“Do or do not. There is not try.” -YODA

Class

This week in class we focused on the medical aspects of what it’s like to be deployed and having to deal with medical emergencies and injuries in general. On Tuesday, we began class by talking about TCCC, which is tactical combat casualty care. There are three types of combat care: care under-fire, tactical field care, and tactical evaluation care.

The most important rule to care under-fire is making sure to return fire and gain fire superiority before tending to yourself and others. You need to make sure you eliminate the threat to the best of your ability so no one else risks getting hurt. After this, you tend to yourself briefly so that you are stabilized and then you look to those around you who need help. You first want to stop any major bleeding so that the casualty doesn’t bleed out. Then you perform MARCH, which is checking for massive hemorrhaging, airway, respiration, circulation, and head injury/hypothermia. You can do things like checking for a pulse, counting the number of breaths in a minute, checking the pupils, and applying a thermal blanket or chest seal if needed until you can get them evacuated.

If the area is secure and easy to get to, a medevac is the best option for a serious injury. This is where you call in to your base for a helicopter for air evacuation.

Class 2

This is what we learned about in Thursday’s class, how to call for a medevac over the comms. There is a specific way to do this, they call it the “9-Line MEDEVAC”. I’ll post a picture of the directions below because it’s a lot to explain by just writing it out, but basically each line represents something like the number of patients, or special equipment needed like a hoist for water or a ventilator to keep the patient alive.  Also, the phonetic alphabet is used to make communication easier. For example if you have 2 urgent patients and 5 urgent-surgical patients for line 2 you would say, “Line 2 , Alpha – 2, Bravo – 5”.

The difference between ‘wartime’ and ‘peacetime’ is exactly what you think. Wartime is when you were under fire and still may be within the enemies reach which is why you might need to specify things such as are there enemy troops in the area (line 6) or is/was there any chemical, biological, nuclear contamination (line 9). Peacetime is when you were doing training exercises, practicing, or even just some recon and someone is injured badly enough that they need to be airlifted.

I have to admit, this has been one of my favorite lessons we’ve learned because I was learning a lot of new information and I felt as if this was something I 100% need to know, which makes studying it that much more fun. Also, our instructor gave us a lot of real-life scenarios that he has had to deal with which was really helpful to get a perspective on what situations we might have to deal with. I hope you guys have enjoyed reading my blog posts as much as I have enjoyed writing them!

“Character is who your are when no one’s watching.” – Unknown

PT

This week we started to really dig deep and talk about some personal things in our classes, like what all of us were doing for PT and how we were staying motivated. A lot of people were more honest than I thought, owning up to the fact that they weren’t eating what they were supposed to and weren’t working out as much. Something we all recognized is that it’s getting really hard to stay motivated when no gyms are open, we’re not with our team anymore, and most significantly there’s no end in sight.

Our instructors explained how these are the hardships leaders experience everyday and how it’s up to us to not only stay motivated, but motivate our fellow cadets as well. Realizing what they’re saying is true, I think we were all able to leave the discussion with a positive attitude as we found some motivation among one another. We set up some challenges for ourselves, like sending in a video of us rucking for at least 30 minutes with the incentive of 5 extra credit points, which definitely helped with our motivation.

Class

In class this week we again talked about the Army Performance Triad and the importance of Sleep, Nutrition, and Activity in our everyday lives and how this effects our performance. We made goals to adjust our habits and schedules in hopes of bettering our performances and creating a healthier at-home lifespace.

We also talked about the ‘Introduction to Plans and Orders’ which is basically a system where soldiers receive orders and they have to be able to understand and carry-out what is being asked of them in an operation report. Each report consists of at least five paragraphs consisting of these five things; Situation, Mission, Execution, Sustainment, and Command Signal. These OPORDS are configured at the platoon level, meaning multiple squads are involved, but we were learning how to configure these orders down to one squad. The most important thing is recognizing the 5 W’s: Who, What, When, Where, and Why. Once you are able to pick these things out of the report, then you can start to disseminate the orders down the chain of command. We practice analyzing reports with similar reports of those carried out in missions in Iraq which was really cool and unique.

