FORT HOOD, Texas -- From preseason to the Super Bowl, NFL fans cringe when a player sustains an ACL or meniscus tear. They know their favorite player is going to see some serious down time. Similarly, healthcare providers at Fort Hood wince when a Soldier sustains any musculoskeletal injury because they, too, know the stakes are high. For the Soldier it's not all about "W's and L's" or championships; it's about military readiness.
Recently, CRDAMC and 1st Cav. Div. healthcare providers came together for a two-day musculoskeletal training event. Impacting Soldier readiness by improving musculoskeletal injury management and communication were the goals.
"Musculoskeletal issues are the main reason impacting Soldier readiness," according to Lt. Col. Christopher Meyering, division surgeon 1st Cav. Div.
Getting Soldiers back to optimal health in the most efficient and effective manner possible is the goal of both teams and was the driving force for the training.
Maj. Leah Triolo, chief of orthopedic surgery service, organized the symposium which also provided continuing medical education credits to participants.
Triolo and Meyering collaborated on developing the correct classroom and hands-on training mix for participants. They wanted to ensure the physician assistants serving as first-line providers share the language of the medical specialist at CRDAMC.
"Readiness is our number one priority," Meyering said, "It is the message the CSA, the TSG, and all other Army leaders continue to remind us about."
"Our providers - from the FORSCOM side - are the ones who see and treat injured Soldiers first," Meyering said. "So improving communication and management of these issues could mean less downtime for the Soldier."
The ability to identify and communicate the specifics of the injury to the orthopedic specialists can make a difference when it comes to readiness.
It's important to understand when an issue needs to be referred to specialist right away," Maj. Steven Potter, chief orthopedics, said. Potter encouraged the PA's to trust their training, but feel comfortable making the referral.
Potter also gave a lecture on musculoskeletal injury diagnoses and referrals in order to bolster confidence and build relationships among providers. The lecture also included an interactive case study discussion.
"It's important that our guys know what to look for, and how to get the Soldiers over to specialty care quickly so that an injured Soldier can get treatment sooner," Meyering said. "We are one team, and we must work well together to improve readiness."
When it comes to accessing specialty care, neither team wants anyone to endure a longer wait than necessary.
The CRDAMC orthopedic team also emphasized the fact that the recovery process can't be rushed, but all agreed the initial care and management of the injury may help improve the recovery timeline.
Maj. Michelle Szczepanik, one of only two sports medicine physicians at Fort Hood, also reminded attendees that "our elite athletes do not have an 'off-season' to recover."
"The biggest benefit of the training is to improve the quality of the orthopedic consultation, thereby making the clinic more efficient in getting patients the access to care they require," Potter said.
Both teams agreed that at the end of the day, it's all about taking great care of the Soldiers.
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