Eight second-year medical students from the Army, Air Force and Navy enrolled at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) spent two weeks onboard USS Boxer (LHD 4) training in operational medicine (OPMED).

Based in Bethesda, Maryland, USU is the nation’s federal health professions academy and includes a military specific curriculum. OPMED is the healthcare provided in unconventional settings where access to certain resources may be diminished.

Throughout the last half of July, Boxer’s Medical Department provided the students an understanding and training of OPMED that will help further their careers in the medical field. The students underwent a number of training evolutions with Boxer’s hospital corpsmen (HM) that utilized skills they learned at USU but had not put into practice before.

“The corpsmen did an excellent job,” said Ensign Jonathan Nase. “They showed us how to properly locate a patient’s veins in order to insert an intravenous (IV). I hadn’t ever done that on a real person before, only on training dolls, so that was really valuable.”

The students were also able to take part in a simulated medical emergency.



“We had them go hands on,” said Hospital Corpsman Chief Petty Officer Daniel Jimenenz, the leading chief petty officer overseeing the drill. “We made some of the students look injured and act as patients so they could see the HMs respond in real time. They got hands-on stretcher bearer training and had to go through safety routes to get to triage.”

“The drill was good practice,” said U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Racheal Lee. “I helped transport people to the battle dressing stations and the HMs integrated us well. We were able to see a little of everything.”

The students were also able to simulate the daily tasks of Navy medical practitioners.

“I learned how to suture, how to be a stretcher bearer and how to check airways,” said Ensign Anne-Elizabeth Stone. “We have our advanced combat medical experience exercise coming up at school, so I’m grateful for all of this. The HMs taught us their skills and made it an enjoyable experience.”



Boxer’s Senior Medical Officer, Lt. Cmdr. Paul Flood, believes that the skills and training the students received will be beneficial throughout their careers.

“The goal in doing this was to give these students an understanding of OPMED and what corpsmen and Sailors do,” Flood said. “They were able to see what OPMED is all about. This was an invaluable lesson for them.”

Boxer is a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship commissioned February 11, 1995 and is the sixth ship to bear the name. Boxer’s crew is made up of approximately 1,200 officers and enlisted personnel and can accommodate up to 1,800 Marines.

For more information or imagery for USS Boxer visit: https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/USSB-LHD4
Follow us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/ussboxer
Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/ussboxer