MCAS Cherry Point  –   Sailors serving aboard Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, NC, refined their battlefield medicine skills the first week of August.

The Sailors, assigned to Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point, completed Tactical Combat Casualty Care, a program of instruction developed to teach lifesaving, evidence-based techniques to keep wounded patients alive in austere environments.

“TCCC [Tactical Combat Casualty Care] gives Cherry Point Corpsmen an opportunity to hone their edge and sharpen skills they may not use in a clinical setting,” said Navy Capt. Elizabeth Adriano, MD CPE FACOG, commander of Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point. “The training is realistic, it’s tough, it’s uncomfortable and it’s exactly what Cherry Point sailors need so they are ready for when they serve alongside Marines.”

Established on the base in March, clinic staff host classes monthly aboard MCAS Cherry Point. Clinic leadership made it a priority to procure instruction materials and certify instructors so sailors would not have to travel to Camp Lejeune or further to participate. Navy Medicine sailors assigned to clinic and 2nd Marine Aviation Wing are eligible to attend, refresh their skills and prepare for their follow-on assignment.

We are learning to use equipment and techniques our Corpsmen need to know out in the field, said Navy Lt. Amanda Gwyn, a TCCC student. It is important Navy officers to know and understand what is being taught here because we will also have to apply what we learn here to treat Marines and Sailors on tomorrow’s battlefield, she continued.

Realistic injuries and body parts on the mannequins allowed students to train in performing critical life-saving interventions, such as establishing an airway via cricothyroidotomy, treating tension pneumothorax and obtaining IV/IO access to provide adequate fluid resuscitation.

The three-day course started with classroom instruction August 2 and 3 within the clinic. Students received academic instruction and then practiced their skills on mannequins to familiarize themselves with techniques and equipment.

During the practical exercise held August 4, students encountered uncertainty, the hot North Carolina August weather and mannequins capable of breathing, bleeding and screaming. Amidst the high-stress environment, instructors evaluated the students’ performance and quizzed them on their medical knowledge.

“TCCC is the DoD standard of care for first responders,” said Hospital Corpsmen Second Class Michael Barros, a course instructor. “It is proven to provide essential pre-hospital trauma care that helps reduce potentially preventable deaths in the battlefield.”