Contemplating a New Model for Air Force Aerospace Medical Technician Skills Sustainment Training

Abstract : Two decades ago, Aerospace Medical Technicians received robust skills sustainment training through exposure to multifaceted patient treatment environments. Available training environments included inpatient care, outpatient care, and emergency services. This diverse training environment made possible through large operating budgets and an extraordinary infrastructure could not last. Today (after five separate base closure and realignment initiatives), medical funding and infrastructure is but a shadow of what it once was. Budget constraints and the rising cost of healthcare have necessitated a purposeful movement away from inpatient and emergency care, toward outpatient and preventative medicine. Although changes in Air Force health care delivery may be necessary, the closure of inpatient units and emergency service departments around the Air Force has significantly impacted the Air Force's ability to train medical professionals and paraprofessionals for operations in a deployed setting, especially in the area of medical skills sustainment training. This research attempts to provide an alternate model for aerospace medical skills sustainment training that will assist students and trainers in overcoming the training limitations realized in a training environment plagued by budgetary constraints and the near complete loss of inpatient and emergency services.