Medical Service Corps Leader Development

11/12/2020

People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas. You have to pick carefully.
- Steve Jobs

11/11/2020

The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred, Lord… | Poetry Foundation

The Charge of the Light Brigade

BY ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON

I
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
“Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!” he said.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

II
“Forward, the Light Brigade!”
Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
Someone had blundered.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

III
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of hell
Rode the six hundred.

IV
Flashed all their sabres bare,
Flashed as they turned in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wondered.
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right through the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reeled from the sabre stroke
Shattered and sundered.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.

V
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell.
They that had fought so well
Came through the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

VI
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!

Half a league, half a league,

11/10/2020

Mentor Leadership

Tony Dungy's book The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Build Teams that Win Consistently is full of phenomenal leadership and mentorship lessons. Below is a brief summary of the application portion of his book.

Mentor Leaders follow these Seven steps to create an effective high-performance, organization:

1. Engage with those you lead. It’s impossible to mentor, demonstrate empathy, or inspire from a distance

2. Educate those you lead as this is the building block required to empower and elevate.

3. Equip those you lead with what is needed to accomplish the mission physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually

4. Encouragement is the fuel which powers the mentor leader’s efforts to engage, educate, and equip.

5. Empower those you lead to capitalize on your engagement, educating, equipping, and encouragement allowing individuals to excel on their own.

6. Energize with intentionality to inspire and motivate.

7. Elevate those you lead so that they are prepared to replace you.

Who are you mentoring?

1st Medical Brigade 30th Medical Brigade 44th Medical Brigade 62ND MEDICAL BRIGADE 65th Medical Brigade Army Medicine Army Medicine Europe Regional Health Command-Atlantic 3x5 Leadership The Field Grade Leader Medical Service Corps Chief Assistant Corps Chief for Reserve Affairs, Medical Service Corps 232nd Medical Battalion

11/09/2020

Improving Casualty Evacuation for our next Decisive Action Fight

U.S. Army Casualty Evacuation (CASEVAC) skills have atrophied. After almost 20 years of overlapping Air Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) rings, many leaders have neglected training the movement from point of injury to the Casualty Collection Point (CCP).

Trends at the time this article was published at National Training Center/Fort Irwin have an 49% died of wounds (DoW) rate. While a decisive action (DA) fight will produce more casualties than we have seen in recent wars, this rate is astronomical. This article by then CPT David Draper in ARMOR magazine addresses trends, reviews doctrine, and provides tips to improve CASEVAC in a DA fight.

CASEVAC TECHNIQUES THAT WORK:

- The 1SG must supervise the CASEVAC plan.

- Designate CASEVAC vehicles with litters, litter straps, and Combat Life Saver (CLS) equipment and stage them with medics and CLS at the CCP.

- Quickly push or pull casualties to the CCP using dedicated aid and litter teams.

- Use a CASEVAC/MEDEVAC concept sketch to create shared understanding.

HOW TO PREPARE YOUR UNIT:

- Conduct CASEVAC training as part of unit training plans.

- Establish company and battalion CASEVAC SOPs.

- Incorporate CASEVAC into all training: PT, gunnery, live-fire, situational training exercise (STX), and field training exercise (FTX).

A 49-percent average DoW rate for urgent and priority patients, as currently observed at NTC, is not acceptable. Invest in training CLS, CASEVAC, and MEDEVAC skills to reduce preventable deaths.

Operations Group, National Training Center JMRC JRTC and Fort Polk 1st Medical Brigade 44th Medical Brigade 62ND MEDICAL BRIGADE 65th Medical Brigade Charlie Med Company, 204th BSB Company C MED -113th Brigade Support Battalion Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 10th Infantry Regiment U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence 15th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team

11/07/2020

“Leadership consists of nothing but taking responsibility for everything that goes wrong and giving your subordinates credit for everything that goes well.” - Dwight D. Eisenhower

11/06/2020

Make Your LPDs Worth Your Leaders' Time

People are our most valuable asset. Developing them must be a top priority. Leaders must devote time, effort, and planning into Leader Professional Development (LPD). This article From The Green Notebook provides four steps to make each session worthy of your leaders' time.

1. Plan with the end state in mind.

2. Identify the audience.

3. Develop the plan.

4. Sell the plan.

These steps may seem intuitive, but they are often overlooked. I encouraged you to read the whole article to read the 10 Tips for LPD success - they are valuable and less intuitive!

