Expeditionary Medical Support

Expect to sleep on a cot!   

Field conditions = sleeping bag, but EMEDS has a hardened facility.  Instead of sleeping on the floor in a tent, expect to sleep on a cot in a heated dorm. You can attempt privacy by arranging the lockers a certain way, but it's kind of pointless.  Embrace it.  Bring a pillow and a personal sleeping bag or blankets and throw modesty out the door.

Try to catch the 1800 shuttle to the Camp.

Try to schedule an early enough flight where you can catch the first shuttle to Camp B.
If you arrive on the first shuttle (leaves @ 1800), you will have first pick of sleeping areas in the dorm.  Your main goal is to find a cot next to a plug =)  even better a spot in the back corner.  If you are towards the front/main door, everyone will peak into your space as they walk by.  Ultimately, come to terms that no matter where you are...privacy is almost impossible to achieve.

There is also a 2200 shuttle.  After the drive and briefing, you will be able to find your cot around midnight....keep in mind that everyone else will be sleeping already.  Our late arrivers were nice enough to keep the lights off and find their sleeping areas in the dark.

If you miss the 2200 shuttle, you will have to take a taxi.  We were told that it can cost up to $50.  Hopefully this will not be your only option because the early morning activities will start at approximately 0600. If you are one who requires plenty of beauty sleep to function....take the early shuttle.

Bring a minimum of $60 in small bills.  

I came to EMEDS with the intention of eating lightly and losing some weight.  WRONG!!  First of all, there is a set price for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  There is no option of going cheap and buying a few hard boiled eggs or a bagel.  You pay one price whether you get a fresh omelet, a piece of toast or a coffee.  You may as well get your money's worth right?  I brought cereal bars for breakfast which allowed me to save some money and get a few extra minutes of sleep.

There are 3 bathrooms!

Must haves for your "trip" and a few suggestions for comfort (during winter months)

Happy Columbus day everyone!  What does a military mommy do on her day off? Shop?  Maybe a little.  Clean?  BINGO!  Usually my off days entail cleaning house and catching up on laundry.


It's embarrassing, this picture is REALLY my laundry area. My in-laws joke that I prefer to buy clothing than wash it...there may be some truth in that statement.  With all my laundry fun I ran out of detergent. I have had DIY laundry detergent on my agenda for quite sometime...but have never had the time or energy to try it.  This was the weekend to overcome and conquer!  Instead of buying the overpriced name brand stuff, I decided to join the Homemade Laundry Movement.  Most of all I was curious to know if this was as easy and cheap as everyone was proclaiming.


There are several "recipes" on the internet, but I chose to use the Duggar Family Recipe.  I figured a family with that many children (and laundry) cannot be wrong.

What you will need:  

• Large Pot
• Cheese Grater
• Large 5 Gallon bucket (I used 2- 3 Gallon buckets)
• Several containers to hold the finished product
• Fels-Naptha Bar Soap (approx $1)
• Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (approx $2.99)
• Borax (approx $2.99)

The last 3 ingredients were found in the laundry aisle of a local grocery store.  The washing soda and borax may seem pricey, but only a cup will be used out of each, meaning that you will be able to make several batches of laundry soap with each box

The Recipe:

And here is the finished product!  It made more than I anticipated, so I had to raid my recycling bin for extra containers. Also, it was VERY easy and much cheaper than I thought it would be.  If you have the time, this Mom highly recommends it and since it saves the family money, it is also Husband approved.

Clumping and turning into gel is normal....so remember to shake well before each use.  Best of all, this is safe for High Efficiency or HE washers!

For normal soiled clothing use the following recommended doses.  For heavy loads, adjust accordingly.

- Top Load Machine 5/8 cup per load         
- Front Load Machine 1/4 cup per load        

********UPDATE********

~ Jan 2015

I have been using this recipe since I first posted in 2013… it is tried and true.  I still use it as is and have saved $$$$!!  

