Afghan medics improve job skills at FOB Sharana

PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – While Afghan National Army soldiers are taking the lead in missions conducted around Regional Command-East, they are also taking the brunt of the attacks and injuries sustained here. To mitigate this, ANA combat medics have to be that much more proficient at their craft to provide adequate medical treatment for their fellow ANA Soldiers.

ANA medics are participating in a week-long medical course, taught by U.S. Army Soldiers from the 172nd Support Battalion, at Forward Operating Base Sharana starting Oct. 25. The course is designed to teach basic clinical procedures, minor surgical procedures, first-aid and treating head trauma and concussions.

“They are doing well and they really appreciate the training,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Sean Segroves, of Schweinfurt, Germany, a senior medical advisor from the 172nd Support Battalion. “A lot of the techniques we are teaching, they haven’t seen or used before.”

According to Segroves, the course is similar to the U.S. Army’s combat lifesaver course in length and curriculum, but the class is focused more on trauma and includes techniques and procedures not learned in CLS.

The class keys in on several different areas of the body, emphasizing procedures and techniques that ANA medics believe are priorities based on their experiences gained on prior missions.
   
“We have classes for different types of treatment: head injury, chest injury, abdominal injury and today we also talked about how to stop bleeding,” said ANA Sgt. Zahir Atifi, a combat medic, 52nd Medical Co.

Segroves says the classes are going well and the ANA medics are learning and responding well despite the language gap.

“The hardest part is definitely the language barrier,” said Segroves. “They are willing to learn and they are capable, but going through a translator, something critical I say may be misinterpreted.”

According to Segroves, an added benefit to this program is that it gives the ANA medics the tools to go back and train their fellow Soldiers.

“We are starting a train-the-trainer program,” said Segroves. “The intent is that they are going to bring these skills back to their medical company and they are going to train their medics on what they learned here.”

The ANA medics are confident that they will continue the work started here at FOB Sharana, and utilize the extra skills sets to train and work with their fellow ANA Soldiers.

“I am 100 percent certain that I am going to bring this training to my ANA people, that way they can help save the lives of people suffering from injuries,” said Atifi.

With an arsenal of medical techniques and procedures in their tool belt, the ANA are poised to return back to their units and guide their fellow ANA Soldiers by sharing the skills they learned here.

“It is important to know that we are not just staying here and doing everything for them,” said Segroves. “We are giving them training for them to train themselves. That way we can step out of the role of the trainer and they can be the ones to lead their own.”