USA: Commander of NMETC Visits NEMTI

The commander of the Navy Medicine Education and Training Command (NMETC), visited the Naval Expeditionary Medicine Training Institute (NEMTI) Oct. 31 as part of a tour of Navy Medicine’s West Coast training sites.

NMETC Commander Capt. Gail Hathaway, along with NMETC Command Master Chief (SW/FMF/AW) Rusty Perry and Navy Medicine Operational Training Center (NMOTC) Commanding Officer Capt. James Norton, toured NEMTI during their daylong visit.

NEMTI is designed to provide expeditionary medical training in an operational environment.

Hathaway, an aviation physiologist, said her first visit to the Camp Pendleton facility as NMETC commander provided insight into how individuals train in preparation for a deployment.

“Our [hospital] corpsmen, doctors, nurses and Medical Service Corps officers are among the finest and best-trained medical professionals in the world,” said Hathaway. “Seeing the facility that prepares them to work as a team anywhere around the world, to maintain the readiness for which Navy Medicine is known, is something I feel is important.”

NEMTI, a component of NMOTC and NMETC, is located aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, the major west coast base of the Marine Corps and offers several training programs, including pre-deployment training for service members deploying to Role II and Role III assignments in support of overseas contingency operations.

Hathaway said the facility is a shining example of how Navy Medicine maintains unparalleled readiness in support of joint warfighters from all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.

“Everyone training here is prepared to work with our sister service members from the Army and Air Force, providing care to the Marine Corps and other military personnel from all services engaged in operations around the world,” said Hathaway. “What they learn here directly impacts military readiness. It enables them to fold seamlessly into other organizations, setting the bar for medical operational training in the military.”

During the visit, Hathaway, Norton, Perry and NMOTC Command Master Chief (SW/AW) Joe Coddington met with Naval Hospital Jacksonville Sailors participating in a two-week Expeditionary Medical Facility (EMF) Tiered Readiness Course, an effort designed to instruct the assembly and disassembly of an EMF as well as provide medical, administrative and tactical topics required to meet EMF program requirements.

Norton, who as NMOTC commanding officer, oversees training requirements within the NMOTC area of operations and reports these to NMETC. He said the course they observed epitomizes the BUMED vision of providing a value-driven training effort to service members who will ultimately play an integral role at medical facilities around the world.

“NEMTI training is a unique experience for our medical professionals,” said Norton. “Here they are able to train as they fight, to prepare for any eventuality they might face in an expeditionary medical environment. They are preparing for what Navy Medicine does best – save lives.”

NEMTI is a component of NMOTC, the recognized global leader in operational medical and aviation survival training. NMOTC reports to NMETC, the sole point of accountability for Navy Medicine education and training.

NMETC, NMOTC and NEMTI are all part of the Navy Medicine team, a global health care network of Navy medical professionals around the world who provide high-quality health care to more than one million eligible beneficiaries. Navy Medicine personnel deploy with Sailors and Marines worldwide, providing critical mission support aboard ships, in the air, under the sea and on the battlefield.

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Naval Today Staff,November 2, 2012; Image: US Navy