Page 35 - QARANC Vol 14 No 9 2014

Department of Healthcare Education (DHE) - Exercise Grey & Scarlet
EX Grey & Scarlet aim was to introduce and refresh individual basic military medical skills and developing leadership skills in the delivery of deployed healthcare.
EX Grey & Scarlet focused on making student nurses more aware of what their role will involve after training and also to promote cohesion amongst the entire unit. The exercise took place at Queen Elizabeth Barracks (QEB) and the Army Medical Services Training Centre (AMSTC) in Strensal, York.
Friday 28 March – Sunday 30 March 14
Arrived at QEB at approx. 2200hrs on Friday 28 March 14 and immediately received a briefing on the next day’s itinerary. With the emphasis on networking, students were split from their usual cohorts and were allocated a bed space either in a 10 or 4 man room with unit members they had not had contact with previously.
Reveille saw the students broken down into 5 groups each with a nominated Section Commander. The morning consisted of an opening address from Maj Carter QARANC and the Lt Colonel Palmer RAMC, Commanding Officer for the Defence School Healthcare Education. A series of well- informed lectures followed presented by senior personalities within DHE. The lectures gave students a great insight into a patient pathway, different operational roles i.e. roles 1, 2, 3 & 4 in retrospect to each service. Inclusive to this, there was much discussion and emphasis to contingency ops with the closing down of operations in Afghanistan later this year. Students were made aware that the nursing world will be changing drastically and the workload for the path
to recovery for soldiers who served in Afghanistan has only just begun. This meaning the focus would shift from ops to predominantly contingency ops, disease and non-battle injuries (DNBI) and also mental health fallout from OP HERRICK.
This was a great opportunity for students to hear some of the interesting experiences of senior staff within DHE and imagine themselves following similar paths in their own careers. It was also a chance to reflect on the sacrifices soldiers had made and how they will become part of the team to help those injured on the road to recovery.
The exercise was broken down into several stations thereafter in a round
robin style. Over the two days the students were given the privilege of using the Bastion Hospital simulator at AMSTC. DHE staff provided instruction and scenario based learning on a variety of topics relevant to current nursing within the three services. Amongst the session were triage, pain, patient pathway, DNIB, transfusion and an Emergency department scenario. There was too the opportunity to be brought back to our military roots with some command tasks on the first day and an assault course on day 2. Although this was not the main focus of the exercise and the famous phrase of “start sparking” was never uttered by any member of the training team and it gave the younger less experienced the opportunity to have a voice and become known within the department.
Furthermore to the cohesion activities DHE training staff hosted a social evening with curry and a couple of tins of lager for the students. The newest cohort (10/13) were given the opportunity or rather coerced to do a skit. The DHE staff got more than they bargained for with some hilarious impressions of the Department Sergeant Major WO2 Race QARANC, Academic Registrar Lt Commander Long QARNNS and even the commanding Officer Lt Colonel Palmer RAMC. This was followed by an address from the Commanding Officer where she alluded that being part of the DHE is an extreme privilege and students should grasp any opportunities presented to them. Furthermore she stated to remain focussed on the priority of becoming a professional in healthcare above all aspects of the military which respectively was taken by the majority to enjoy university life before entering the real world
and do the unit proud.
Despite the exercise being short the
information presented to students was of direct relevance to their future careers within the forces. There was a great emphasis on team building, low key leadership and discipline, which are part of the fundamental building blocks of military ethos across all three services.
It’s my privilege on behalf of all students within DHE who attended the exercise to thank all of the training staff for their hard work in creating this opportunity for everyone also to extend this gratitude to the staff at Queen Elizabeth Barracks and AMSTC for the use of their facilities. Pte G Wright
BSc Student Nurse
Defence School Healthcare Education
THE GAZETTE QARANC 33