Reserve Physician Completes Exercise, Local Med Student Completes Officer Development School, Area Nurse Flies In Afghanistan

1. Navy Medical Officer Recruiting 7522 Connelley Dr. Suite A Hanover, MD, 21076
BA L T I M O R E AR E A
FRIENDS OF NAVY MEDICINE
Local Reserve Physician Completes First Exercise
August, 2013 Volume 2, Issue 2
It's been a little over a year since Baltimore
Psychiatrist, Dr. Bernard Fischer, was officially
sworn in as a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy
Reserve, Medical Corps. In that time he's gotten
his uniform and ID card, attended drill weekends,
and even completed his two week Officer
Development Course in Newport, RI. Recently he
was able to add another important milestone to
his list of accomplishments; he completed his first
field exercise in May of 2013.
Although LCDR Fischer drills out of the
Navy Reserve Center in Baltimore, his official unit
is Expeditionary Medical Facility One (EMF 1)
which is headquartered on Great Lakes, IL. The
purpose of the EMF system is to be able to set up
field hospitals in remote areas in the event of
conflict or humanitarian crisis operations.
EMF 1 was one of many medical and
Construction Battalion (Sea Bees) units that
arrived to Cheatham Annex, in Williamsburg, VA
to test a new Chemically Hardened Expeditionary
Medical Facility. The facility is designed to allow
forces to provide medical care in an environment
containing chemical or biological agents.
As LCDR Fischer described it, " We put up
a "small" EMF (we had about 170 staff inside) and
then tested the collective protection liner. The test
was a 72 hr lock-down where we treated simulated
casualties coming in through an airlock while Sea
Bees and contractors tested our air exchange and
pressure."
The unit was split up into two teams, one
that was assigned for the construction and another
assigned for the recovery of the facility. "Things
went really well. Both the set-up and take down
took significantly less time than was expected and
the tests were all passed." he added.
LCDR Bernard Fischer (center), a Baltimore
area Psychiatrist, stands with other members of
the EMF-1 health care team during a recent
training exercise in Virginia.
While field exercises are always great
experiences, LCDR Fischer is also looking forward
to his next adventure, a voluntary deployment to
the NATO Hospital in Khandahar, Afghanistan. He
expects to leave in early 2014, but has already
begun to prepare as much as possible.
"I spoke to the reserve specialty leader for
psychiatry- he just got back from Role 3 last year-
and he answered a lot of my questions. I'll be doing
brief therapy, med management, and triaging for
evacuation to Germany. According to what I've
heard, about 2/3 of the cases will come from the
field and about 1/3 will be care for the care-giver
(making sure all the trauma and surgical teams are
okay considering what they see and have to deal
with.) It will be hard to be away from the family,
but I think it will be really rewarding for us all." he
said.

