Nations provide medical response training

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Kali L. Gradishar
  • MEDCEUR Public Affairs
Members of 15 nations gathered Sept. 4-7 to conduct and participate in the military medical training exercise, or MEDCEUR 2009, in-class training segment of the exercise.

Various classes offered to participants included the Trauma Refresher Course for Surgeons, Mortuary Affairs - Collection Point Operations, Management of Burns in Mass Casualty Situation, Unconventional Medical Operations, Industrial Poisoning Threat and Management as well as many others.

The classes were taught by various nations to include the U.S., Serbia, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Germany, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, and Ukraine.

One class offered, Trauma Nursing, was taught by Serbian service members and made available to nurses and medical technicians from all countries. The all-day class was offered over a three-day period during the in-class, or didactics, training portion of the exercise.

Those who signed up for the course included representatives from the U.S., Serbia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Montenegro, Moldova and Ukraine. Having a wide range of countries participating in the classes provided an opportunity for all involved to learn from world-wide experiences.

"(MEDCEUR is) nice so far," said Senior Sergeant Milan Misic, Military Hospital Nis medical technician. "But we are from Nis - we live here and go home here. We don't have as much time to see people with other countries and share experiences from their job, except for in the classes."

The classes provided all countries the chance to interact, discuss the topics of each course and learn from each participating countries' experiences in the medical career field.

"What we have seen in the classes is similar to what we do," said Capt. Radcliffe Myers, 86th Medical Operations Squadron clinical nurse at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. "The instructors are very knowledgeable, but still, I was very surprised at the depth of knowledge and skills these instructors have.

Another class provided for MEDCEUR 2009 participants to share their knowledge and hone skills was a combat lifesaver course offered to medical technicians and non-medics.

The course instructed on the necessary skills required in combat environments but also provided valuable information for non-combat zones, as well.

Dona Poptrandova, senior medical nurse in Macedonia and MEDCEUR 2009 combat life saver course instructor supervisor, has participated in MEDCEUR since 2007 and has found MEDCEUR 2009 to be the best yet.

"I am here for my third year," said Ms. Poptrandova. "I started in Moldova in 2007, then Croatia in 2008. The first time in Moldova, people didn't know what to expect to learn. In Croatia it was better. I think this will be even better than last year.

"Every year there are more students to attend this course, and there is more material and more subjects. It's important to have all the knowledge to work in the field. We try to give much knowledge to our students," she said.

The knowledge and skills learned and sharpened in the didactics portion of MEDCEUR 2009 will be used during a live exercise scheduled for Sept. 9-11.