I have found that the clothing smells great without being overpowering.  There was one instance where I ran out and had to use store bought detergent. The smell was too powerful for my asthmatic child.  Since heavy perfumes can be a trigger for his asthma, I had to REWASH the clothing and dilute the detergent.  Craziness!  Now, if I feel that I have a very stinky load, I use Purex scent crystal to give a slight boost in odor control.   It is not needed every load, just for the load with my hubby's work out clothing.  (<------- eeeeww)   

I also use homemade powder detergent for washing towels.  Powder detergent is EASIER than making the liquid detergent and it saves just as much $$$$$!!  

7 Oct 2013

I was sent, kicking and screaming to training for almost a month.  While I was away, a few friends from church (and a neighbor) offered to cook a meal for the family I was leaving behind.  This may sound like a small gesture, but it makes a large impact.  No....HUGE impact.  It was a burden lifted off of my shoulders and a blessing to my hubby.  At an appointed date and time, a home-cooked meal was graciously delivered to my doorstep (we chose Mon and Thur).  This meant that my stressed out husband was fed for 2 nights. For the rest of the week, he could reheat left overs...which meant less days to plan and prepare for.  I have a toddler who likes to eat and like most 2 year olds, is super cranky when hungry.  Cooking and keeping one's sanity is almost impossible with her attached (and screaming) to said chef's leg. I tried to help. I stocked up on plenty of frozen pizza's and snacks, but when leaving for an extended period of time a mother can only prepare so much. And experience has shown me that space and time are limited for freezing meals.  Help from friends went a LONG way.

Mealtrain.com is an excellent tool to communicate and organize meals.  My church uses it for postpartum meals, when someone is extremely ill or receiving medical treatment or when Mom is called away for work (usually the military).

How does it communicate and organize?  It is displayed as a calendar with date options. You can choose to offer consecutive days (a week) or intermittent (every Mon). Participants will have to register and have an account, but will able to view what days are available and most of all, what OTHERS are already preparing.   This option will hopefully prevent redundancies in entrees.  Who wants to eat Lasagna three days in a row, right?

I wanted to show my appreciation to my sweet, sweet friends.  I made these cute little gift bags with a little Thank You message.  Each contained a little "Stress Relief" hand sanitizer.  Two things a mom can never have enough of.

27 Sep 13

If you are a Medical Technician or Surgical Technician, you will probably attend C-STARS sometime in your career (hopefully BEFORE you deploy).  I am told that C-STARS training is a requirement every 24 months...HA!  I have been enlisted for 13 years and this is my first chance of attending.  I DO agree that it would be beneficial to attend every 2 years.  I wish that I had the opportunity earlier, because I was exposed to situations that would NEVER present in an outpatient facility (where most OR techs work now a days).  I only hope to be able to apply what I learned, but most of all, to never forget it.

The advice and opinions in this blog, are of course MY opinions of MY experience at C-STARS  Baltimore.  Everyone's training and schedule is different depending on expertise.  I attended as a Facial Trauma Technician or Operating Room Technician.

Congratulations!  You finally have your RIP and plane tickets set up for your adventure in Shock Trauma.  Included in your packet you will have a list of items to bring for field training and so on.

So what should you REALLY bring to C-STARS?

1) Undershirts/bike shorts - For one thing the scrubs are LIGHT BABY PINK.  Therefore, leave you hot pink thong at home (or for after hours).  They encourage members to wear an undershirt/tank top and shorts under the scrubs.  The scrubs are very "see thru" and others will be able to see what you wear. . .or don't wear.  Enough said.

2) Conservative clothing - To include black pants for ambulance runs (med techs only).  Even though it is a civilian hospital, members are still expected to represent the Air Force in a respectable manner.  No offensive t-shirts and no shorts. OR techs are allowed to wear their OR shoes and cloth hats.

3) Old clothing that can be thrown away- There is a field exercise where the students will practice "Care under fire".  If you are a patient during this exercise you will be covered in moulage and will have your clothing cut off of you.  No simulations here, you will end up in your shorts and sports bra.  I am thankful that I gave myself a pedicure the night before.  In fact my right sneaker is still stained red from my femoral bleed.  There will also be a field hospital set up at the end of class.  If you bring uniforms that you plan on disposing of afterwards, KEEP THEM until the 2nd/final event.  I have several friends who were told that they did not need the "old" uniforms after the paintball activity, so they donated their uniforms.  Unfortunately, during the EMEDS type exercise, they got moulage all over their serviceable uniforms.  Even if you are not a patient, you still risk getting your clothing stained from your fake patients.