“I have never met an atheist in battle; one way or another in a time of need we all believe in something.” – Chaplain Murry

Class 1:

During Tuesday’s online class, we had the privilege to speak with a special guest, Chaplain Eduardo Murry of the United States Army. For those of you who are not familiar with a chaplains duty, they provide religious counsel to those in the military, as well as their families and other in their communities. The quote I have bolded above is one of the first thing the Chaplain said to us we he  joined the zoom session. I had to think on this for a minute and really reflect on what he was saying because I was surprised for him to make such a bold statement. But when you think about it, if you were put in the position where you could die I think we all might pray to something, someone and by doing so this would make us religious in that single instance.

The Chaplain had a lot to say, and I think I speak for everyone in the class when I claim we were eager to listen. He was very upbeat and fun, playing music and dancing from time to time. I think at one point he had us all smiling, or at least trying not to smile. This positive attitude made me more inclined to listen to what he had to say, especially when he was talking about a subject that can be controversial to some. He talked about his time as a chaplain, and the unfortunate things he’s had to see and deal with. Specifically, talking about those who had trouble coming back from either a tour of active duty or dealing with their own personal issues with their friends and families that caused them to become depressed and detached. He gave us some insight on how to handle situations like this, seeing as how one day the goal is for all of us to be leaders. He emphasized the importance of watching over those under your command and making sure you know when somethings wrong with one of your people.

The issues he talked about are very common, and unfortunately many of the cases lead to suicide and/or the deaths of others. I appreciated all he had to say as he remained positive and engaged, even when talking about such a solemn topic.

Class 2: 

In class on Thursday, we focused on something called a Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness Plan (CSF2). The term fitness doesn’t necessarily mean physical fitness, but rather the foundation a soldier has built with their family and friends and how strong their support is.

There are 5 Dimensions to this plan: Physical, Emotional, Social, Spiritual, and Family. These topics are broken into sections because each section carries its own characteristics. Emotional and Spiritual refer to what’s on the inside, while Social and Family rely on other people to make up the category. The idea of these 5 dimensions are to create a system where leaders can know how well a soldier can perform based on how strong their foundations are. Do they have love and support back home? Do they rely on some spiritual practice that allows them to perform better? How are they doing emotionally?

All of these questions are to be taken in to consideration when determining how solid a soldier is and whether or not they can carry out the duties they are assigned. As you can see, both Tuesdays and Thursdays lesson focus on the mental aspects of what it means to be in the military, and how to deal with mental instability.

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”– Thomas Edison

The unfortunate thing about my blog posts is they relied on me physically being on campus doing things with the army. Obviously, with the condition of how things are now I can’t write a post about what we did in class, PT, and lab. So, instead I am going to talk a little about what we did in the Zoom sessions we are still having, and then talk about certain aspects of the army in general. Ones that don’t necessarily apply to what I’m doing right now, but will apply in the future.

Class (ZOOM)

Class has been kind of weird and harder I feel like now that we’re doing it online because this doesn’t stop our instructor from calling us out. In fact, its even easier for him to do it now because he can just scroll through our video chats and pick a random name to answer a question. I always get so anxious when he does this because still being new I don’t know the answers to a lot of the questions.

Regardless, Thursday’s lesson was still pretty fun as we got to review land navigation in preparation for the online exam we had after class. Originally, before we were sentenced to stay at home for the rest of the semester, we were going to be tested individually with a map and protractor in front of us as we would find certain grid points, terrain features, and azimuths. Instead, we had an online quiz which just tested us on certain definitions and aspects of the FOXTROT map the army uses. We were also tested on things like what colors correspond to what terrain features: ex- blue is water, green is vegetation, red/black is man-made features, etc. I’m not a big fan of land navigation because I’m not the best with maps and directions so its hard for me to keep up with the new things we constantly learn.

Physical Fitness

One of the biggest things the cadre keep stressing to us is making sure we are all staying physically fit, especially now that gyms and other workout areas have started to close. We’ve had to go back to the basics like running outside, doing push-ups and sit-ups, and trying to weight train on our own. I have enjoyed running outside, as I’m used to it from cross country, but the thing I miss the most is working out in a group where there’s already a set plan and everyone’s motivating one another. It’s definitely going to be hard to try and stay motivated on my own for 5 months, but I know if I continue to push myself I can make it work.

“Positivity, confidence, and persistence are key in life, so never give up on yourself.” – Khalid

Class

These past two weeks in class, we have been primarily focused with all the characteristics that make up a good leader. Obviously, every cadet in this program is working towards being a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army, and it is important to recognize the responsibilities that come with this role.

As a leader, you have to be 100% confident in yourself while also being confident in your team and trusting that they know what they’re doing. In order to help you and them achieve this trust, you have to learn more about them and what they need to succeed. When you’re trying to get your team to understand something, one thing you have to consider is not everyone learns and understands things in the same way. They each have different learning abilities. Some are visual learners, who learn best by seeing demonstrations and videos while others are auditory (verbal) learners who learn best by listening to an explanation. You also have your kinesthetic learners, who don’t do the best in a classroom setting and would rather be getting hands-on experience to best understand what they are supposed to learn. By understanding your team and providing the best environment possible for them ensures you are on your way to being a great leader.

Lab

Lab this week was a pretty fun one as we were at the National Guard Base on Thursday (the most beautiful spring day of the week!) Here, we learned more about weaponization and how to do a clear and functions check on the weapons we were handling.

The first weapon we handled was an M240 Bravo, and here we broke in to teams and practiced doing these routine checks so we could ensure nothing was loaded into the weapon and that every part was working like its supposed to. These weapons were set up on tripods, so we also learned how to adjust the weapons up and down (elevation) and side to side (traverse) when they were on these stands. There’s a little lever at the bottom of the tripod for each function which is how you adjust the direction and height. Next, we practiced how to assemble and dissemble the weapon from the tripod easily and in a hurry to practice if we were actually in the field and needed to move positions quickly. If under fire, the team on a single M240 Bravo would consist of 3 people: the gunner firing the weapon, a person on the left loading the ammo into the weapon, and someone positions slightly on top of the gunner signaling directly in front of them where to position the weapon. The thing about firing at such a high speed is that normally there’s a lot of smoke that occurs which is why it is beneficial to have someone directing the fire so that the gunner only has to focus on pulling the trigger and looking at the direction of their hands.

Overall, it was a really fun lab to start getting hands-on experience with some of the weapons we might come across down the road. I think it’s extremely important to start familiarizing ourselves with these weapons now so that we have as much time possible to learn even more about all the aspects the military intends to teach us.

Military Science Class

In class this week we focused on two main things: Squad Tactics Basic Patrolling and Critical Thinking.

The lesson on Basic Patrolling focused on two types of patrols that would be used in the field and the importance and characteristics of these two. The first type of basic patrol is a Reconnaissance Patrol which basically means observation and analysis. These patrols do not expect to come under enemy fire or contact, but of course you always have to be prepared either way.  A reconnaissance patrol could be area reconnaissance, zone reconnaissance, or route reconnaissance. These types of patrols are extremely important as they gather a lot of information about the area they are in and potential threats they could face when going on a second type of patrol- combat patrol.

Combat Patrols could be used for a raid, an ambush, or a security patrol. The difference between a raid and an ambush is that a raid is strategic and the elements involved plan to stay in one position for awhile. An ambush can sometimes be unexpected, but is important if a potential threat is confirmed. An important thing to understand is that no matter the type of patrol, reconnaissance or combat, there are five basic principles to understand and follow. They consist of planning, reconnaissance, security, control, and common sense. When all of these characteristics of a patrol are maintained, the chances of something wrong decreases immensely.

Another very important aspect of patrols are hand signals. During a patrol, the team will most likely be moving in a wedge of file formation depending on the area they are in (moving in to a file for dense vegetation). Hand signals must be planned and rehearsed by everybody before departing on a patrol. They can be used for many different things, but some of the most common are to lift or shift supporting fire (so you are not firing on your on people when they go to pull security), to start an assault, to order withdrawal from the objective, to signal “all clear”, and to start/stop movement of the patrol. While you are walking, crawling, or running through an area you must always be aware of whats around you, but also the men in front of you so you never miss a hand signal. This goes hand-in-hand with the next lesson we learned on Thursday about critical thinking and how decisions must always be objective (based on facts) rather than subjective. In the Army, you must be capable of information ordering, pattern recognition, and reasoning (inductive, analytical, deductive, and abductive). They like to structure this type of thinking, but the reality is most utilize these characteristics of thinking everyday, even without knowing or recognizing it.

Lab – Platoon Battle Drills

Thursdays lab was at the national guard base, and here we practiced battle drills at a platoon level. So far this semester, we had only done battle drills as a team or squad, never consisting of more than 20 people. The size of a platoon however is three squads, so roughly 30-40 people.

Within a platoon there a three squads (1st, 2nd, 3rd), and within each squad there are two teams (alpha and bravo). The 1st squad was positioned at the front with the alpha team leading the front in a wedge formation and bravo following closely behind. Then there was a weapons squad leader, platoon squad leader, RTO, and a gunning team (consisting of three people). After them there was the 2nd squad, positioned the same way as the first. They were followed by the platoon leader, and another gunning team. After them followed the 3rd squad who secured the rear.

If the platoon every came under direct fire, everyone gets down and the 1st squad all gets on line to the front and fires at the enemy while the 2nd squad does a bold flank maneuver and positions themselves perpendicular to the 1st squad so they can hit the enemy from another direction. While they are doing this, the 3rd squad is pulling security from the rear, which means they get into a crescent-like formation on the ground and secure the back of the platoon.

The goal of practicing battle drills such as this platoon under direct fire drill is to try and get a sense of what it means to be in each position and how you would react in these scenarios. It’s one thing to learn this in class, but actually practicing the drills outside lets everyone get a better feel for what’s going on.

Military Science Class

This weeks classes were particularly interesting seeing as we didn’t really have class either of the days because of some special guests coming to talk to us.

On Tuesday, we had Cadet Command Sergeant Major Terenas come in and talk to us about his 29 year experience (and counting) career in the United States Army. He talked to us about some important lessons he learned during his time and why it is so vital we understand them. His first lesson was about INTENT. He first drew a box on the board, labeling it “the box of intent”. Then he drew a circle in the middle and labeled it as “the circle of excellence”.  The most important part of this is to reflect on completing an intended task or mission. Say you were given an order by your parents to be home by 10pm and you intend to follow this order. But how well will you actually follow it?

He explained if you got home at 9:59, then yes you would have completed the intended task, but no with excellence. Instead you are at the very edge of the “box of intent” and no where near the “circle of excellence”. The same thing applies when one is given orders to obey in the Army. He explained how you can simply perform a task averagely, or you can come together with your platoon, squad, or team and learn to trust each other and come to a shared vision/understanding so you can obey and complete an order with excellence. The only way to reach excellence is to have these components of trust and shared understanding among a team, but also as an individual you must have commitment, character, and competence. If you are to be a leader, you have to be the most disciplined and best version of yourself that you can be. Anything less is a disservice to your team and your personal commitment to the military.

Master Sergeant Terenas also visited us at PT the next morning, and trust me when I say this man is a beast. He has to be one of the most physically fit people I’ve ever met. His main saying he constantly repeated during his visit was “Don’t be Average!”, and he’s right. There’s no room for average people in this profession.

CBRN Lab

Thursdays lab was titled a CBRN lab meaning Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear. As most can guess, this lab was revolved around what to do if chemical warfare were ever introduced on the field.

During this lab we learned how to properly put on the chemical suits over our normal OCP’s (which is the camo uniform we wear) and how to properly close all areas such as the waist, ankles, wrists, and hood tight enough so there would be no chance of any gas getting in. We also learned how to get the mask on, tighten the edges, and clear the inside before we could breathe safely.

If this were a real situation, they give you about nine seconds to put the mask on while you hold your breath and close your eyes, and the eight minutes to put the actual suit on before any serious danger could occur. Both times we practiced doing this I finished everything in about 4 minutes, but I could easily see how people could get their boots caught in the pants or something won’t zipper and they’re out of time. Hopefully, this is a lab we won’t ever have to actually utilize in our time in the Army, but with todays world you never know.

Military Science Class

Twice a week, as mentioned before, all cadets have to go to a MS(military science) class where many topics are covered. We talk about the use of equipment like radios, weapons, maps, how to use land navigation, squad tactics, etc. On Tuesday, we talked about setting up radios in the field and how to report specific things over the line.

One of the most important things to be aware of is what power the radio is on because the level of power being used determines the battery life of the radio. High power lasts about 6 hours while Low power can last up to 24 hours. The radios used in the army require a LOS or line of sight to communicate. So, if two teams were separated by a hill or mountain, there would have to be poles at the top connecting the two lines and the soldiers have to travel to the top in order to talk to one another.

Radios are one of the most important tools used in the field as they are the direct line to help and rescue. They can be used to request a medevac for injured soldiers, report to a higher, let other teams know where the enemy is, what they look like, their size, equipment, etc. No matter your position or job, it’s one of those things that everyone must know how to do.

Lab

Lab is once a week on Thursdays, and this consists of hands on and tactical work. At this weeks lab, we practiced tactical formations when under direct and/or indirect fire. This consists of our squad breaking in to two teams, alpha and bravo. Each team has a squad leader and we each form a wedge formation. Alpha team is at the front with the squad leader in the middle, and Bravo team following behind.

Direct Fire:

When under direct fire, we all drop to the ground and listen to each other for where the fire is coming from. We call this method the Three D’s where we call out distance, direction, and description. Once this is called out, the squad leader yells for the Alpha team to form a line at the front to suppress enemy fire while the Bravo team gets up and bounds to the direction that is called out to run at the enemy and suppress fire in the perpendicular direction of the Alpha team. Once the enemy at hand is suppressed, Bravo team travels  about 35 meters further until they can be sure the enemy is no longer a threat. They then yell “LOA” which means limit of advance.

Indirect Fire:

Indirect fire usually occurs in an open field where the enemy knows something like a mortar will cause mass casualties. Anybody on either team yells “INCOMING” when they suspect indirect fire. Everybody upon hearing this drops to the ground and covers their neck/heads. When doing this, someone yells out where the fire came from and then a following point to run. This is done by yelling out the positions of a clock. For example, “Fire at 12 o’clock. Seek cover at 4 o’clock.” Everybody then runs for cover in the assigned direction as fast as possible, and then we pull 360* security, meaning we position ourselves in a circle, everybody facing out and in a different direction. This is done not only for security purposes, but also so the Squad leader or team leaders have a chance to do a headcount and make sure everybody made it and there are no injured. This is also where we can be asked a LACE report. LACE stands for liquid, ammo, casualties, and equipment. Each soldier has to report on the status of each thing by either saying green (all good), amber(running low), or red (out/danger).

This past lab was one of the most fun and educational ones I have been to so far because I felt like what we were learning and doing was extremely beneficial. Still being a new member, it does get frustrating at times not knowing whats going on all the time and always relying on others to teach you, but at the end of the day I know it will pay off and be worth it.

What another crazy week!

Teamwork

I know by now we’ve all heard the tragic news about the helicopter crash carrying basketball legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and seven more people. It’s times like this where it becomes important to take a step back from the everyday hustle of life and appreciate all that you have. I bring this up because my instructor on Tuesday in my military science class showed us a video of Bryant, and for practically the rest of the class we talked about what it meant to be on a team, specifically focusing on the characteristics of a team. He stressed things such as trust, cohesion, determination, selflessness, leadership, and the importance of everyone succeeding together.

A squad or platoon in the military is much like an athletic team. There is usually a leader, or a captain, who directs the team and is able to handle any situation. One of the most important similarities between the two is the fact that at the end of the day, it is up to every single individual whether the group succeeds or fails; wins or loses. Everyone has a role to play, and they must be able to carry out this role in such a way where if they are needed somewhere else, they could carry out that position without a seconds hesitation.

Squad Tactics

This idea of teamwork, cohesion, and success becomes most prominent when talking about squad tactics. To understand what squad tactics are, we first have to know what the positions/roles are. In class on Tuesday, we talked about a squad which consists of nine people; a squad leader, an alpha team leader with an automatic rifleman, grenadier,  rifleman, bravo team leader, with another automatic  rifleman, grenadier, and rifleman. The squad leader is in charge of both teams, alpha and bravo, but if this person were to get injured it is up to the rest of the squad to adjust themselves accordingly. The alpha team leader would move to squad leader, the automatic rifleman for alpha would move to alpha team leader, and the rifleman for alpha would move to automatic rifleman.

After a few scenarios like this I was getting a little confused and lost, but the overall message and theme for this lesson was to learn the importance of being a part of a team, squad, platoon and always doing what is necessary to succeed and complete the mission.

Land Navigation

Thursdays class was a continuation of the prior weeks lesson which was land nav. Land navigation is all about understanding the terrain and how it appears on a map. It is important to know the symbols/physical features of ridges, saddles, depressions, hills, and valleys. We practiced finding these on a map and mapping the location using 4-digits, 6 digits, and 8 digits. The increased number in digits only meant the location of said land feature was more specific.