2. Page 2 Friends of Navy Medicine
Officer Development School Info
Maryland School of Medicine Student, Ensign Nicole Bouchard, Reports on Her Training
Ensign Nicole Bouchard is currently
attending The University of Maryland School of
Medicine under the Navy Health Professions
Scholarship Program. She recently completed Officer
Development School in Newport, Rhode Island and
was kind enough to provide feedback on her
experiences.
1- What did you do to prepare for ODS? Was
there anything that you over/under prepared
for?
Aside from packing (which took way longer than it
should have), I studied a lot of gouge before going -
Sailor's Creed, Rank Insignia, Code of Conduct, etc.
Although we had time to study there during free
time and at night, I felt much better already
knowing all that information, especially the ranks! I
didn't get any knowledge questions wrong during
my inspections and I owe that to the fact that I
started memorizing early in a less stressful
environment (i.e. on my couch).
I also got myself physically ready by running 3
miles in the morning 3 days a week and doing
strength and conditioning on the off days. This
really paid off, even though PT wasn't at all
rigorous. Some people struggled with our sustained
run days.
2- What was your biggest challenge during
the course?
The biggest challenge for me was not falling asleep
in class, really. I spent most of my time standing in
the back. I would recommend to future students
that if they are big coffee drinkers that they ween
themselves off of it before getting there. I ended up
with caffeine withdrawal headaches my first 2 days
(the longest 2 days) which made everything
unnecessarily harder.
Another challenge for me was, surprisingly,
becoming accustomed to the "team" attitude. My
whole life I have been used to being responsible for
my own actions and my own actions alone. All of a
sudden, I (and everyone else) was being held
accountable for others' mistakes. It was hard at
first not to get frustrated by this, and I know I
wasn't the only one. The faster everyone learns to
ask for help when they need it and offer help when
they see others needing it, the better it will be...for
everyone.
My company was a little slow on this learning
curve. With most of us being medical students, we
were all kind of used to competing against our
peers. I spent a lot of nights earlier on becoming
frustrated with people, and it wasn't until I was the
one who screwed up when it finally clicked. Once
we really started working together, everything ran
so much more smoothly.
3- What was/were your best experiences?
I met some great people that I know I will end up
working with throughout my Navy career, and
being able to make those connections, with people
that I had so much in common with on so many
levels, was amazing. You get really close with your
peers in just 5 weeks, especially because there is no
privacy, alone time, etc. I really did make some
great friends. I'm still texting my roommate every
day.
4- Now that you are through with ODS do you
feel any different?
I feel completely different, actually! I feel like I
accomplished something really big. I feel proud to
be in the Navy and don't feel as weird telling people
about it, mostly because I really understands what
that means now.
5- Are you still happy with your decision to
join the Navy?
I am, in fact, even more happy with my decision
now than I ever was before! Even though there was
a lot of nonsense we had to deal with while at
training, I loved feeling like a real part of the
military for the first time. I really think I'm going to
have an amazing career and I don't know how any
civilian doctor's experience will ever come close to
mine.
Ensign Nicole Bouchard
and her mother following
her graduation from
Officer Development
School this summer. ODS
is a five week course in
Newport, Rhode Island.
http://www.ocs.navy.mil/ods.asp

3. Page 3Friends of Navy Medicine
Navy Medicine News from Around the Fleet
Navy Medicine Lends a Hand With Pacific Partnership 2013
Navy at Navy Medical Center San Diego
bxcb
The following article was written by Commander Carolyn Currie,
a Woman’s Health Nurse Practioner and Director of Theater
Engagement for Disaster and Humanitarian Relief at the Navy
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery. This is her report on a recent
visit to Kiribati.
Another Saturday night at sea. We left Kiribati
yesterday afternoon and are enroute to our next
stop.
We departed the island hot, dusty and tired, but
tremendously satisfied that we achieved our
objectives and left the place better than we found
it. There were cheers and waves at the pier as the
last landing craft utility bound for the USS Pearl
Harbor pulled away.
The ship is once again bursting at the seams, as
we embarked over 100 of our Kiwi counterparts
onto the ship yesterday. Their presence has
reminded us how far we’ve come on our journey.
As they wander the ship looking very lost and
very wobbly on their new found sea legs, we
chuckle to ourselves that it was only nine weeks
ago that we had the same bewildered looks on our
faces as we bounced off the bulkheads with every
rock and roll of the ship at sea. An overhead
announcement this morning that the water was
being turned off due to an unbalanced
consumption to production ratio, also brought
back memories of our earlier days of a full ship!
Solomon Island citizens and children tour a landing craft medium (LCM)
assigned to the Royal New Zealand ship HMNZS Canterbury (LSL-421)
after landing ashore to drop off personnel and supplies during Pacific
Partnership 2013. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist
2nd Class Carlos M. Vazquez II/Released)
The New Zealand Defense Forces took over the
lead for the mission in Kiribati and will continue
to do so in the Solomon Islands (or Solies as they
call them). Integrating our forces has been a
challenge, but not without great reward. We have
learned to pool our talents to plan engagements,
work side by side to solve problems and are
making new friends along the way. We still have
Aussie, Canadian, Malaysian and Korean partners
aboard as well. We no longer notice the different
uniforms, the accents are now commonplace and
everyone joins in when the deck of cards breaks
out in the office or we have a spontaneous movie
night in the wardroom.
My mood has changed to melancholy as we get
ready to say goodbye to many of our embarked
crew. A number of Americans will leave the USS
Pearl Harbor along with the embarked Kiwis and
crossdeck to the NZ ship Canterbury. The
Solomon Islands will be our last mission stop
before we head back to Hawaii. It’s hard to
believe the deployment is almost over. What an
amazing experience it’s been!
The next few days will be filled with planning
meetings, briefs and manifests as we plan for our
engagements in the Solomon Islands. As with our
previous mission stops we will be putting on
health fairs, nursing symposiums, working side-
by-side with host nation counterparts in clinics
and hospitals and collaborating with host nation
officials to support their health system
strengthening initiatives. The most rewarding
moments will come on the ground when we make
new friends, break bread together, share stories
and celebrate our similarities as well as our
diversity!
I hope all is well at home. Although I am sad to
see the end of this adventure coming fast, I am
anxious to get back to my normal routine. I miss
my friends and family!
Learn more about Pacific Partnership here:
http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=75963

