First Deployment Advice

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Just found out I'm deploying to Afghanistan and although very excited am now finding myself very nervous. I've been volunteering for over a year and a half without success and now that I've been told it's going to happen I'm finding myself wondering where to start. My mind is in such a state of flux... I feel like I'm in my first trauma and everyone is speaking a different language!!!

Specializes in Emergency Room/1LT Army 66HM5.

Thanks everyone for their insights, thoughts, suggestions, and overall awesome help. I have some time, but seems it flies by quickly. My nerves are a wreck because one I've never prepared for anything other than maybe a month long FTX when I was an enlisted Signal soldier and two when I was doing field problem after field problem I wasn't leaving my children behind (they weren't born then). So again, thank you all so much and please continue with the awesome advice!!!

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# of beds sounds a little on the OPSEC side but who am I to judge? If any of my friends goes to my Facebook page, they would hardly know I am an RN, and an Army RN one at that. You just never know who's listening.

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Specializes in Critical Care Emergency Military Nursing.

Bastion is a great hospital. The Brits do it right. They are very organized and team oriented. If you are not skilled in trauma or critical care they will know it and won't be shy to tell you you are lacking. They sent a guy from my ICU home because he wasn't up to par. My buddy was a team leader there and had nothing but high remarks about it. Lots of trauma, lots. My deployment on the other hand didn't go as well as his.

Familiarize yourself with the level 1 infuser. If you can master that before you go you will be doing well for yourself. Also if you can, play around with a univent portable ventilator too. They are touchy vents so its good to be familiar with one first before you have to use it.

Good luck.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

OPSEC??? FOBbits... sorry. you're killing me. Private message certain information please.

"Combat Hospital" is a slap in the face, it is unrealistic and there is nothing tactical about it.

I thought ER Baghdad was the 28th? But I could be wrong I was a little busy COB hopping that year.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

ps, If you would like coffee. PM me, I would be more than happy to send you some.

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We fobbits like our Green Beans coffee :)

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GB is growing quite an empire: Green Beans Coffee.

Starbucks beware.

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Specializes in EMT, ER, Homehealth, OR.
I am sorry for stepping on your thread. @jeckrn- when were you based in FOB Dwyer? I made a long pit stop there, ending up in Marjah. My former fellow squad leader's squad was tasked out to hold security for (Dust Off) you might have crossed paths. From a grunt, jeckrn I want to thank you, I carried too many men into that black hawk but more times than not they were fighting by my side within weeks.
I worked in the OR so I never got out to the birds when they came in, could have crossed paths when they walked thru the hospital. Glad to here that most of your men made it back to their units. Even thou it was a Marine FOB there was no Marine vs. Army, we were all on the same team. The Marines would do anything for us just like we would do anything for them.
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Specializes in EMT, ER, Homehealth, OR.
# of beds sounds a little on the OPSEC side but who am I to judge? If any of my friends goes to my Facebook page, they would hardly know I am an RN, and an Army RN one at that. You just never know who's listening.

The number of beds for a CSH is publicly published.

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The number of beds for a CSH is publicly published.

I stand corrected. This time and age you can probably get a Google Earth view of the whole hospital...

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