SAMFE Course

Hello again everyone! I apologize for the delay in posting, as I've been quite busy. I'll tell you why in just a moment, but first I'd like to address some questions! The website is not posting my responses to comments, so while that's being figured out, I'll just repond here. 

    First, training courses that are TDY(temporary orders) certainly allow you to use your phone. Even at my initial training, we always had internet access and text/calling abilities. Even in the field, I was able to plug my phone in to charge and use my mobile data. Specialty courses (like the JECC course I recently attended) are very similar to civilian business trips. You are given a hotel room, reimbursement for food or provided meals, and you're expected to learn the material. All of your free time is yours to do whatever you like, including calls and video chats with family! With that being said, some courses that require social isolation such as the SERE training may have rules about this, so check out the course description before you go. 

    Second, I'm sending good vibes and happy thoughts to those of you in BOLC or other courses during the pandemic... Good luck! I began my training at the peak of the initial COVID wave when things had just started to calm back down. I know first hand how difficult it was to learn using conference calls and powerpoints. Hang in there, and keep yourself connected to friends and family while you're away. 

My most recent experience I have to share is my trip to San Antonio (again) for my Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examiner course (or SAMFE). This is the military equivalent for a SANE certification, for those of you who have worked as civilian nurses. Essentially, SAMFE qualified nurses conduct medical examinations and evidence collections on victims and suspects of sexual assault. Working at Womack in Fort Bragg, I've heard about these nurses but never interacted with them, as they mostly respond to cases in the emergency room that are then discharged. Why would an ICU nurse need that certification, you ask? In my case, two reasons. First, It's another hat that I could wear, and I would be on call at Fort Bragg to care for a patient if needed, in order to help with the case load. This is an entirely separate "job" than my ICU position, and it's another way for me to serve my community and earn some recognition during evaluations. Second, I'm passionate about this patient population, and when the opportunity presented itself I was eager to step forward. Third, I am deploying to Iraq to staff a field hospital, and they needed a certain amount of SAMFE certified nurses to care for our population while overseas. WHOA WAIT, WHAT?! Why didn't I lead with that news, right? My next post will be all about my deployment (what I can share, anyway), but this post is about SAMFE so I'll get into the big stuff later.

I was asked to attend this course on very short notice, so it felt like a whirlwind. Between DTS (the DOD travel system)and packing for deployment and all the paperwork, I was totally lost. I'll try to break down the process for you. 

When you want or need to attend a course, the first thing you need to do is find the course in ATRRS and read the course description. Here, you'll find all of the pre-qualifications you need for the course, who is allowed to attend, the length and location of the course, etc. Make sure you meet all of the necessary requirements listed! There is usually contact information at the bottom of the course information, allowing you to call and ask questions. Be professional and polite, as this contact is usually an instructor or course director. Write down the course number and contact info, or print the page out so you have that information handy. 

Next, fill out the application for short course training on Armypubs.army.mil (DD form 3838) and give it to your unit's training NCO or training room. They will ask you for everything they usually do when you submit for leave, so have your LES, Medpros, and certifications/online training up to date and ready to go. My unit won't let anyone take leave or go to courses with things out of date or incomplete. From there, it must be signed by your command in order to move forward. You can't just go to a course without your commander knowing! Sometimes this takes a few "checking in" emails or phone calls to your training NCO, but once it's signed, you can move forward. 

For this specific course, a big background check, fingerprints, and a meeting with higher command were required before moving forward. Essentially, this was to make sure I was up to the challenge, could meet the requirements, and was ready for the emotional and psychological burden of this role. Once I got the go-ahead, I had a hard time figuring out the next steps with my training NCO. I ended up having to contact the director of the SHARP and sexual assault program on Fort Bragg, who was able to point me in the right direction for fingerprints and background checks, as well as communicating with the school to get me a last minute seat. 

Travel is so complicated in the military! There is a new system called DTS, which is a one-stop-shop for buying tickets, hotels, and rental cars. This is where that course description comes in handy. On that page, it tells you what is provided by the school. This may or may not include a hotel, meals, rental car, per-diem, etc. What the school DOES NOT provide, will either be provided by your unit or paid out of pocket. Luckily, the courses I've attended so far have been great and I haven't needed to pay for anything out of pocket. There was an NCO in my unit who helped me navigate DTS, so find out who yours is and make sure you check with them at each step! Schedule your flights on whatever day the course description suggests, figure out how to get to and from the airport, and book your rental car if you are allowed one. Don't sign or submit anything before checking with your NCO! I am so paranoid about messing everything up, and DTS is so stinking picky. Keep all of your receipts! Always be in the right place, right time, right uniform. This course is a great example of that rule because we were required to bring our dress uniforms for a day in court (training purposes, not a real court case). This means you have to be prepared ahead of time and have your uniform squared away with a bag to transport it in. I took it to the gate for them to check because I don't trust baggage claim with my pink and greens. No, thank you.

This was a great course! I met other providers from other branches and other countries, and all of them brought different experiences and stories to the class. It was emotionally difficult towards the end, but definitely worth it. The first week was all lecture and guest speakers, while the second week was a lot more hands on experience while practicing evidence collection. The last few days you do a full exam from start to finish on a MOCK patient in different scenarios, receiving a GO/NO GO at the end. The last day of class, You're given an example of a poorly done examination and have to memorize a few definitions. Then you get dressed up and head to a courtroom where you are placed on the stand and asked some simple questions. They give you feedback on your "testimony" and then you get to celebrate your certification!

I really enjoyed going back to San Antonio, and as soon as I returned to base, I was asked to help with two cases at the hospital. It was very helpful to watch a prop go through the whole process in real life afte the course, and I was excited to have a new skill under my belt. Thank you for reading, and I hope you keep checking in so I can tell you all about my deployment! Coming Soon :D