Med group partnership with VA blossoms

  • Published
  • By Lee Ross
  • Nucleus editor
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Most good partnerships become more valuable over time.

To see that concept in action, one need look no further than a recent swearing-in ceremony, according to Lt. Col. Courtney Finkbeiner, 377th Medical Group chief nurse.

On March 19, nine Airmen took a pledge that will allow them to do clinical rotations as medical technicians at the Veterans Affairs hospital to the north of the 377th Medical Group Building.

The group of Airmen had a wide range of career goals, including radiology, general practice, pathology and oncology.

Airman 1st Class Nicole Archibald said she would like to be a pediatric oncologist.

"I'd like to help kids," she said. "And cancer is an interesting topic."

Airman 1st Class Jacob Ing said he is interested in working in a trauma unit because it would be exciting and because "I enjoy helping people."

The hands-on experience these Airmen will take with them if they are deployed or wherever they end up adds a great deal of value to their time at Kirtland, Finkbeiner said. And the breadth of that experience is increasing as well, she said.

Airmen from the medical group are now allowed to assist in more areas than just helping admit patients. They now help with wounds, orthopedics and in the intensive care unit, Finkbeiner said.

"The experience is priceless," she said. "And it's not just medicine. The techs enjoy talking to veterans from all services, and sometimes talk to those who served in Vietnam or hear stories that are part of our legacy as military members."

Not only that, but getting Airmen into the hospital -- a process that involves not just the swearing in, but a great deal of paperwork -- is a much faster  process. What used to take two months now takes two weeks, Finkbeiner said.

"This partnership has come a long way," she said.

Since the program began a year ago, Finkbeiner has constantly worked to make improvements. One of the tools she uses is feedback from the techs and the medical professionals at the VA they work with, she said.

"I have to know what is working well and what's not working well," she said. "It's important for (these Airmen) to put on scrubs and be medics like they were meant to be. I'm just so proud of the program."

The VA has responded to that effort by being accommodating and welcoming, according to 377th Medical Group Commander Col. Rachel Lefebvre.

"Anywhere we can help, anywhere we want to be, they have opened the doors," she said.