Elevating Expeditionary Readiness at Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Patuxent River

While operating as a busy outpatient facility focused on primary care and fleet readiness, Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Patuxent River is building its own high-intensity training pipeline. Through its "Warrior Wednesday" initiative, the command runs hands-on, fast-paced evolutions to sharpen critical expeditionary trauma skills.

The "Warrior Wednesday" initiative grew out of a targeted pilot established by the Medical Homeport team and the Medical Readiness Clinic in January of this year. Originally launched as a focused "Lunch and Learn" series, the effort allowed leadership to refine a hands-on Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) curriculum within the realities of a demanding clinical schedule. By intentionally carving out time for operational skill-building amidst routine patient care, the team proved that making time to train is a non-negotiable component of mission readiness. This developmental phase culminated in a dynamic, two-hour evolution alongside the NAS Patuxent River Search and Rescue (SAR) "SAR Dogs" aircrew.

Under simulated field conditions, Sailors put the MARCH algorithm into practice—systematically addressing massive bleeding, airway, respiration, circulation, and hypothermia or head injuries during care under fire. The team managed 9-Line and ZMIST radio communications and executed live patient hand-offs to the SAR helicopter crew, proving the curriculum's practical impact prior to full implementation. “Our partnership with the NAS Patuxent River Search and Rescue Team continues to assist us greatly to create invaluable expeditionary readiness training conditions so we can prepare our hospital corpsmen for future operational environments,” said Capt. Ken Radford, commanding officer of NMRTC Patuxent River.

Building on the success of the initial evolution, NMRTC Patuxent River expanded the training to all four command locations, anchoring the curriculum in TCCC principles. Designed to prevent skill decay through hands-on repetition, the training aims to bridge the gap between routine clinic care and battlefield response. The hands-on drills challenge Sailors to treat massive bleeding, secure airways, manage chest trauma, and treat for shock under realistic field conditions. The training also covers field-level wound care, infection prevention, and medication protocols under the PAWS algorithm (pain, antibiotics, wounds, and splinting). Interactive training evolutions—such as a Casualty Scavenger Hunt and Corpsman Jeopardy—further reinforce these life-saving algorithms under pressure.

As part of a comprehensive approach to readiness, the curriculum introduces corpsmen to baseline mental health triage alongside physical medical care. Through realistic patient role-plays, corpsmen learn to identify psychological distress, practice clear communication, and manage initial mental health encounters. By training corpsmen to actively triage for mental health, the program enables early recognition and support for patients experiencing psychological stress—helping individuals address challenges early, maintain unit strength, and ultimately build long-term resilience.

“Resilience isn’t something you either have or don’t—it’s a skill we build the same way we build physical fitness or tactical proficiency," said Lt. Cmdr. Patrick Baker, Director of Mental Health. "A psychologically resilient force recovers faster from setbacks, makes better decisions under pressure, and stays mission-capable through the friction that inevitably comes with military life. That’s not a ‘nice to have’—that’s readiness.”

The expansion across the command marked the realization of an ambitious vision to transform routine clinical skill-building into agile operational readiness. “What began as a simple vision to increase hands-on clinical skills for our enlisted and officer staff has become a mission-focused reality,” said Cmdr. MaryPat Tobola, Director for Health Services.

By dedicating select Wednesday afternoons for hands-on evolutions, NMRTC Patuxent River is building the muscle memory, and practical confidence Sailors need to perform under real-world casualty conditions. For deckplate leaders, the impact of this continuous, structured training is tangible. “Our ‘Warrior Wednesday’ initiative is designed to instill a warrior mindset in our Sailors,” said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Tyler Kelly, an independent duty corpsman. “Tactical Combat Casualty Care skills are a critical component of this, and we've taken a deep dive into individual TCCC skills. The perpetual training greatly enhances our Sailors' combat readiness to be forward deployed.”

Looking ahead, the command is preparing to take this momentum even further with a major APEX training event planned for October. The command-wide evolution will unite active-duty personnel across all four of NMRTC Patuxent River’s locations for an intense, outdoor, high-pressure exercise—putting their cumulative medical and tactical skills to the test under realistic field conditions. “The October APEX event represents the culmination of months of dedicated training across our entire footprint,” said Radford. “Bringing all four locations together under realistic pressure ensures our Sailors are confident, capable, and ready when called upon.”