U.S. Army and Navy Unite: Joint Medic Training Aboard the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76)

U.S. Army and Navy personnel have embarked on a unique training collaboration, aimed at sharing medical practices across branches. The initiative was spearheaded by Army Sgt. Monserrat Hernandez-Rodriguez, who emphasized the value of understanding Navy medical operations. “We would work with Sailors if we got deployed. We wanted to see how other branches perform and trade knowledge regarding medical operations,” Hernandez noted.

Throughout their joint exercise, Army medics introduced Tactical Causality Combat Care (TCCC) training to the ship’s crew. This exchange shed light on significant differences between shipboard and field TCCC methods. While the Army prioritizes care-under-fire techniques amid active conflict, the Navy focuses on injuries typical in nuclear-powered vessel environments, such as those caused by head trauma, fires, and radiation. Despite these differences, the mutual training aims to equip both Soldiers and Sailors with a broader skill set in medical response.

“Training opportunities like these are critical to mission readiness,” stated Cmdr. Yummy Nguyen, the senior medical officer. He emphasized the life-saving potential of such knowledge exchanges for future joint operations.

Soldiers also observed the disparity in medical capabilities between field and shipboard settings. The shipboard environment, being more compact, contrasted with their field hospitals, which offer more resources. Hernandez mentioned, “Layout wise it is similar to our field hospitals except that it is more compact due to it being on a ship.”

The ship’s onboard hospital functions as a role-two facility, supporting trauma care, surgeries, dental, and imaging services. In contrast, Army medics operate in role-three hospitals that are equipped for intensive care and complex surgeries. Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Malcom Davis appreciated the different operational insights, including the separation of nurses and providers, that Army medics brought onboard. “They are really nice people who have much to show us,” commented Davis.

A key distinction in medical practices between the two branches is in the licensing and procedural protocols. While corpsmen operate under their provider’s license, Army combat medics also use personal licenses, allowing for varied procedural independence. This structural difference influences the rate and approach to medical care. Both the Army and Navy offer programs for obtaining LPN licenses, further emphasizing their commitment to enhancing medical skills.

This collaboration will continue beyond the ship’s course, with Navy corpsmen set to visit Joint Base Lewis-McChord. There, they will gain hands-on experience in field hospital operations. Additionally, corpsmen can engage with the Marine Corps as greenside medics, deepening their cross-branch expertise. “We intend to send some of our corpsmen to their training facilities as well,” Nguyen revealed.

Hernandez echoed the excitement for ongoing training. “We are excited for the corpsmen to come to our base. They can get experience with boots on ground for the corpsmen who haven’t gone greenside yet.”

This collaborative training approach underscores the need for inter-branch confidence within the U.S. military, crucial for both routine operations and conflict scenarios. “In the event of a conflict, we as Soldiers could be assigned to Navy warships and we want to create confidence between us so that we can maintain a professional environment,” Hernandez concluded. This initiative reflects the military’s “one team, one fight” ethos, fostering a unified approach to shared challenges.