War Skills for the USAF Nurse: Readiness to Deploy

The Air Force Medical Service is challenged to prepare for worldwide deployment in support of military missions. To meet the challenge, nurses must be trained so they are able to respond to any contingency. Currently, training opportunities for the largest group of nurses in the Air Force, 46N3 Staff Nurses, are extremely limited. The purpose of this training grant was to increase readiness of the Air Force 46N3 active duty nurses using a Web-based computer-assisted training program and an innovative simulation laboratory. In addition, this program formally evaluated how well the skills acquired during this training were sustained. The Web-based site provided a method for education on cognitive skills, including validated cognitive tests and information and a method for testing these skills 24-hours a day, 7 days a week. All the resources needed for the training were readily available. The second component was an innovative project, which through the use of contingency-appropriate scenarios and a state-of-the-art simulation model, provided a realistic representation of the types of casualties expected during various situations. The nurses had opportunity to train in a realistic environment with the equipment available in the contingency facilities. The essential component of this investigation was the systematic evaluation of the retention of this training. This formal evaluation facilitated evidence-based decisions by Medical Readiness planners concerning the frequency of training on these critical skills. The education and training staff in this program used advanced teaching methods to aid participants in developing the critical thinking skills and clinical judgment needed to increase medical readiness. In addition, the validated cognitive tests are available for dissemination to other Air Force Medical Treatment Facilities.

Final report is available on NTRL: https://ntrl.ntis.gov/NTRL/dashboard/searchResults/titleDetail/PB2008108...