Read the article here: https://fromthegreennotebook.com/2020/10/27/make-your-lpds-worth-your-leaders-time/?fbclid=IwAR1KMAprQaohVuRPov3ktVDneAph1onHnB_fZvVJvUO-3UkvX6DvJa38lUg

1st Medical Brigade 44th Medical Brigade 62ND MEDICAL BRIGADE 30th Medical Brigade 65th Medical Brigade 807th Medical Command (Deployment Support) Silver Caduceus Association 67J Aeromedical Evacuation Officers Medical Service Corps Chief Army Medicine 56th Multifunctional Medical Battalion 232nd Medical Battalion

11/05/2020

Another Tool for your Kit Bag - DODReads

"Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary."
- Jim Rohn

About a year ago I was introduced to this organization. DODReads supplies military leaders with books, articles, podcasts, and resources for life long learning. Additionally they source the entire U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, United States Air Force, U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Marine Corps reading lists. While their content has always been valuable, they have recently updated their website, launched a podcast, and started a monthly newsletter highlighting new reads applicable for military professionals that rewards subscribers with the opportunity to win a free book.

I did say FREE! I recently was fortunate enough to score T-Minus AI by Michael Kanaan; so far it has not disappointed.

More importantly, this organization has tools for the anyone interested in self-development, whether you are an avid reader or not. Resources include:

- Military Reading Lists: Approved service reading lists and topical reading lists to guide your reading.

- Leadership Articles: Self explanatory.

- Back Page Notes: These summarize some of the best military books in 1-2 pages.

- Book Reviews: These help you ensure you are picking up the right book before committing to what you read.

- Memoirs From Command: Lessons learned from command.

- Free Book Giveaways: I like free things . . .

- Podcast

I encourage you to check out their website (https://www.dodreads.com/) and follow them on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/DODReads)!

"If you haven't read hundreds of books, you are functionally illiterate, and you will be incompetent, because your personal experiences alone aren't broad enough to sustain you."
- GEN James Mattis

Army Leader Exchange CAPL - Center for the Army Profession and Leadership 1st Medical Brigade 44th Medical Brigade 62ND MEDICAL BRIGADE U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence Army Medicine Regional Health Command-Atlantic Navy Medicine U.S. Air Force Medical Service - AFMS Medical Service Corps Chief

11/04/2020

A Hundred Hints for Company Commanders

Clear and simple advice or guidance for junior subordinates has been a hallmark of successful commanders. The best of this advice stands the test of time.

This document is a compilation of just this type of advice and was published by the Australian Corps' 4th Infantry Brigade before its deployment to World War I. Hat tip to The Cove - Australian Army for sharing this!

Below are a few pieces of advice that stuck out to me.

- Success in battle is the sole object and ultimate end of all military training.

- Mistakes must always be corrected on the spot: otherwise incorrect habits are formed, which are afterwards difficult to eradicate, and thereby valuable training time is wasted.

- When faults occur, it is often not the individual who is to blame, but the supervision of a superior officer may have been lax, or his instructions defective. Such causes of faulty behavior should be vigilantly sought for and corrected.

- Solicitude for the comfort and well-being of his men must be the first concern of every officer. He must assure himself that everything possible in the situation has been done to secure for them rest, protection against surprise, food, and sanitary conditions, before looking to himself.

- Never interfere with the performance of any duty for which a subordinate is responsible, unless his performance of it is incorrect. If you do, the responsibility becomes yours and you are checking the initiative of the subordinate, and his desire to bear responsibility.

- Gain the confidence of your NCO’s, as they have, through their associations, an inside knowledge of the spirit and feeling of the [Soldiers] in the ranks that an officer can never obtain.

- Tactical principles can be learnt from books, but they cannot be properly understood unless they are constantly applied in the field under constantly varying conditions of ground and situation.

- Proficiency in elementary training is the foundation of success. The more thorough the grounding in the rudiments, the more rapidly will the men benefit from advanced training. Company, Battalion, and Brigade drill are merely extensions of squad drill; the [Soldiers] in the ranks performing only the movements which they learnt at recruit drill.

- It is often better to act quickly, decisively, and energetically upon a provisional plan than to lose time in perfecting your plan by prolonged consideration. Any plan or action is better than none at all.

- Soldiers have constantly to perform onerous, disagreeable and irksome duties. They will do so the more cheerfully if they understand that these duties are in the interests of their own comfort, health and safety.

- Discipline which is obtained by punishment, cannot be compared with that of a force animated by the honor of the regiment, confidence in their officers and comrades, and the knowledge that, in their spirit, equipment, and training, they are equal, if not superior, to any force they may meet in battle.

- The force of example is the most powerful factor in leadership. The conduct of [Soldiers], in camp, in the field, and in battle is an exact reflex of the conduct of their commanders. The officers must, therefore, rigorously practice every soldierly virtue which they desire [Soldiers] to acquire.

This is only a small collection of the 100 hints. I encourage you to read all of them here: https://cove.army.gov.au/article/one-hundred-hints-company-officers

U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence Army Medicine 1st Medical Brigade 44th Medical Brigade 62ND MEDICAL BRIGADE U.S. Army Pacific Regional Health Command-Pacific 67J Aeromedical Evacuation Officers U.S. Army Nurse Corps 56th Multifunctional Medical Battalion 232nd Medical Battalion

11/03/2020

Newly Published ATP 4-02.10 THEATER HOSPITALIZATION

In August, the U.S. Army Combined Arms Doctrine Directorate published ATP 4-02.10, Theater Hospitalization. Many of you had been waiting for this to be released as you are either assigned to a recently transitioned Hospital Center (HC) or Field Hospital (FH) or are assigned to a Combat Support Hospital (CSH) that will transition soon.

