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Minneapolis saves time, money with mass physicals

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Eric Amidon
  • 934th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL AIR RESERVE STATION, Minn. --  Members of the 934th Airlift Wing completed their Preventative Health Assessments en masse during the April unit training assembly, setting a benchmark within Air Force Reserve Command.

The 934th Aeromedical Staging Squadron conducted the PHAs, evaluating 945 Airmen during 350 long physicals and 595 short physical, increasing individual medical readiness by 4 percent,” said Senior Master Sgt. Becky Hanson, a medical air reserve technician from the 934th ASTS.

In the past, a long PHA generally took upwards of six hours to complete while a short PHA typically took about two hours to process. With the newly established method, that time was significantly reduced to an average of 30 minutes per long assessment and approximately 10 to 15 minutes per short assessment.

The wing is now saving nearly $100K through this process, according to 934th ASTS estimates.

Prior to the mass assessments, it would take approximately 45 personnel from the 934th ASTS to conduct nearly 90 PHAs during a UTA. These 45 personnel will now get one of those four-hour periods back during the 11 remaining UTAs each year. Collectively, wing members save nearly 3,000 manpower hours because of the streamlined process.

The 934th ASTS began pre-planning and coordination with wing leadership in March of 2015. Their goal at that time was to expedite the assessment process in order to meet the organizational readiness goals of the wing.

“We received positive feedback from both members of the wing and staff members participating in the execution of the process,” said Master Sgt. Kara Wrolstad. "Many Airmen expressed gratitude when they were finished with their physical due to the amount of time they saved from previous experiences."

“I can say with certainty that the mass physical was the most pleasant experience I’ve ever had at the medical facility,” said Master Sergeant Matthew Griffin, 934th weapons safety manager. “It was the quickest physical I’ve ever had and I had a long physical too. I probably went through the process in less than 20 minutes getting everything done. I would highly encourage the unit to continue that process,” Griffin explained.

The newly established process not only improved participant morale, but according to 1st Lt. Jon Polos, medial administrative officer, this development will also serve as a vehicle to alleviate stress on health monitors conducting the assessments. This in turn allowed for more time during the month to prepare for UTA’s and significantly increase training opportunities for nurses and medical technicians integrated throughout the new system.

In addition to the PHAs the 934th ASTS performed, more than 450 blood draws, 128 dental examinations and 103 hearing tests were performed during the April UTA.