Global presence: Usaf aeromedical evacuation and critical care air transport

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Flight nurse training and qualification

The road to full flight qualification begins with an assignment to the School of Aerospace Medicine for flight school training at Brooks Air Force Base, Texas, for nearly 6 weeks. This unique curriculum includes the physiologic aspects of flight, including the first experience in the altitude chamber to learn first hand about the effects of hypoxia on the human body. Within the chamber students learn about the laws of barometric pressure changes, the physiologic hazards that accompany decreased

AE crews

A crew is typically two flight nurses and three aeromedical technicians. One of the flight nurses is designated the medical crew director (MCD), who is responsible for the overall safety and conduct of the mission and provides leadership to the medical crew. The MCD works closely with the aircraft commander (AC) in making certain all the pieces of the mission come together to have a successful outcome. The MCD advises the aircraft commander when a patient's condition or use of medical equipment

The mission

The term global presence describes the doctrine that governs our nation's commitment to safely return the sick and injured from faraway lands to homeland facilities where they can receive definitive care [2]. The Doctrine for Health Services Support specifies that the “mission is to minimize the adverse effects of injury and disease on the readiness, health and morale of troops.” Global mobility enables the medical team to evacuate injured personnel rapidly so that prompt, appropriate care can

The aircraft

The same aircraft platform that carries personnel and cargo must be reconfigured by AE crews to accommodate the patient load (litters and ambulatory patients) (Fig. 1). Crews must be familiar with various aircraft electrical and oxygen systems as well as the compatibility with the medical equipment. Once the aircraft is configured to receive patients and the medical equipment is in place and secured, the team is prepared to receive patients.

Enplaning ambulatory and litter patients is a

Worldwide mobility

Readiness is a lifestyle; staying ready, having your family ready for your absence includes preparing a will and keeping it up to date, placing bills on automatic payment, and keeping personal affairs in place. Readiness is also a mindset; watching the current events in a different way than your friends and family; always thinking ahead one or two steps and what the events might mean for military members and especially AE crew members. A routine mission can turn into a different scenario. One

A team within a team

Teamwork is essential to accomplish the AE mission and begins with the planning by flight surgeons and administrators to ensure that the resources are available for the patient and continues through the mission in which the AE crew works closely with the flight crew to ensure a safe and timely flight to the medical resources that take over once we land. Ground and maintenance crews are essential to mission success; loadmasters direct the AMBUS to the plane and help us plan for safe enplaning of

CCATT –“critical care in the air”

In the first 9 months of Operation Enduring Freedom 985 patients were medically evacuated from the theater of operations. One hundred of these patients required mechanical ventilation. “These are patients that would not have survived a previous conflict” [5]. A unique team of healthcare providers, known as the CCATT, work side-by-side with their AE colleagues to ensure the safe transport of these critically ill patients.

Playing a part in history

If you were to ask, most AE crewmembers could think back over the last 10 years and tell you how they have played a small part in world events. Many can say, “I was there, I moved those casualties, I brought them home.” Since Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm in 1990–1991 there have been numerous operations including Operation Restore Hope and Provide Relief in December 1992 that helped break the cycle of starvation in Somalia. In response to the tragic events in Somalia (documented in the

Summary

Flight nursing, whether as an AE nurse or as a CCAT team member, is a demanding profession that extracts tremendous energy, competes with family and recreational time, and sets high expectations. On reflection, however, most crewmembers claim it is the most rewarding experience in their professional life. The opportunity to be a part of history, to provide care and transport to American servicemen and women in times of extreme need, and to accomplish the mission safely despite the circumstances

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References (11)

  • Air Mobility Command, Supplemental Policy 164–50, vol. 4. Aeromedical...
  • S. Widnall et al.

    Global presence

    Joint Forces Quarterly

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  • Joint Publication 4–02, Doctrine for Health Services Support in Joint Operations, 26 April 1995,...
  • J. Peay

    Correlating medical forces forward

    Joint Forces Quarterly

    (1996)
  • Carlton P. Statement of Lieutenant General Paul K. Carlton, Surgeon General United States Air Force to CCATT “Hot Wash”...
There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

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