Evaluating Air Force Expeditionary Nursing

A number of nurses from Wilford Hall Medical Center (WHMC) are being deployed on a cyclical rotation to the Air Force (AF) Theater Hospital at Balad Air Base, Iraq, to care for casualties in the intermediate care ward. To prepare these nurses, they are sent to various training sessions prior to the deployment. However, according to three Chief Nurses and a Flight Commander who have served in Balad's AF Theater Hospital, the observation is that some nurses are better prepared than others. Perhaps training is the issue. If so, is there a right mix and right amount? Is WHMC's training suitable for nurses being deployed to the intermediate care ward at Balad's AF Theater Hospital? The deployment preparation of these intermediate care nurses is the target of this evaluation.