Category: US Navy

Source: United States Navy (Medical)

Radiologic technologists are some of the unsung and almost unseen heroes in the healthcare world.

Yet the imaging technology they employ is eye-opening.

The hospital corpsmen trained as radiologic technologists are invaluable in providing high-definition imagery for radiologists to interpret and treat patients at Navy Medicine Readiness Training Command Bremerton.

For the week of November 4-8, 2024, the entire Radiology Department – along with the rest of the military treatment facility – is celebrating National Radiologic Technology Week with daily instructive puzzles, educational staff training and equipment demonstrations.

One such radiologic technologist is Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Dustin Fulton. The Salt Lake City, Utah native wasn’t planning on becoming a rad tech after completing corpsman school, originally wanting to become a physical therapist instead. Yet he was told his top program choice was full, but the rad tech program had availability.

Fulton reflected, “by that time I’d already lived a life full of x-rays because I was a patient for a lot of my childhood.”

It seemed like the natural next professional step for his Navy Medicine career.

Fulton estimates he has broken nearly thirty bones growing up, “between toes, fingers and sports injuries I was always in the medical office with the x-ray machine,” he joked.

Now on the other side of the machine, Fulton routinely provides x-rays to help with patient diagnosis. He advocates that the coolest part being in a rad tech is the regular opportunity to build a relationship with those he’s assisting with their healthcare needs, his patients.

“You might first meet the patient in the Urgent Care Clinic at the first point of injury. Then you’re following them into routine radiology. Maybe a couple weeks later they’re back and you’re talking with them about how they’re recovering and healing,” Fulton said.

There are seven rad techs assigned to the Directorate of Clinical Support Services, and last year they helped provide more than 16,700 total diagnostic exams, which include near 9,250 x-rays, over 900 CT scans, approximately 85 cone beam CT scans, 800 mammograms, 1,090 MRIs, and 745 ultrasounds. There were also approximately 1,290 x-rays at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard detachment clinic: over 950 x-rays at the Navy Medicine Readiness Training Unit Bangor (clinic) and approximately 1,550 x-rays at NMRTU Everett [David R. Ray Clinic].

Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Daisy Kenady from El Paso, Texas, said Orthopedic imaging is her favorite task in the clinic because, “Orthopedic(s) is where all the action is. You see all of the fractures and injuries up close.”

Physicians use orthopedic imaging to get a better look at bones, muscles, tendons, nerves, cartilage, and other structures. Along with physical examinations, imaging tests can provide valuable information that leads to an accurate diagnosis and the best treatment possible.

“It’s great to see when a patient is feeling better,” exclaimed Kenady.

The crucial role which each of the rad techs rad tech provide makes their specialty an integral part of patient care, as well as a highly marketable resource.

“The Navy has gotten us so well-trained. We are a hot commodity once we leave the military and enter the civilian sector,” said Fulton.

Despite that, Fulton reenlisted, relishing knowing that his skill level and commitment to his craft in getting the perfect image relies on his ability to position patients and work the machinery correctly.

“Both Fulton and Kenady have provided an immense amount of support for our department,” said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Gregory L. DeShields Jr., Clinical Support Services leading petty officer.

DeShields emphasized both sailors utilize their experience, attention-to-detail, and desire on a daily basis to maximize their potential to provide invaluable patient care to NMRTC Bremerton service members and their beneficiaries.

One eye-opening image at a time.

Source: United States Navy (Medical)

Hospital corpsmen, by virtue of being the largest occupational rate, have one of the most varied career fields in the Navy. From dental hygienists serving in bustling medical centers in metropolitan areas to x-ray technicians; from independent-duty corpsmen on submarines to combat patrols on land. Corpsmen are needed wherever the Navy and Marine Corps are; at sea or otherwise.

Chief Hospital Corpsman Arland Yancey is one such Sailor. Despite joining the Navy to serve on a ship, Yancey is on deployment as ship’s company for the first time in his 15 year career, serving as the leading chief petty officer for medical and dental department aboard the first-in-class amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1).

