An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Luke Reserve medical unit teams up with Mayo Clinic Arizona

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Phyllis E. Keith
  • 944th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  The 944th Aeromedical Staging Squadron achieved a readiness milestone here Sept. 9 when the Mayo Clinic Arizona agreed to form an educational affiliation with the unit.

The partnership will allow doctors, nurses and medical technicians from the 944th ASTS to train with one of the world's premier medical institutions.

"Our folks will visit Mayo Clinic's medical simulation lab and interact with their personnel," said Col. Curtiss B.Cook, 944th ASTS commander. "In addition, Mayo Clinic experts will come here and deliver lectures and help us build training scenarios."

Reaching out to civilian institutions is part of the Joint Medical Operations Training Initiative created by 944th ASTS leadership before Cook took over as commander in December 2011.

"The vision of JMOTI (pronounced jah-MO-tee) is to be truly joint," said Cook. "It is already a partnership between the 944th ASTS and 944th Medical Squadron. We plan to involve our active duty counterparts, sister services, and find other civilian collaborators."

The 944th ASTS currently trains with the 944th MDS, the 944th Civil Engineer Squadron fire department, and the 56th Medical Group here; and with Carl T. Hayden Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Phoenix, Ariz., and Scottsdale Healthcare Shea Medical Center in Scottsdale, Ariz., on the civilian side.

Senior Master Sgt. Sandra A. Ross, director of training for JMOTI with the 944th ASTS, toured Mayo Clinic medical simulation facilities in May with members of the squadron.
She was surprised that Mayo Clinic educators took time out from their busy schedules to brief them on best practices for simulation training.

"Mayo Clinic state of the art facilities were awesome," said Ross.

The Mayo Clinic medical simulation team consists of co-directors Jan Stepanek, M.D. and David Fortuin, M.D.; and education specialist Rebecca Wilson, Ph.D.

The openness of experts like Dr. Stepanek, who briefed them on how to get the most out of their simulation lab and how to build their training, left a lasting impression on Ross.

"Dr. Stepanek motivated us to believe we can train at a higher level, too," said Ross.

"Our training is above and beyond what the basic requirements for the Air Force are," said Lt. Col. Michael S. Chesser, chief of hospital services and the doctor on the Critical Care Air Transport Team for the 944th ASTS.

Chesser is one of the driving forces behind JMOTI. He said the unit raised the bar when they acquired the top-of-the-line Laerdal SimMan 3G, the same mannequin Mayo Clinic uses, in December 2011.

"Simulation is a hot topic in medical education," said Chesser. "We're tapping into the expertise of Mayo Clinic, Veterans Affairs hospitals, and Arizona universities to grow our training program."

"The more we know the better we can deal with whatever might come down the road," commented Ross. "That's what we get excited about."

The 944th ASTS mission--patient staging and critical care air transport--has prepared them to respond to natural disasters, terrorist attacks, or other domestic emergencies if called upon.

"Partnering with Mayo Clinic will improve our ability to handle trauma," said Cook.  The partnership with Mayo Clinic slated to start in the near future.

***
 
Col. Cook has been a reservist since May 2001. He is a full-time professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology at Mayo Clinic Arizona, College of Medicine, with a joint appointment in Executive, Occupational, and Aerospace Medicine. He holds an adjunct appointment in Bioinformatics at Arizona State University, Tempe, Ariz. PHOENIX magazine named Col. Cook a "Top Doctor" in 2009 and 2012 in the field of endocrinology.

Lt. Col. Michael S. Chesser has been a reservist since March 2006. He is a full-time internal medicine hospitalist whose primary role is teaching medical students and residents while caring for veterans at the Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center in Phoenix, Ariz., and a clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of Arizona's Phoenix campus.

Senior Master Sgt. Sandra A. Ross has been a reservist since 1996, with 24 years total military service; she works full time for City of Phoenix, Ariz.