other services and civilians. It has been a great opportunity. Our motto is, ‘Never take no for an answer.’” 

McNamee said he is concerned about how fast the facility is growing. But, his concern is overshadowed by his pride in the lab. 

He recalled the weekend in mid-May when the lab opened with a full-scale exercise involving patient triage and transport to and from waiting helicopters. The weekend also included the nightmare of any coordinator of a new endeavor – a visit from a VIP. Charles L. Cragin, acting assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs, stopped in to check out the lab. The exercise went off without a hitch, eliciting praise from Cragin. 

“The Medical Skills Lab is a perfect example of successful reserve component integration,” he said. “When I visited troops in Bosnia, I could not tell the reserve component personnel from the active troops. It was the same situation at the skills lab. The people worked so well together, you barely noticed that they were, in some cases, wearing different uniforms. I was deeply impressed with their professionalism, their sense of jointness and their dedication to duty.” 

In addition to providing valuable training, the lab is having a positive impact on retention. 

“Motivation of our young troops is crucial (to retention), and this training environment sends their motivation through the roof,” Simmons said. “The more people see that what they’re doing counts, the more their excitement increases.” 

Another benefit is cost savings. The lab saves the government a great deal of money because each unit doesn’t have to spend thousands of dollars on mannequins and other equipment. 

 “At a time when the U.S. military is markedly changing the way it does business, the challenge to do more with less is daunting, to say the least,” Cragin said. 

“The Medical Skills Laboratory, with its ability to train our members jointly, cuts the cost of training almost in half,” he said. “Savings from the integrated training in this facility will allow the Defense Department and the military to purchase the latest equipment and technology to keep our Reserve and active-duty members mission ready.” 

McNamee said the lab offers top-notch training because it is able to use the best instructors from all services. 

“It’s truly a purple-uniform situation,” he said. “Besides, it doesn’t matter what uniform we’re wearing. We’re all mandated to provide good medical care.” 

McNamee dreams of the lab growing into a permanent facility with an ongoing curriculum. He thinks this will happen down the road, but in the meantime, just keeping the operation running is a feat in itself. 

“The most difficult thing is maintenance of equipment and the building. It makes for a lot of full days,” he said. 

McNamee explained that the lab received an initial allotment of money to renovate the building and to purchase state-of -the-art mannequins and computers. 

“But the rest of the equipment was scavenged,” he said. “You learn to become a repairman real quick.” 

The lab reuses items whenever possible. Local hospitals donate expendables such as IV bags and sterile dressings. 

“They’d rather have them used for training than thrown away,” said McNamee, adding that mannequins are never thrown away. “They range in price from $4,000 to $6,000. If one loses a leg, it becomes an amputee.” 

Ultimately, McNamee said, the goal of the Medical Skills Lab is simple: to improve the skills of those who take care of the people in uniform. 

“There are people out there who routinely put their lives on the line in the course of their duties,” he said. “The medical corps is committed to be there for them when they need us and to provide them with the best possible care. 

“The only way we can meet that commitment is through effective and cost-efficient training. Our skills lab provides us with the opportunity for that training.” 

 
Maj. Mike McNamee inserts a tube in a mannequin's chest while Staff Sgt. Susan Jenkins (left) monitors equipment. Paying close attention to instructions is Staff Sgt. Cindy McCloskey. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Patrick E. Clarke)