Born and raised in Lake Jackson, Texas, Yancey moved to Colorado in his teenage years, where he finished high school. He had a conversation with his father after working odd-jobs such as truck driving, which steered him to the Navy. He enlisted shortly after graduating high school, in 2007.

“My dad told me, ‘You’re gonna do a ship, a scholarship for school, or you’re gonna go to a Navy ship,’” said Yancey. “I chose the Navy ship.”

Yancey went to the recruiter and decided on being a corpsman after being told what the job entailed. He graduated Recruit Training Command in 2008, after which he learned his rating and was ready to hit the fleet.

Ironically, Yancey’s first assignment was to 1st Marine Division in Camp Pendleton, Calif. as a “green side” corpsman. He served as a combat medic, or “doc,” as Marines call them with great reverence.

He checked into the command at the end of the unit’s pre-deployment work-up cycle. He described his first tour as a “learning curve.” Before his experience with the Marines, Yancey had never picked up a rifle, nor slept outside. He did both of those in the rain for the first time that tour.

“On my first field-op, I had a packing list on what I should bring,” said Yancey. “A) I didn’t know what a lot of it meant. And B) I was too lazy.”

As a result, Yancey slept on the wet ground with wet socks and no sleeping bag for a week.

“I learned a valuable lesson that I should read, and then ask questions,” said Yancey, grinning as he shared the story.

Since then, Yancey served multiple tours in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. He was consistently assigned to patrol bases which were manned by about 30 Marines, ready at any moment to face the hostile environment they were in. Yancey’s first experience on the “blue-side” of the Navy was at Naval Medical Center San Diego, working as a Drug Abuse Prevention and Assistance officer.

Now, Yancey serves as a leading chief petty officer for the medical and dental wings aboard Wasp. On a U.S. Navy ship, corpsmen serve in the capacity of pharmacists, lab technicians, and medics who are trained in treating battlefield trauma. When asked whether he uses his past experiences to teach his Sailors, Yancey said “[it] doesn’t help with the here-and-now.”

“Each world is unique to itself,” said Yancey. “Some parts of our own work-ups on Wasp were just as stressful as being deployed [to Afghanistan]. Going on four months with one liberty port? That’s tough!”

He humbly credits his Sailors for their on-going commitment to the medical department’s mission and for going “non-stop on day-to-day tasks.”

“I’m probably more blessed to have them as Sailors than [they are] having me as their chief,” said Yancey. “It’s absolutely an honor.”

Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Orlando Perez, a Sailor in Wasp’s medical department, gave his perspective on what that commitment looks like.

“I’m proud of the medical department,” said Perez. “We do a little bit of everything. We’re dentists, doctors, [and] a surgeon onboard. If someone has the sniffles to a broken leg, we can do it. The doctors trust [the corpsmen] to do procedures that we’ve trained to do. We have a solid crew.”

Although his department is tasked with jobs round the clock, Yancey encourages his corpsmen to get out and meet Sailors on the ship from every department and to help where they can. He understands that each department, with the exception of medical, contributes Sailors to perform necessary duties, such as environmental or security. As a result, Yancey likes to ask his Sailors, “What can medical do for the ship?”

“Each department on Wasp is dependent on the next one,” said Yancey. “Medical tries to lessen the load for every ‘Stinger’ on the boat, however we may.”

Yancey said he is excited “each and every day” to finally be at sea. “I fought 15 years to be a part of ship’s company,” said Yancey. “I like seeing other rates be able to do their jobs and learning something new from them. To be able to see the beginning, to really be out here… It’s motivating.”

Wasp is deployed as the flagship of the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group (WSP ARG)-24th MEU (SOC), conducting operations in the Naval Forces Europe and Africa area of operations, supporting U.S., Allied and partner interests in the region, including in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, to promote regional stability and deter aggression.

To learn more about HMC Yancey and his shipmates, follow USS Wasp’s adventures on Facebook and Instagram (@usswasp_lhd1).

To learn more about WSP ARG and 24th MEU (SOC) “Team of Teams,” visit their DVIDS feature page at https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/wasparg24thmeu.

