Page 30 - QARANC Vol 20 No 2 2022

30 The Gazette QARANC Association
AMSTEE 2022
Months of hard work and training pay off
In June, the Army Medical Services Tactical Training Exercise (AMSTTE) commenced in Wathgill, North Yorkshire – an arduous annual military skills competition consisting of 13 stands that run over three days.
Our team consisted of five nurses, a medical student, a physiotherapist and an office manager – five females, three males. We deployed into the exercise area on Friday 10 June, setting up our harbour area under the stars. We managed a few hours’ sleep and the following morning, cooked rations for breakfast and packed our bergens
team this was the last big push and we gave it our all.
During the run the route was lined with people cheering us which was an immense help and with every cheer we dug deeper.
At last - the presentation of the awards! 204 (North Irish) Field Hospital were hailed as the first placed reserve team and third overall in the competition. The atmosphere was electric, and we understood that six months of hard work, dedication and commitment to physical and skills team training had paid off.
AMSTEE is an experience I will never forget and one that I am very grateful to be a part of. The team camaraderie was something that I have never experienced before, and I will strive to bring the examples of teamworking back to my NHS day job.
Cpl Rebecca Topping
204 (NORTH IRISH) FIELD HOSPITAL
BELFAST
The competition allows regular and
reserve units to test their medical
and military skills in a competitive
format. It challenges Nerves and ready for the exercise that
leadership abilities and styles, command and control, teamwork, and an opportunity to work with international partners. A total of 18 teams entered, including two international teams.
lay ahead.
anticipation At 7am the first stand
I have been with 204
(North Irish) Field Hospital
in Northern Ireland for
three years and I work as a band five staff nurse in the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast. This was my first year representing our unit and I doubted if I could match the high standards expected of the competition, having heard how difficult it is.
arrived back at the harbour area, exhausted physically and mentally.
After completing our 13th and final stand on the Sunday it was time to compete in the grand finale – a PT stand. This consisted of carrying a 40kg dummy uphill. We knew as a
were high, but our team quickly settled, and we put our training into action
commenced. Nerves and anticipation were high, but our team quickly settled, and we put our training into action. Team morale grew stronger after each stand when we realised how well we were working. After a gruelling 16-hour day we