Staff Sgt. Charles Lanham, NCOIC of the Iraqi Correctional Officer Basic Medic Course initiated Oct. 21, walks two ICO medic trainees through the proper techniques used to perform basic life support or CPR at Camp Cropper, Iraq. Photo by Capt. Heath Steele.
Initial class of Iraqi correctional officer medics graduate
Task Force 62 Medical Public Affairs, Multi-National Corps
CAMP CROPPER, Iraq – The Iraqi Correctional Officer Training Academy and Task Force 31 Medical graduated its first class of ICO medics, who will support the theater mission of transitioning detainee healthcare operations to Iraqi medical control, Dec. 6.
The American-led course ensures detainees receive the same high standard of care U.S. medics currently provide. The ICO Basic Medic Course allowed the students to observe the respect and dignity with which the detainee patients are treated by the American medics and hopefully reflect that in their own service.
The graduates utilized new, state-of-the-art medical equipment and facilities and had the benefit of an Arabic speaking physician-instructor.
The planning and preparation involved in establishing the new course was accomplished by Task Force 31 personnel from both Camp Cropper and Camp Bucca, Iraq. Both Theater Internment Facility locations currently utilize the skills of trained ICO medics in their detainee health care operations. The ICO medics are fully integrated and augment daily medical operations.
Currently, 25 ICO guards have graduated the multi-phase program. Despite language and cultural barriers, the ICO medics have provided immeasurable assistance to the American medics.
“Having the ICO medics assist frees up substantial time for the American medics, who then can take that time and dedicate it to patient care,” said Sgt. Joseph McGough, non-commissioned officer in charge of the ICO medic program at Camp Bucca.
With the new Basic ICO Medic Course at Camp Cropper, the number of ICO medics will increase quickly with plans to reach 650 medics.
Although this maiden class has only four graduates, subsequent classes will reach upwards of 30 students. There are currently more than 50 ICO guards that meet course requirements and are waiting to begin the training.
The correctional officers, who participate in the medical training, volunteer for the duty and perform as ICO medics in addition to their civilian employment.
One new ICO medic, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “One of the reasons to work in this field is the human work and to help people that need medical care and also I wish to help my country and get more skills and experience in this type of work.”
The new seven-week course, similar to the Army Combat Life Saver Course, mirrors the curriculum taught at Camp Taji, but improvements have been made.
Staff Sgt. Charles Lanham, noncommissioned officer in charge of the ICO Medic Course at Camp Cropper, said, “The most significant improvements were made in the accuracy the Arabic translation of medical terminology.”
The course consists of basic life support, or CPR, intravenous fluid administration, anatomy and physiology, airway management, and trauma and medical assessment, as well as medical ethics training.
The on-the-job training the ICO medics experience following the classroom portion familiarizes them with basic wound care, pharmacology, diabetic care and sick-call procedures. Knowledge of these subjects allows the ICO medics to perform tasks effectively to standard and to act more independently.
“The U.S.-trained ICO medics are proving effective in our current operations as they are now able, despite their limited numbers, to provide medical care for detainees. This is easing the load of the U.S. Army medics and eventually the combination of classroom and on-the-job training will allow us to completely turn over all detainee health care to the ICO medics,” said Lanham.
As a culminating event, trainees participate in a mass casualty exercise drawing upon all of their newly-gained knowledge from the course. After graduation from the ICO Basic Medic Course, each trained ICO medic receives an aid bag and is assigned to administer health care to a detainee compound at either Camp Cropper or Camp Bucca.