Land navigation for me seems like it is going to be one of the more difficult things to learn and utilize because of how complex it initially is. However, as you can see, these things once learned can prove to be extremely helpful and life-saving in the future. Even though it has been a crazy week, I can’t wait to learn more next week!

After taking a week to consider my passion idea, I’ve decided to incorporate both topics into one. So, for every passion blog I will have a little paragraph at the beginning explaining the technique I used to get a deeper sleep and calm some anxiety I was having, and then the rest of the post will be about my experience in the Army ROTC. I’ll talk about some cool things we did/learned that week, my thoughts on the whole thing, how I’m feeling about it, etc. just so more people can get a better idea of what it’s all about!

Anxiety/Sleep Tip

The nights before I had PT and had to wake up at 4:50am, I read a chapter of two from this new book I am reading- Little Women. Being off my phone for those 30 minutes before bed while reading really helped calm me before I fell asleep. My eyes would get heavy from reading which helped me in falling asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow instead of being kept up overthinking. I strongly suggest reading a fun, enjoyable book you like before bed and staying off your phone to really dive in to that deep sleep with less anxiety!

First Week of PT

When joining the Army ROTC program, there are a few commitments one is making. First of all, you have to attend PT (Physical Readiness Training) 3 times a week- Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. PT is from 5:45-7 on these given mornings which means I’m waking up around 5 to get ready to be there on time. Within the program there are companies- Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie, and within the companies there are platoons, and within the platoon there are squads. This was all very confusing to me at first as the squad I’m in kept calling themselves C/2/1, but this simply means Charlie company second platoon first squad.

At PT we do a variety of things including long runs of 2,3, or 4 miles, relay races, sprint workout, stairs, calisthenic workouts where we do push-ups, sit-ups, squats, burpees, etc. At first it was overwhelming, but now it’s fun to wake up some mornings and workout with a huge group of people. The atmosphere is a unique one as while everyone seems serious, they like to joke around too.

Military Science/ Lab Class

Another commitment when joining this program is attending an MS (military science) class twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays while also attending a lab once a week on Thursdays. On these days, we are all in our OCP’s which is the camo uniform you may have seen people wearing around campus. As you can imagine, Thursday is my busy day when it comes to this program as we have PT, class, and lab.

The classes are a lot to handle at first, especially for someone like me who is not only a new freshman, but also started a semester later than the majority of the people in my class. While I keep up with the readings, take notes, and pay close attention to what the instructor is saying, it’s still hard for me to be on top of my game. I want to be able to answer any and all questions that are asked, but unfortunately the learning process takes a bit longer than attending a few classes. In these classes we learn things such as Battle Drills, Land Navigation, Squad Tactics, Critical Thinking, etc. All these things we learn help us for the labs on Thursday.

The labs I have attended so far have been off campus at the local National Guard Base, and somewhere else where there are woods and fields but the name has lost me. It’s pretty cold out there as we are still dressed in our OCP’s and it’s usually 25-35 degrees. Lab is from 3:35-5:30 and in this time spand we practice different drills and scenarios.

For example, at the first lab we practiced coming across an enemy in the distance and how to act. We had to crouch and walk silently, army crawl to and fro on the ground, and report back to our squad leader. We had to take notes consisting of the acronym S.A.L.U.T.E.- this info all pertaining to the enemy. The Size of the enemy (a single man or multiple people), Activity, Location, Uniform, Time, and Equipment (guns, vehicles, grenades, etc.)

This past lab, we were practicing what to do in a situation where we are under fire from the enemy and one of our soldiers gets hurt. We practiced a wedge formation (think of geese flying in a V). The first step is to pull security which means flanking around the injured and suppressing the fire with a barricade in the front. After fire is suppressed, tend to the injured by applying a quick tourniquet if necessary and moving them to cover. Once in cover, you perform M.A.R.C.H. You have to check for Massive hemorrhaging by doing a blood sweep, Airway, Respiratory, Circulation, and Head injury/ Hypothermia.

As you can see, there is so much to learn with everything we do between classes, labs, and PT. While this is overwhelming for me, doing a passion blog like this will not only serve as a way to express my passion, but will also help my keep track of everything I’m learning!