Keeping in line with Naval Medical Center Portsmouth's promise of professional development and readiness, the Healthcare Simulation and Bio Skills Training Center is offering a new course, called "HM First."

This unique course is the first of its kind and offers corpsmen skills that they do not receive in any other training environment. HM First teaches NMCP Sailors clinical skills through realistic simulation training that prepares them for fleet-wide assignments. It also bridges the gap between HM "A" School and the fleet because these are skills that corpsmen typically learn through on-the-job training.

"It is not our goal to replicate any other program," said Chief Hospital Corpsman Christopher Crumpler, curriculum developer in the Healthcare Simulation and Bioskills Training Center. "This program is a stand-alone curriculum. We get a lot of questions on how we are different than the Tactical Combat Casualty Care course or the Sick Call Screeners course."
Unlike other courses available to corpsmen, this program focuses on a wide variety of highly retainable basic skills that apply to all operational platforms, gives students an entry level understanding of these skills, and improves their confidence to apply them.

Many of the amenities available to corpsmen in a large military treatment facility like NMCP will not be offered while on board a ship or deployed with a Fleet Marine Force or expeditionary unit. It can be very difficult for a corpsman to overcome certain obstacles if they have never experienced them before. The HM First course helps to alleviate these obstacles.
Topics covered include manual vital signs, history and documentation, toe nail removal, dermatology, basic triage, suturing, musculoskeletal examinations, fluorescein stain, venipuncture (IV placement) and trauma assessment.

Simulation aids and technologically advanced training mannequins are used throughout the course. These aids allow students to perform exams and procedures demonstrate a full range of signs and symptoms. Students will get to see a variety of inner ear conditions, hear numerous heart and lung sounds, gain confidence in venipuncture, and acquire experience that would take years if limited to treating traditional sick call patients.

Hospital Corpsman 1st Class (EXW/FMF) John Appleby, leading petty officer of the Critical Care Department, encourages all corpsmen to sign up for HM First because the training will give them a leg up at their next duty station.

"It gives you a chance to learn on-the-job training before you get on the job," Appleby said. "You will be able to hit the ground running at your next duty station, and be an asset from the first day rather than having to be taught basic corpsmen material."
Signing up for HM First is easy and no prerequisites are required. The course is only offered once every two months and class size ranges from eight to 12 students. The smaller class size ensures each participant receives the attention required to learn the material.
This training is geared toward NMCP corpsmen who have never been in an operational billet but have recently received orders to one. These Sailors will have priority if class size becomes limited. For more information on the HM First program and signing up, contact HMC Crumpler at (757) 953-5962 or HM1 Appleby at (757) 953-3458.

For more news from Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, visit www.navy.mil/local/NMCP/.