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TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. — More than 200 nurses and hospital corpsmen sharpened critical clinical abilities during Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Twentynine Palms' Annual Nursing and Corpsmen Skills Fair, held April 28-29, reinforcing the command's commitment to delivering high quality patient care and keeping the warfighter in the fight.
The two-day event provided hands-on training designed to sustain proficiency in low-frequency, high-risk clinical procedures while ensuring staff met annual training requirements established by accreditation organizations. Participants rotated through multiple training stations covering emergency response procedures, blood administration, patient restraints, communication, and other essential clinical competencies.
"For us, the Annual Nursing and Corpsmen Skills Fair is an opportunity to ensure we are meeting our local annual training requirements focused on standards set by accreditation bodies," said Lt. Cmdr. Nicolle R. Leftwich, emergency management department clinical nurse specialist and patient-centered medical homeport department head at NMRTC Twentynine Palms. "We are able to refresh staff on critical clinical procedures that carry high patient risk but may be performed infrequently in daily practice, such as blood transfusions, emergency response procedures and the use of restraints."
Although many of these procedures are not encountered every day, they require immediate, confident execution when needed. The annual skills fair allows personnel from across Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms to maintain competency through realistic, hands-on instruction in a controlled learning environment.
As military medicine continues to emphasize the importance of bolstering comprehensive medical readiness, events like the skills fair ensure Navy Medicine personnel remain prepared to respond both in installation and in operational environments. Clinical proficiency directly supports the Defense Health Agency's mission of delivering high-quality care while ensuring military medical personnel remain ready to support the joint force.
For NMRTC Twentynine Palms, readiness carries additional significance because of the command's unique role supporting Marine Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, the Marine Corps' premier live-fire training installation.
"NMRTC Twentynine Palms supports Marine Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms — the largest Marine Corps live-fire training base — with a mission to keep warfighters in the fight," Leftwich said. "Given the remote location and nature of our mission, staff must be well-versed in response to any emergency that walks through the door. Training on emergency response and Code Blue procedures, blood administration and much more aids in preservation of critical skills."
The skills fair also reflects the reality that military healthcare professionals must be prepared to transition rapidly from providing day-to-day patient care to responding during emergencies, mass casualty situations or expeditionary operations. Maintaining those skills through repetitive, hands-on practice helps build confidence while reinforcing standardized procedures that improve patient outcomes.
Each year, organizers evaluate lessons learned, safety trends and policy updates to ensure the training remains relevant to current operational and clinical priorities.
This year's event introduced a new TeamSTEPPS communication fundamentals station, recognizing the critical role communication plays in safe, effective patient care.
"Minor changes are made each year to reflect current trends in safety events and any new equipment or policy updates," Leftwich said. "This year we added a TeamSTEPPS communication fundamentals station as nearly all clinical events can be tied to communication in some way."
The addition highlighted that technical expertise alone is not enough during medical emergencies. Effective teamwork, communication and coordinated decision-making are essential components of delivering safe patient care, particularly in high-stress environments where seconds matter.
Beyond reinforcing clinical procedures, Leftwich said one of the primary goals was ensuring participants left the event with greater confidence in their ability to respond under pressure.
"I hope participants took away clinical confidence not only focused on garrison medical readiness, but also expeditionary readiness and skills application to execute under stress," she said.
Unlike routine annual online training or classroom instruction, the skills fair provides an opportunity for experiential learning that engages staff across the command regardless of their primary assignment.
"Skills fairs give the opportunity to capture nurses and corpsmen working in all areas of the medical treatment facility, not solely clinical," Leftwich said. "It is vital to sustain clinical knowledge and skills, and the fair serves as a low-frequency, high-risk refresher to augment foundational knowledge."
That broad participation helps ensure personnel who may not routinely perform bedside clinical procedures still maintain core competencies necessary to respond during emergencies or support operational missions when called upon.
Participants ranged from newly assigned Sailors to experienced nurses and senior corpsmen, creating opportunities for mentorship while reinforcing standardized practices across the command.
According to Leftwich, one of the most encouraging outcomes is seeing participants discover new techniques or clarify existing knowledge regardless of their level of experience.
"Staff of varying levels of experience and time at the command are part of our skills fair audience," she said. "Regardless of where you're at on the spectrum, we often hear, 'Oh, I didn't know that!'"
Those moments of learning reinforce the value of bringing together healthcare professionals from different specialties to review best practices, discuss evolving clinical guidance and strengthen teamwork throughout the organization.
By combining accreditation-driven training requirements with practical, scenario-based instruction, NMRTC Twentynine Palms' Annual Nursing and Corpsmen Skills Fair ensures its medical professionals remain prepared to deliver safe, high-quality care while supporting the operational readiness of Marines and Sailors across the region and on deployments.
As Navy Medicine continues to prioritize a medically ready force and a ready medical force, events like the Annual Nursing and Corpsmen Skills Fair help ensure healthcare professionals possess the knowledge, confidence and clinical expertise necessary to preserve the fighting strength of the force whenever and wherever they are needed.
Navy Medicine's 44,000+ talented and ready forces optimize health readiness, deliver quality healthcare, and provide global expeditionary medical support to warfighters.
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