Skip to main content

Military Health System

Iraq Bomb Attack Led Soldier to Pursue Medical Career

Image of U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Mathew Maxwell (Left) and U.S. Capt. Brian Ahern, medical personnel assigned to a Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) recovery team, check the pulse of a local villager during excavation operations in the Houaphan province, Laos, Feb. 5, 2019. U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Mathew Maxwell (Left) and U.S. Capt. Brian Ahern, medical personnel assigned to a Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) recovery team, check the pulse of a local villager during excavation operations in the Houaphan province, Laos, Feb. 5, 2019.

Recommended Content:

Health Readiness & Combat Support

Army Master Sgt. Mathew Maxwell never planned to join a military medical career field.

Born in the United States, but raised in Canada, Maxwell started out in military intelligence with the Idaho Army National Guard. Before he deployed to Iraq in 2004, he took a Combat Life Saver course.

Several months later, he was out with his platoon when his unit was struck by a vehicle-borne improvised explosion device.

"I had to treat a seriously wounded patient as a CLS. I was the only one in the platoon that had the skills and abilities to help," he recalled. "I entered a bombed out building and treated and moved two patients that were on the roof… I was able to use the training I had and help them both."

"That's when I knew I wanted to do more in the medical field. This is the experience that convinced me to re-class and become a medic," Maxwell said.

Today, Maxwell is the senior enlisted advisor for the DHA Chief Nursing Officer at the Defense Health Agency in Falls Church, Virginia. And last summer, he received his Bachelor in Health Care Administration from Purdue University.

His experience treating wounded soldiers for the first time changed the direction of his career. He later reclassified as a "68 Whiskey" – the Army's occupational specialty for combat medics.

To get underway with his new career track, the Army sent him to Ft. Sam Houston, Texas. As a prior service trainee, he received Advanced Individual Training as a Combat Medic, and was assigned to a deploying unit immediately after graduation.

"I was in Afghanistan six weeks after graduation and working in a battalion aid station," he recalled.

Maxwell then earned his Basic Life Saver instructor certification. After several years, the Army assigned him to be a Tactical Combat Casualty Care instructor, where he taught combat medic skills to other soldiers who were already in the "68 Whiskey" career field and preparing to deploy.

As the Military Health System observes this year's Nurses Week, Maxwell noted that the military medical community defines the nursing community very broadly to include medical professionals beyond just those who have received a registered nursing degree.

"When we say nursing, we are talking about a very broad scope of positions and responsibilities," he said. "Of course, we mean all of the commissioned officers, enlisted LPNs, GS civilians and contractors that work in our hospitals in the nursing positions."

"We also mean the nursing teams that support the care of patients, both in and out of a hospital," he added. "We put a lot onto our service members. We ask them to be the best nurse, medic, or corpsman they can be, and then give them additional duties outside of their medical ones."

"I know most of the Army medics, Air Force techs, and Navy corpsmen don't often think of themselves as nurses, but we are working to change how the force views them," he said.

"We want everyone to know that when we refer to Military Health System nursing, it is the entire care team that is responsible for patient care.

"Whether you are on a ship as an independent duty corpsman, or a medic on the line, you are part of the nursing team, and we want to recognize your contribution to the MHS and nursing."

You also may be interested in...

New Training Course Offers Medics and Nurses Hands-On Experience in Austere Environment

Article Around MHS
3/14/2023
U.S. Army Capt. Morgan Bobinski and U.S. Army Capt. Lauren Blake, burn intensive care unit nurses, treat a simulated patient during the Tactical Trauma Reaction and Evacuation Crossover Course at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. (Photo by Jason W. Edwards, U.S. Army)

Battlefield trauma simulations, evacuation procedures, and trauma care are just a few of the scenarios that medics and nurses experience in a new training platform. Find out what makes the TTREX course so impressive that participants are volunteering to teach it.

Recommended Content:

Health Readiness & Combat Support

Operation Blue Horizon Fosters a Joint Medical Environment

Article Around MHS
2/24/2023
U.S. Air Force, Army and U.S. Navy service members carry a mannequin to an Army UH-60 Blackhawk for a casualty evacuation during Operation Blue Horizon 2023 at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. (Photo by U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Derrick Bole)

They say teamwork makes the dream work, and it's happening at MacDill AFB. Find out how Airmen and Sailors are collaborating to save lives.

Recommended Content:

Education & Training | Health Readiness & Combat Support

I Am Navy Medicine - and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist - Lt. Jason Balazs

Article Around MHS
1/27/2023
Military medical personnel administers ultrasound on patient.

National Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) Week is January 22-28, 2023. Learn why CRNAs like Lt. Jason Balazs use extraordinary precision and focus to support critical mission readiness and their impact on this profession's long history and enduring record of patient safety.

Recommended Content:

Health Readiness & Combat Support

Eyes on Vision Readiness

Article Around MHS
1/27/2023
Military personnel gets eye exam

Good eyesight is often take for granted, but vision impairment can be the difference between mission success and mission failure. Find out what's happening on Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling so airmen in the National Capital Region remain sharply focused on their U.S. Air Force missions.

