Medical Group Re-Purposes CPR

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Brad Tipton
  • 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

Communication, Professionalism and Respect are the basis for the same acronym as CPR, but that hasn’t stopped the 6th Medical Group from quickly adopting a new meaning of this deep-rooted medical term.

CPR is the new cornerstone of the 6th Air Mobility Wing’s strategy for daily interactions between its Airmen, and the 6th Medical Group extends that to its patients as well.

One method the 6th MDG uses to accomplish CPR is its twice-daily medical huddles.

Early in the morning before a single patient arrives, the technicians meet with the physicians’ assistants, doctors, dentists, and other primary care managers. During this time, the team goes over appointments for the day to discuss concerns and plans of treatment. The huddles put the technicians on an equal playing field to have their voices heard with their patient care chiefly in mind.

“We definitely respect each other here regardless of rank or position,” said Staff Sgt. Angel Villa, an aerospace medical technician at the 6th MDG. “If we have a concern about something, anyone can speak up because our priority is patient safety, and that we’re providing the best care.”

Primary care managers are limited in the amount of time that they have to spend with each patient due to the 220,000 beneficiaries covered by the 6th MDG.

The entire medical team works together to respect each patient’s time by covering many of the concerns behind-the-scenes. Though the patient may not see it, their concerns are brought to the attention of the PCM by the medical technicians, and special accommodations are made well in advance.

This allows the technicians and PCMs to come across in a professional manner despite the high demand for their time.

“Professionalism is already held to a very high standard here,” said Senior Airman Giancarlo Chapparo, an aerospace medical technician at the 6th Medical Group. “The CPR term is new to us, but we’ve been doing it for a very long time.”

The 6th MDG’s dedication to communication, professionalism, and respect is making the adoption of the new definition of CPR quick and seamless.