Source: United States Navy (Medical)

Petty Officer 1st Class Edward Adjei, from Accra, Ghana, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to Naval Medical Readiness Logistics Command (NMRLC), Williamsburg, Virginia.

Adjei attended Kwahu Ridge Senior High School in Obo, in the eastern region of Ghana. Additionally, Adjei earned a master’s degree in public health from American Public University in 2022.

The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Accra.

“Growing up, experiencing different lifestyles and challenges helped me cultivate gratitude for my life experience,” said Adjei. “Being community-oriented emphasizes community and family relationships. Having resilience and adapting to changing circumstances builds inner strength.”

Adjei joined the Navy 13 years ago.

“I joined the Navy during the recession for job security and the benefits,” said Adjei. “One of my classmates was already in the Navy and encouraged me to join.”

Today, Adjei serves as a hospital corpsman and is a pharmacy technician.

“I like that I’m able to assist service members and their dependents with medications, questions and concerns, and build a relationship with my colleagues and patients,” said Adjei. “I find it rewarding to help patients navigate complex regimens.”

Headed by Capt. Christopher Barnes, NMRLC develops, acquires, produces, fields, sustains, and provides enduring lifecycle support of medical materiel solutions to the Fleet, Fleet Marine Force, and Joint Forces in high-end competition, crisis, and combat. At the forefront of Navy Medicine’s strategic evolution, NMRLC is well positioned to be the Joint Force’s premier integrated medical logistics support activity.

With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.

Adjei serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.

“We will earn and reinforce the trust and confidence of the American people every day,” said Adm. Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations. “Together we will deliver the Navy the nation needs.”

Adjei has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.

“I’m most proud of providing medical assistance during the Continuing Promise 2022 deployment with the USNS Comfort,” said Adjei. “We went to Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti and the Dominican Republic to help those in need who cannot afford treatment. A memorable place for me is Cartagena, Colombia, because some of the Afro-Latino culture is almost the same as Ghanaian culture.”

Adjei can take pride in serving America through military service.

“Serving in the Navy means selflessly contributing to something greater than myself and developing valuable skills,” said Adjei.

Source: United States Navy (Medical)

Seaman Bryan Rodriguez-Vecchioly, a sailor from Ponce, Puerto Rico, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to Naval Medical Readiness Logistics Command (NMRLC), Williamsburg, Virginia.

Rodriguez-Vecchioly, a 2017 graduate of Adventist Academic High School, joined the Navy eight months ago. Additionally, Rodriguez-Vecchioly graduated from Interamerican University in Ponce, Puerto Rico, with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology.

“After graduating college, I worked in a lab making chemical solutions for eye lenses,” said Rodriguez-Vecchioly. “After working there, I felt I could do more professionally. As a technical, I worked on the machines that created the lenses. I was going to join the USFA, but the jobs offered were different from what I wanted to do. I was qualified for many other jobs, including bio-engineering and pharmacist, histopathology, diagnostic imaging and other occupations. The Navy was more receptive to helping me achieve my professional dreams.”

The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Puerto Rico.

“I learned that patience is key,” said Rodriguez-Vecchioly. “When I was in boot camp, I experienced a stress fracture in my knee. I spent 11 weeks on medical hold to allow my knee to heal. I spent five months recuperating and during that time, it was difficult to remain motivated, but resilience proved successful and now, I am serving on active duty. It’s hard when you see those you started with graduating and I am still left behind. While I was in recovery, I used that time to remain focused.”

Today, Rodriguez-Vecchioly serves as a logistics specialist responsible for operating financial accounting systems and managing inventories of repair parts and general supplies.

“What I like most about my job are the varieties and opportunities that I have that would help me create my military and civilian resume,” said Rodriguez-Vecchioly.

Headed by Capt. Christopher Barnes, NMRLC develops, acquires, produces, fields, sustains, and provides enduring lifecycle support of medical materiel solutions to the Fleet, Fleet Marine Force, and Joint Forces in high-end competition, crisis, and combat. At the forefront of Navy Medicine’s strategic evolution, NMRLC is well positioned to be the Joint Force’s premier integrated medical logistics support activity.

With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.

Rodriguez-Vecchioly serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.

“We will earn and reinforce the trust and confidence of the American people every day,” said Adm. Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations. “Together we will deliver the Navy the nation needs.”

Rodriguez-Vecchioly has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.

“I have many goals to accomplish however, at the moment, graduating from boot camp where I spent five months is my proudest accomplishment in the Navy,” said Rodriguez-Vecchioly.

Rodriguez-Vecchioly can take pride in serving America through military service.

“Serving in the Navy means being a better version of myself,” added Rodriguez-Vecchioly. “This gives me a chance to see what I can become. I can be a better version of myself – a better husband, a better citizen and a great future father.”

Source: United States Navy (Medical)

Naval Medical Forces Pacific (NMFP) conducted a Command Post Exercise (CPX) at Naval Medical Center San Diego, October 29-31, as part of Exercise Keen Sword 25, highlighting Navy Medicine’s readiness and expeditionary medical capabilities.

Keen Sword is a biennial, joint and bilateral field-training exercise involving U.S. military and Japan Self-Defense Forces personnel, designed to increase readiness and interoperability while strengthening the U.S.-Japan alliance.

The CPX served to ensure that NMFP’s deployable Task Group headquarters maintains key skill sets and remains prepared to support Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMPACFLT) in regional operations.

“Our objective is to confirm our readiness to support COMPACFLT and the joint force with essential Health Service Support (HSS) functions and establish conditions for future operations,” said Cmdr. Noah Apusen, deputy director of the NMFP’s Maritime Operations Center.

The CPX tested the team’s ability to coordinate medical operations under austere conditions, replicating the challenges of a contested environment. It simulated coordinated efforts to sustain the joint force through command and control (C2), medical logistics, patient movement, and force health protection, bringing together personnel from NMFP, Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) San Diego, NMRTC Yokosuka, NMRTC Guam, NMRTC Camp Pendleton, and elements of Expeditionary Medical Facility (EMF) Alpha and the reserve component EMF Camp Pendleton.

Months of planning, working groups, and “road-to-crisis” briefings contributed to the team’s success, despite challenges, including managing high operational tempo with limited communication, Apusen explained.

“Our team met the training objectives, demonstrating command and control, establishing Role 3 hospitalization, moving critical supplies, and coordinating multi-modal patient movement,” Apusen said. “This exercise builds our ‘bench’ by acclimating new Task Group members to their responsibilities, from medical logistics to battle watch and patient movement.”

The CPX also underscored the support provided to medical units supporting the warfighters, like the Expeditionary Medical Facility (EMF) 150-Bravo, which concurrently conducted field training alongside the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) at Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan, from Oct. 23 to Nov. 1. The exercise demonstrated EMF Bravo’s capacity to integrate with JSDF counterparts in mass casualty scenarios, refining Role 2 to Role 3 casualty evacuation procedures, multi-service ward bed expansion, and walking blood bank activation.

Rear Adm. Guido Valdes, commander of NMFP, emphasized the value of these exercises in enhancing the responsiveness of Navy Medicine.

“Exercises like the CPX and EMF Bravo’s field training with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces exemplify the power of collaboration and preparation,” Valdes said. These scenarios reinforce our ability to provide timely, life-saving medical support under any conditions, which is vital to maintaining the readiness of our warfighters.”

Naval Medical Forces Pacific (NMFP) provides oversight for 10 Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Commands (NMRTC), on the West Coast and Pacific Rim that train, man, and equip medical forces, primarily in military treatment facilities. Globally, NMFP oversees eight research laboratories that deliver research expertise in support of warfighter health and readiness. Additionally, NMFP manages the Naval Expeditionary Medicine Warfighter Development Center (NEMWDC), which plays a critical role in preparing medical teams for expeditionary and operational environments.

Source: United States Navy (Medical)

Leaders from Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) held an executive planning conference at the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar Officer’s Club, October 29 and 30. The purpose of the conference was to collaborate on strategies to accomplish NMCSD’s joint mission with Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) San Diego and synchronize these lines of effort (LOE) in support of Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), Surgeon General (SG) and Defense Health Agency (DHA) objectives.

While NMCSD is a DHA military treatment facility (MTF) providing health care services, NMRTC San Diego maintains command and control of all Navy personnel assigned to the MTF and focuses on expeditionary medicine. These organizations operate in parallel, sharing the same physical location and leadership—the NMCSD director is also the NMRTC commanding officer.

The team’s effort focused on opportunities, actions, challenges, and mitigations to achieve a collective plan for success on matters such as the Integrated Referral Management and Appointing Center (IRMAC) expansion, patient experience and satisfaction, virtual health, critical staffing deficits and improving hiring timelines.

There are two overarching command priorities which are staffing and patient volume, explained Capt. Elizabeth Adriano, NMCSD director and NMRTC San Diego commander.

“We need to make sure that we’re all on the same page, playing with the same sheet of music, moving toward the same goals,” said Adriano. “And in order to get there, we may have to have some hard conversations.”

The foundation for the conference, laid out by Adriano during her opening statements, is to build upon what has been accomplished during the last year, discuss support expectations and leverage prior challenges to improve mission and lines of effort. She added that the CNO’s priorities and Culture of Excellence (COE 2.0) will be their guiding principles.

“Those are all super important moving forward. Those are the philosophies, the ways of life, the ways of communicating, the ways of supporting our people that are going to underpin what we do,” said Adriano.

Capt. Marcy Morlock, NMCSD and NMRTC San Diego executive officer, emphasized how the two-day meeting supports a unified strategy that incorporates objectives from the CNO, SG and DHA.

“When you look at the CNO’s principles, the SG’s priorities and DHA priorities, there are a lot of commonalities, which leaves plenty of opportunities for integration and collaboration because we are all part of the same DoD mission,” Morlock said.

Morlock also shared her optimism with the group, pointing out that, “What we’ve done in 16 months speaks volumes to the dedication and commitment of the San Diego team. We are a large medical center and being able to accomplish all that we have in such a short period of time is nothing short of amazing. We need to make sure we don’t lose sight of this.”

Senior enlisted leader Command Master Chief Adolfo Gonzalez conducted an overview of the CNO’s guidance, the COE 2.0 approach and the “Get Real, Get Better” (GRGB) leadership standards as a guiding principle for the conference. According to My Navy HR, COE 2.0 “focuses on building Great People, Great Leaders, and Great Teams, with the knowledge that this is the best way to prepare for victory in combat, innovate and solve hard problems, and prevent human behaviors.”

On the second day of the conference, leaders from Naval Hospital and NMRTC Camp Pendleton joined the San Diego team to discuss mutual interests, including joint initiatives for a patient transfer center, pharmacy, and virtual medical center. With both MTFs being just over 40 miles apart, these collaborations seek to leverage resources and expertise that can be shared in support of their joint mission of delivering health care excellence and building readiness.

Rear Adm. Guido Valdes, Naval Medical Forces Pacific commander and Defense Health Network Pacific Rim director with oversight of the MTF and NMRTC, talked about the importance of this meeting and shared his thoughts about the future of military medicine in Southern California.

“Your two military treatment facilities serve as powerful engines of growth for our Network,” said Valdes. “The proximity of your facilities is a strategic advantage that we’re fortunate to have. This is about bringing our capabilities together, fostering cooperation, and strengthening mutual support. As we continue to mature our Network and our NMRTCs move out on expeditionary medicine, I’m very optimistic about our ability to deliver both superior health care and enhanced readiness.”

As the conference concluded, Adriano told the San Diego and Camp Pendleton teams that they were going to develop best practices and push them out to the other DHA Networks so “we can all work smarter, not harder.”

She added, “We are the tip of the spear; a medically ready force responsible for the exceptional, patient-centered care that we deliver in our military treatment facilities and that we provide to our warfighters when we deploy, anytime, anywhere, always.”

The mission of NMCSD is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high quality health care services, and shape the future of military medicine through education, training, and research. NMCSD employs more than 5,000 active-duty military personnel, civilians and contractors in southern California to provide patients with world-class care. Anchored in Excellence, Committed to Health!

(U.S. Navy story by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class James R. Mitchell)