Recommended Content:

Vision and Hearing Loss Prevention | Vision Center of Excellence | Health Readiness & Combat Support

U.S. Army Medical Laboratory Forges Relationship with Australian Defence Force Institute

Article Around MHS
1/25/2023
Military personnel in medical laoratory

American soldiers from the 1st Area Medical Laboratory were hosted by their counterparts at the Australian Defence Force Malaria and Infectious Disease Institute in Brisbane, Australia. Find out what was discussed at this meeting to strengthen critical relationships, save lives, and enable both sides' mission readiness.

Recommended Content:

Building Partner Capacity and Interoperability | Health Readiness & Combat Support | Research & Innovation

959th Medical Group Airmen at BAMC Receive Distinguished Awards

Article Around MHS
1/18/2023
U.S. Army Col. Renee Matos speaks at ceremony

The New Year’s revelry may be over; however, with a host of local and national awards, the 959th Medical Group still has cause to celebrate. Several 959th Airmen assigned to Brooke Army Medical Center were recognized recently for their selfless service, professionalism, and clinical expertise, both at home and overseas.

Recommended Content:

Health Readiness & Combat Support

Injured Fort Bliss K-9 Handler Makes Inspiring Return to Duty

Article Around MHS
1/10/2023
Military personnel with K9

A military working dog handler assigned to the 93rd Military Police battalion survives a horrific motorcycle crash with a speeding pickup driver, but his prognosis was grim. Find out how dedication, motivation, and his sweet connection with a K-9 got U.S. Army Spc. Cade Brown back on the road to recovery.

Recommended Content:

Warrior Care | Health Readiness & Combat Support

Theater Medical Command Experiment Focuses on Large-Scale Combat Operations, Future Operating Environment

Article Around MHS
1/6/2023
Military medical personnel at Fort Sam Houston

The Medical Capability Integration Directorate hosted its culminating limited objective experiment for calendar year 2022. See how the Theater Medical Command (TMC) Experiment will affect large-scale combat operations and prioritize limited Army Health System capabilities and how the TMC will support future operating environments.

Recommended Content:

Health Readiness & Combat Support

The Meaning of a Navy Medicine Family

Article Around MHS
12/30/2022
The four Maldarelli sisters serving in the Navy

For some serving today in Navy Medicine, the term "Navy family" can hold a very literal meaning. Just ask the Maldarelli sisters, whose personal and Navy family intermingle.

Public Health Nurses: Heroes for Health

Article Around MHS
12/14/2022
U.S. Navy Cmdr. Tracy R. Kraus head shot

In a world where public health is constantly being challenged, the need for front-line contenders in the fight against threats is rapidly increasing. The work of the Public Health Nurse is nothing short of heroic. Learn more about the extraordinary dedication and arduous work it takes for Public Health Nurses to keep the warfighter population healthy and fit to fight and win.

Recommended Content:

Public Health

New Work Group Looks at Preventive Health Measures for Service Members

Article Around MHS
12/9/2022
U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Christopher Mohan

The U.S. Coast Guard is now prioritizing a review of health-related data to determine how to reduce illness and injuries within the workforce. This shift is prompted by a policy update within the Coast Guard Medical Manual COMDTINST 6000.7, as well as the new Population Health Optimization Work Group that will impact members, civilians, dependents, and retirees.

Recommended Content:

Health Readiness & Combat Support | Medical and Dental Preventive Care Fitness

Medical Maintenance Sustaining the Warfighter

Article Around MHS
11/1/2022
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Monica Hewey works on ventilator

Biomedical Equipment Technician, or BMET, is one of those little-known career fields in the Air Force, yet it has a big impact on readiness and lethality.

Recommended Content:

Health Readiness & Combat Support

Tactical Medical Augmentation Team Increases Combat Medical Capability

Article Around MHS
10/24/2022
TacticalMedical-725

To find a solution to an identified gap in medical care provided in combat situations, the U.S. Air Force 920th Rescue Wing’s Aeromedical Staging Squadron developed the Tactical Medical Augmentation Team, an embedded medical team that will bring a new level of patient care directly to the battlefield.

Recommended Content:

Health Readiness & Combat Support | Readiness Capabilities

U.S. Army's Regional Health Command-Europe Redesignates to Medical Readiness Command

Article Around MHS
10/11/2022
Military personnel at color ceremony

The U.S. Army is modernizing medical care to provide sustained expeditionary, and tailored medical forces to support the Army against any adversary in joint, multi-domain, high-intensity battlefields of the future and through the next pandemic.

Recommended Content:

Health Readiness & Combat Support

Training Marines as Combat Life Savers

Article Around MHS
10/7/2022
Military medical personnel practice lifesaving procedures

U.S. Navy Corpsman from Expeditionary Operations Training Group (EOTG), I Marine Expeditionary Force, hosted the second iteration of Marines training on life saving fundamentals and casualty care.

Recommended Content:

Health Readiness & Combat Support
<< < 1 2 3 4 > >> 
Showing results 1 - 15 Page 1 of 4
Refine your search
Last Updated: February 01, 2023
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery