SASMOs in Iraq Benefit from "Train as you Fight" Model
April 26, 2010 posted by Chief Warrant Officer 2 Aubrey Blackwell
My team supports the standard Army management information systems (STAMIS) in use throughout the battalion, including MC4. We manage approximately 40 MC4 systems in 11 treatment facilities.
Before we deployed, my team had the opportunity to set up and maintain MC4 systems in the aid stations at Fort Stewart, Ga. The "train as you fight" initiative proved to be extremely beneficial by preparing us for our role in theater.
The SASMO team worked closely with MC4 personnel in a train-the-trainer atmosphere. We learned how to build the systems and network the equipment in the treatment facilities. I also worked with the Fort Stewart director of information management to establish the communications element for the brigade.
The SASMO team also managed the installation and technical support of MC4 systems during three field training exercises. Each instance strengthened our knowledge of the systems, better preparing us for theater.
When we arrived in Iraq in 2009, the SASMO team quickly established connectivity in the treatment facilities, ensured encounters transmitted to theater databases and created user accounts. This was a significant change from the first time I saw MC4 systems at Camp Ramadi while deployed in 2005. At that time, I had not heard of the system and there was a steep learning curve to set up equipment and troubleshoot problems.
While the "train as you fight" model with the MC4 system helped to prepare my team, the SASMO community would also benefit from dedicated classroom training spanning multiple days. The instruction should be more detailed than the overview training offered by the Army Logistics Management College on all of the STAMIS systems. The SASMO community is relatively small, so instructors could tailor each class based upon user experience. A classroom would provide the perfect setting to learn about the latest system changes and requirements, such as those incorporated into MC4 EMR 2.1.1.1.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Aubrey Blackwell, Sustainment Automation Support Management Office (SASMO), 3rd Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, Camp Falcon, Iraq
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