Military medical professionals serving in Haiti have a new way to stay on top of the latest training. The U.S. Army Simulation and Training Technology Center sent a Combat Medical Card Game to joint service medical units providing relief in Haiti.
Combat medics use the training game after duty hours and during mission lulls to refresh critical life- saving skills. The game is easily distributed and transported into remote combat areas and austere operating areas in support of Army humanitarian missions.
The STTC and the University of Central Florida's Institute for Simulation and Training developed the Combat Medic Card Game. Officials said the initiative provides an inexpensive training aid for combat medics.
Each card addresses differing conditions that medics face during care under fire. The card categories include acronyms:
NCD (needle chest decompression)
OD (occlusive dressing)
HC (hemorrhage control)
CT (combitube)
SC (surgical cric)
SI (sterna intrasseous)
CAT (combat application tourniquet)
Each category has varying steps to complete condition treatment. The cards are set up to allow three types of interaction: modified, flash cards or traditional. Modified game play utilizes the categories indicted above to allow individual or team play with modified instructions to such common games as Solitaire, Rummy, Kings Corner and Nerts.
Flash cards help individuals or teams to review condition procedure steps. Traditional game play allows individual or teams to play such games as Poker and Texas Hold 'em with the traditional face cards of hearts, diamonds, spades and clubs.
Medics can use the cards as a refresher during down time or help to teach others such as Combat Life Savers various skills. The cards come with a nine line Medical Evacuation request joker card. The nine lines detail each step required to request medical evacuation. Officials said this is a convenient card for the combat medic to keep with them when ordering a MEDEVAC.
The Combat Medic Card Games will undergo user testing through Department of Combat Medic Training, Army Medical Department. The cards are also being distributed in Afghanistan for medic feedback. Future work is planned for the creation of a CLS card deck and eventual application of the cards into a mobile device.
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