This is an important and valuable read. As you read it, keep in mind that Army Medicine is leaning forward to put this tool in your hands. Some of the TTPs offered in this ATP are based on a limited number of exercises and operational employment experiences of these new formations. More feedback is required - do your part and help grow our professional body of knowledge! Read below to see what to expect in this publication.

TOPICS ADDRESSED:

Chapter 1: Description of hospitalization, the care provided by deployed hospitals, and an overview of the two types of operational Army hospitals.

Chapter 2: CSH mission, organization, and functions.

Chapter 3: HC & FH mission, organization, and functions.

Chapter 4: Describes hospital surgical and medical augmentation team's missions, organizations, and
functions.

Chapter 5: Operational considerations such as employment of medical units, hospital medical supply and logistics, Army Health System (AHS) support in specific operational environments, and deceased personnel.

Chapter 6: Law of Armed Conflict and Geneva Convention compliance.

Appendix A: Operational considerations for employing Role 3's, basic water consumption planning factors, CL VIII consumption, blood and oxygen requirements, and hospital feeding.

Appendix B: Nutrition care in Role 3 facilities.

Appendix C : Information systems used in Role 3 facilities.

Appendix D: Information pertaining to all types of waste disposal considerations.

Appendix E: Safety considerations, programs, and reporting specific to medical treatment facility organizations.

Appendix F: Hospitalization support during the four Army strategic roles: operations to shape, operations to prevent, large-scale combat operations, and operations to consolidate gains.

The U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence Doctrine Literature Division has been working hard to update our doctrine; this is just one of their efforts. If you have feedback or recommendations, I encourage you to reach out and provide that feedback.

For those of you with experience in a FH or HC, I encourage you to share some wisdom in a comment.

Download the ATP here: https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/ARN30125-ATP_4-02.10-000-WEB-1.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3SPX7edrTJAOUVdzxDt72CFOags8rgs6udghQQ9Gt7vuut5Ww3iS4saV8

531st Hospital Center 1st Medical Brigade 30th Medical Brigade 44th Medical Brigade 62ND MEDICAL BRIGADE 65th Medical Brigade 18th Medical Command (Deployment Support) 807th Medical Command (Deployment Support) 3d Medical Command Deployment Support Desert Medics Regional Health Command-Atlantic 512th Field Hospital 10th Field Hospital

10/31/2020

Dual-Hatting Medical Augmentation Detachment Commanders in the Field Hospital

In 2017, the U.S. Army began a force design update (FDU) restructuring Army Role 3 hospitals from a legacy Combat Support Hospital (CSH) to a Hospital Center / Field Hospital (FH). During this restructuring, the MTOE changed the command role in a CSH, from 05A (U.S. Army Medical Department (AMEDD) branch immaterial position) to a Nurse Corps medical-surgical (66H) or critical care (66S) nurse in Medical Augmentation Detachments with the additional assignment as staff nurses when deployed. This dual-hatting created challenges within the organization in time management, personnel management, and equipment and supply accountability.

After multiple training rotations and real-world #COVID19 response missions, four officers from the 10th Field Hospital combined their experiences and analysis to write this article.

KEY POINTS:

- The role of Commander is of vital importance and is all encompassing.

- When performing any real-world mission, whether COVID-19 response or large-scale combat operations, the concept of a dual-hatted commander is unreasonable.

- Upon completing the math for time requirements as a commander and a clinician, there is insufficient time left for sleep and no time left for personal health and welfare, physical training, or resiliency tasks.

- Dual-hatting is detrimental to the officer's health, places patients at risk, and degrades the sacred trust of command.

This is an important challenge we must think through collectively as Army Medicine leaders. I encourage you to read the whole article here: https://medium.com/experientia-et-progressus/dual-hatting-medical-augmentation-detachment-commanders-in-the-field-hospital-33ba57276dd

PROPOSED SOLUTION:
The recommendation the authors make is to bifurcate the command position, keeping an U.S. Army Nurse Corps officer in the command role and adding a staff nurse to the MTOE to fulfill the patient care role.

Do you agree with this recommendation? Why or why not? If not, what do you propose?

1st Medical Brigade 30th Medical Brigade 32d Medical Brigade 44th Medical Brigade 62ND MEDICAL BRIGADE 65th Medical Brigade Regional Health Command-Atlantic U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence 512th Field Hospital 531st Hospital Center HHC, 11th Field Hospital 9th Hospital Center 32nd Hospital Center 528th Hospital Center 131 Field Hospital 627th Hospital Center 549th Hospital Center