4. Page 4 Friends of Navy Medicine
News and Notes
Navy Medicine and Dentistry Around Town
Ramon DeJesus, MD
recently affiliated with the Navy Reserves. LCDR
DeJesus is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon
from Bel Air, MD.
Caitlin Choi was recently
selected for the Health Professions Scholarship
Program. Originally from Baltimore, MD she
graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2011
and has been accepted to Des Moines University
of Osteopathic Medicine.
Dr. Ramon DeJesus and Chief Wheeler following his
commissioning ceremony in May.
Lindsey Deacon was
recently selected for the Health Services
Collegiate Program. She is originally from York,
PA and is a graduate of the University of
Richmond. She has been accepted to New York
University School of Dentistry.
Caitlin Choi (Center) stands with her recruiter Chief Wheeler
(Left) and her commissioning officer Ensign Brock (Right)
Ensign Alex
Blau of Ijaimsville,
MD completed Officer
Development School in
June. He will be
beginning his studies at
Philadelphia College of
Osteopathic Medicine
this fall. Lindsey Deacon enlists in the Health Services Collegiate
Program (Dental) at the Navy Officer Recruiting Station
in Baltimore on July 1, 2013.

5. Page 5Friends of Navy Medicine
WHAT DID YOU DO ON YOUR SUMMER VACATION?
Baltimore area Nurse Allison Katter Was in Afghanistan
She Sent The Following Email Update
I am so sorry for the late update! I was up at Tarin Kowt (TK) for about 2
months starting in May and got really busy doing patient transfers (En Route
Care). I got back from Tarin Kowt right after the holiday in July and then we
got pretty busy at the Role 3. We have been pretty busy seeing a lot of
Neurosurgery patients and patients with eye and maxillofacial injuries, as that
is what our medical rules of engagement allows us to see for the Afghan
population due to the draw down.
I do have to say, the difference between what we were seeing two years ago and
now is interesting. Since we are leaving next year, the goal was to obviously
make it so that the Afghan folks will be able to stand more on their feet
medically...and they are taking this over well! Seeing where they were two
years ago and where they are now is really a testament to their drive to see
their country in a better place. I am so proud to have been a part of this
process along the way!
Attached are a couple of pictures, both from TK from when I was flying. One is
just me, the other is with my Dustoff Army Medic, Specialist Machado, while we
are taking care of two patients on a transfer to Kandahar Regional Military
Hospital from TK.
As always, I love having the opportunity to work not only with other branches
in the military, but also with other nations. At Kandahar Airfield, we have
some Australian docs and nurses, as well as some Belgium nurses. I hope this
email finds you well!
- Allison Katter, LT, NC, USNR
-

6. Page 6 Friends of Navy Medicine
for more information About
Baltimore Area Friends of Navy Medicine
Contact Chief Bob wheeler
410-761-7419 bob.wheeler@navy.mil

7. Navy Medical Officer Programs
7522 Connelley Dr, Suite A
Hanover, MD 21076
410-761-7419