Page 16 - Luke AFB Thunderbolt, June 1 2018

16 June 2018 news www.aerotechnews.com/lukeafb
Thunderbolt http://www.luke.af.mil
abundance of teaching and mentoring interac- tions.
In a sea of deliberately designed chaos, the pressure of performance is equally felt as an in- structor; the difference in outcome is determined by how seriously you shoulder the full weight of responsibility that comes with modeling the ideal officer. Due to the nature of your position as flight commander, cadets typically have extremely high expectations of you. This heavy expecta- tion to perform has the potential to amplify the motivation of the individual flight commander in a way that pushes you to want to be better. With this responsibility comes great reward, for you are truly affecting more individual change than you will ever imagine, and you’re doing it by simply paying attention to how you handle yourself as an officer.
Being a flight commander has allowed me the time to improve in areas such as public speaking, articulated thought and speech, time manage- ment, increased openness to creative on-the-fly leadership, peer leadership, defining repeatable processes, conflict resolution, counseling and delivering clear expectations. It also has allowed me to understand the tremendous value of indi- vidual and team goals.
I am truly grateful for the opportunity to be a flight commander at OTS as it has provided me with the perfect environment to sharpen critical leadership skills while at the same time allowing for the possibility to make an immediate and lasting positive impact on hundreds of future Air Force officers. We all have areas we can improve when it comes to leadership; the catharsis takes place when we boldly peer into the abyss and decide to face our shortcomings. This is where true change takes place.
Luke expedites patient
results with network-
approved CT scanner
by Airman 1st Class ASPEN REID
56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
Over the past two years, Luke’s radiology personnel have saved the Air Force time and money since they began using the first secured network- approved computed tomography scanner.
The CT scanner allows 56th Medical Group personnel to process scans here instead of sending patients off-base to have scans accomplished, effectively cutting out the middle man.
“Having this CT scanner here at Luke, we’re saving the patients travel time and the expense of going to hospitals on the other side of town,” said Daniel Hunt, 56th MDG computed tomography technologist. “We’re able to get the patient’s results up to two weeks faster than at off-base medical facilities.”
The CT scanner also cuts in half the time it took for older models to complete a scan, which reduces the patients’ overall exposure to radiation.
With the machine connected to an Air Force secure network, scans can be accessed Air Force wide, Hunt said.
Radiology technicians have completed more than 6,000 scans, saving up- ward of $3,000 per scan, since the 56th MDG began using the CT scanner.
“I can’t even tell you the thousands of dollars we’ve saved the by having this unit here,” said Staff Sgt. April Grant, 56th MDG X-ray technician.
Having CT scanners connected to the secure network is one way the Air Force is ensuring it provides high-quality healthcare to today’s Airmen to increase overall Airmen health and improve mission readiness.
oTS
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that lies at the foundation of being a leader. Sub- ordinates, peers and supervisors alike thrive on clearly thought out communication and intent. It is not enough to simply understand the impor- tance of precise speech. You must practice this skill just like any other.
What I’ve come to realize as a flight command- er that isn’t self-evident is that when it comes to sharpening your ability to connect with people in meaningful and productive ways, you really have to pay attention. Making the conscious effort to do things like being more attentive to people and more precise in your speech begins to create the habit of metacognition, that is, thinking about how you think. This is how you can begin to slowly influence those micro habits of your own personal leadership into becoming more effective. The fast-paced daily routine of a flight commander forces the examination of those inefficient or ineffective leadership habits. In this environment, the shortcomings of your unconscious habits rear their loathsome heads and demand immediate attention.
It’s important to remember that as a flight commander, a significant part of your duties involves teaching, and the foundation of teach- ing is centered on developing a relationship with each person in the room, albeit a brief one. On the face of it, it may seem as though the activity of guiding a discussion or teaching a lecture is a one-way flow of information, but this is definitely not the case. If you allow yourself to explore the material at hand using the knowledge and experience of a flight of students, you, the flight commander, have the potential to learn just as much, if not more than your students from the
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