JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
When a code blue is announced throughout a hospital, medical personnel instantly jump into action, putting all of their skills and training to immediate use. In order to save a life, however, these highly trained medical professionals had to receive the most up-to-date lifesaving skills.
U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the 633rd Medical Group education and training office at USAF Hospital Langley, Virginia, are responsible for providing the most current training practices so that individuals attending the courses can return to their units with elevated skills and knowledge.
"In an effort to make sure medical personnel deliver quality patient care, some of the major programs individuals are trained on include Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Basic Life Support and Pediatric Advanced Life Support," said U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Jose Torres, 633rd Inpatient Squadron multiservice unit clinical nurse.
According to Torres, the 633rd MDG education and training section follows the American Heart Association guidelines as a way to make sure they provide the best care for their patients.
"We try to get individuals the confidence they need as well as the knowledge and skills to take care of a situation [in the hospital]," said Torres. "If there is a code, we want them to be able to act and know all the right things to do."
In the education and training courses, the latest equipment and technology is utilized to make scenarios more realistic.
"It is vital that we get the latest equipment so that medical personnel know what to expect," said Torres. "We try to make sure the crash carts we train on closely simulate the ones used in the hospital, that way if there is a situation they will have the same equipment they've trained on."
The education and training section offers one or two ACLS, BLS and PALS classes each month for medical personnel to stay well equipped. In the case of a code blue, where a patient is unresponsive and has stopped breathing, 633rd MDG personnel are trained and ready to perform their duties to save a life.