4) Detergent/Dryer Sheets- If you plan on doing laundry more than twice, I highly suggest that you bring some of your own. The hotel will provide you with 2 sample boxes of powdered Tide and 2 sample boxes of Bounce (FYI,  they also provide additional complimentary boxes from the front desk if you ASK).    There are more individual boxes for purchase in the gift shop, but it's expensive.  Use of the washer/dryers is not free.  It's approximately $1.75 for each and can be paid with credit card or quarters.

5) Government license- There are government vehicles for use and there will be times when the class will have to travel to alternate training facilities.  This is a huge must for medics because you may have to drive to other locations for Medic/ambulance runs.  If you are tasked for this TDY short notice, like so many of us are, you can also accomplish online training that will allow you to legally drive the GOV's.

6) Notebook- There are tests.  If writing notes helps you study then go for it.

7) Bathing suit- Yes, there IS a lap pool at the hotel.

Living Arrangements

The staff at the hotel are absolutely awesome.  The rooms are equipped with a microwave, fridge and hair dryer.  They give out 10 free breakfast vouchers, not because it is coordinated through the cadre, but out of the kindness of their heart.  This breakfast is more than the typical continental breakfast.  It is a buffet serving a nice variety of foods: pancakes, cereal, oatmeal, eggs, bacon, fruit and yummy coffee.    There is always citrus or lavender infused water available in the lobby.  Or if bottled water is preferred, that is given out for free as well.  The gym is decent, not to mention that it is super clean, with fruit, cold water and towels available, 24/7. There is also a sauna and a nice sized pool.

The hotel also initiates (again on their own merit and dime) a social hour where the students can mingle with each other and the staff of C-STARS.  It has free food and an OPEN bar. In addition, they also host a "Manager's Reception" once a week for the guests.  This too includes appetizers and an open bar. They WANT our business, so they go out of their way for us. I give the hotel 3 thumbs up.  It's centrally located, clean, and has decent accommodations.  Way better than other places that I have had to stay for TDY's.

With that said. . .there are some Cons, some of which are out of the hotel's power that may cause a nuisance.  You will more than likely have a room-mate (to include officers).  You MAY also have to listen to sirens at all hours of the night.  I am a light sleeper and this caused a little bit of annoyance to me.  The rooms away from the street were ok, but my room faced the busy street and was right next to one of the busiest fire departments in the US.  Yes, Sirens were my white noise.  Bring ear plugs if this will be a major issue for you.

As with most of the nicer hotels, the gift/coffee shop, restaurant and bar are PRICEY.  I bought a few post cards from the gift shop for $1.25 each, then found the same post cards in a different location sold for a quarter!  Expect markups on convenience items.  To give you an idea, here are some examples that I heard others complain about: $3 per candy bar, $3 for Motrin (4 pills), $10 for a pack of cigarettes and $5 for Chapstick.

The restaurant has "ok" food for when you are too tired to walk to a restaurant. . . but expect to pay a minimum of $10 for a sandwich, $9 for an adult beverage or $3 for a scoop of ice cream.  You can walk across the street and get 3 times as much for $2.

Zeke's Coffee shop has delicious coffee but is priced similar to Starbucks down the street.  Again, you pay for not having to walk around in inner harbor Baltimore.

Cadaver Lab

29 Aug 2013


Having to leave your family is an unfortunate aspect of military life. . .and in the past year, I have had to leave mine frequently.  In preparation for my next TDY (Temporary Duty),  I wanted to do something special to help my children count down the days until I would return.

Here is an idea for a simple craft that even a toddler can participate in AND it keeps the kids busy while Dad can have some time to himself. Make paper chains representing the number of days that you will be absent.

Materials that we used: 

Step 1:  Decorate and Cut Paper

Step 2: Organize, Number and Write messages on Paper Strips

Step 3: Assemble Chains

Step 4: Explain the Concept and Apply