MEDEVAC unit provides care for America's heroes in AOR

Published April 16, 2010
By Staff Sgt. Kelly White
379th Air Expeditionary Wing

SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) -- The 379th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron members consider their patients the best in the world; patients who serve with honor and pride.

These medical evacuation Airmen are prepared to fly anywhere in the area of responsibility to ensure their esteemed patients, America's wounded warriors, get the medical attention they need.

"We're here saving lives, and in doing so, we're preserving combat capability," said Col. Barbara Jones, the 379th EAES commander and flight nurse. "We underwrite the security of the battlefield by giving our warfighters peace of mind that if they become injured, (Aeromedical Evacuation) professionals will speed to their side and evacuate them to a level of medical care they require. We give confidence to the battlefield commander; that if their unit falls under enemy fire or sustains casualties, they know with confidence, AE stands ready and capable to move them out of harm's way.

"We offer hope and peace of mind to the families of our warfighters and the American people," she added. "If their loved one, their friend or their neighbor is significantly ill or injured during their service to our nation, they can be comforted knowing we are on the job and will bring them home safely. Commanding this unit is the highlight of my career."

The 379th EAES performs three mission-profile classifications. "Mercy" missions are regularly-scheduled flights transporting patients to or from either a medical treatment facility in the AOR or their assigned deployment location. "Bravo" missions are alert-type flights generated because a patient's condition warrants immediate transport to advanced care to save life, limb or eye-sight. Lastly, "In-System Select" missions are tasked to mobility flights in progress and diverted to a particular location to pick up the medical crew. Once aboard, the medical crew configures the aircraft to the needs of their patient, picks up the patient at the nearest airfield and transports him or her to the level of care required.

"Every mission is patient-load driven," said Senior Master Sgt. Rod Lindsey, the 379th EAES chief enlisted manager and an AE technician, currently on his tenth deployment.

During the medical crew briefing prior to take-off, the on and off-load manifest of patients and their diagnoses are reviewed. Afterward, patients are divied up among the crew responsible for delivering their in-flight care.

"Our patient assignments are apportioned to leverage the nursing experience and clinical skills of each crewmember," Sergeant Lindsey said. "For example, a flight nurse or technician having extensive experience in a critical-care unit would be assigned to a patient suffering from a cardiac condition."

The basic crew complement of an AE mission is five medics; two flight nurses and three medical technicians.

"The complement of enlisted technicians on any crew is built based on operational experience, leadership qualities and skill level," Sergeant Lindsey said. "To develop our younger flyers, we rotate the duty of charge medical technician from mission to mission. That way, a novice aeromedical evacuation technician can perform the complex duties that role requires under the guidance of a senior technician. This makes us better medical leaders and preserves our capability into the future."

Aeromedical evacuation patients on-load at various stops throughout the day. While en route to these stops, the medical crew reviews their stack of patient movement requests.

"(The PMR) is our primary means of learning the particulars about our patients so we can develop a targeted nursing care plan," Colonel Jones said. "During on-load, we receive the patients' AE medical records which tell us even more about their episodes of care, much like a patient chart at a hospital."

"If we have a surgical patient, they may not be permitted to have food," she said. "The PMR and medical record will tell us this. Another thing we'll look to see is what the patient's pain level was prior to flight. If the PMR states a pain level of 3 out of 10, but in flight the patient tell us it's 7 out of 10, we know their prescribed pain medication is not meeting their needs and a call to the theater flight surgeon is needed.

As patients reach their destination, the crew escorts them from the aircraft to their next episode of care.

When the aircraft lands back on the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing flightline, every member of the team de-configures the aircraft and repackages the medical equipment, returning it to the EAES warehouse for safe storage and resupply. However, their mission isn't done yet. The team reconvenes in their squadron's briefing room to back-brief their command and control agency at the Combined Air Operations Center, file mission-associated paperwork and conduct a post-mission debriefing.

"Regardless of how many missions you fly, there's always something to be learned," Sergeant Lindsey said. "Every mission brings something new to the fore: working with a piece of equipment you haven't used before, treating a patient with a rare disorder or picking up patients from a forward operating base with limited medical support capabilities.

"This is the best job in the Air Force," he added. "I can't imagine doing anything else. Bringing home America's heroes is something very few of my medical colleagues have the privilege to do. But, it comes with enormous responsibility. The back of that airplane is our playing field. We've got to always bring our 'A-game.' Precious lives are at stake, and they deserve it."

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