Trainers from the Fort Johnson R2 Performance Center hosted a team-building event recently during the 32nd Hospital Center’s Foundational Training Day. The 32nd Hospital Center oversees Army Health Systems and can deploy up to two field hospitals during major combat operations and civil defense support missions. Teamwork is critical to their mission. Feeling valued and accepted can boost motivation and mental health, while a lack of belonging can lead to isolation, loneliness and decreased team effectiveness.
Trainers Janeane Hernandez, Kimmie Fontenot, Isaac White, Trevor Eidsen and Andrea Alvarez led a series of six team-based competitive activities designed to strengthen bonds, improve teamwork and communication, and overcome operational challenges. In the two-hour training session, service members from different sections and ranks collaborated through cognitive activities, choosing how to solve problems and share ideas. Success depended on teamwork and using one another’s strengths. Soldiers of this unit conducted tedious inventories, layouts and field-hospital setups.
“Communication and team cohesion between personnel is crucial to ensure critical care is provided and there is accountability of expensive medical property,” Hernandez said.
“The different medical detachments and sections of the field-hospital often work together to perform these operational duties.”
Teams were provided with a packet that included anagrams, a map, a scavenger hunt list and the points breakdown. Each group decoded the anagrams to reveal their assigned order of stations. They then traveled to each point on the map and completed the four cognitive stations and scavenger hunt. After they finished the challenges, they debriefed on what they learned about communication, strengths of character and team cohesion. Clear, open communication is vital for aligning a team toward the same mission.
“Communication creates a culture of trust within a team,” Hernandez said.
“When people feel comfortable communicating their feelings, needs and experiences, this can lead to a sense of understanding and increased connection with others. Feedback helps team members to hold each other accountable to the mission, expands potential for growth and strengthens relationships.”
Hernandez also said that recognizing and leaning on one another’s strengths as a team can reinforce the idea that every person plays a vital role within the unit.
“You can increase your sense of confidence and self-efficacy by being on the same team as someone who is more experienced and successful,” she said.
“For example, asking someone more experienced, ‘How would you go about approaching this?’ More experienced team members can also learn from newer, less experienced members by being flexible receptable to feedback, and by considering alternative solutions when old strategies aren’t working.”
After the training, the 32nd Hospital Center Commander, Col. Danielle K. Rodondi, expressed her gratitude to the trainers for designing and leading the event.
“You helped us to break down barriers, build trust and connect with each other on a deeper level,” Rodondi said.
“It's amazing to see our team’s collective creativity and problem-solving skills in action.”
Reach out to your nearest R2 Performance Center to schedule training to enhance your team’s cohesion. Visit https://www.armyresilience.army.mil/ard/R2/I-Want-to-Schedule-Training.html.
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