Air Force nurses receive readiness verification skills training Published Oct. 13, 2009 By Senior Airman Nicole Roberts 59th Medical Wing Public Affairs LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- More than 25 active duty nurses from the 59th Medical Wing received Readiness Verification Skills training Sept. 9 in the Wilford Hall Medical Center simulation center. The hands-on RSV training program is conducted quarterly at Wilford Hall to verify nurses are proficient in the basic to specialty-specific skills needed in patient care units in garrison and in the combat zone. Each active duty nurse must receive training, through this course or in their unit, every 20-40 months. Capt. Amber Barker, deputy RSV program functional manager, 59th Medical Inpatient Squadron, organized the quarterly skills lab training. "A gap analysis is performed from the quarterly reports provided by the individual Air Force specialty code to see if training deficits are apparent," said Captain Barker. "We augment our training to make sure the nurses are given the appropriate wartime training they need." Each nurse's RSV checklist is individualized by not only their AFSC, but also the unit tasking code to which they are assigned. The quarterly training consists of basic nursing skill requirements, including IV therapy; blood transfusion; tube/catheter management, such as chest tubes, intubation, and foley; traumatic injury management; airway management; wound management; and pediatric patient management. Pediatric patient management is a new addition to the RSV annual training this year. This task was added due to the increased numbers of pediatric patients encountered during deployments. "It was common to have three or four children show up at the theater hospital at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, because a mortar exploded outside their home, or they were thrown from a car during an accident that killed their parents," said Captain Barker. "It was a challenge for me to try and remember pediatric management from nursing school. I've received many compliments about the expert knowledge of our instructors and the re-familiarization of the information we gave the nurses." There were 15 volunteer instructors, from various units and backgrounds, involved in the Sept. 9 training. One instructor, Capt. MacKenzie Prince, registered nurse, 59th Emergency Medicine Squadron, volunteered to be available to verify night shift workers, which was a first for the program. "This year I wanted to make it convenient for all our nurses," said Captain Barker. "The quarterly training is held from 2 to 4 p.m., but I wanted to make sure night shift personnel could still get the training they needed at a time that would fit their schedules. This would not have been possible without the support and coordination of the simulation lab director, Mr. John Mechtel. He allowed us to utilize the lab throughout the night for training." Captain Prince trained four nurses, assigned to night shift, during times and dates convenient for them. "Captain Barker did an awesome job juggling the demands of her primary job and setting up the training day," said Lt. Col. Susan Davis, director, Nursing Resources, 59th MDW. "This training is crucial to ensure currency of our war readiness capabilities so we are ready to deploy."