Republic of Korea nurses visit Hickam

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Shane A. Cuomo
  • Air Force Print News
Nurses from the Republic of Korea visited Hickam’s clinic to learn how the U.S. responds to and manages natural disasters contingencies. By sharing information with allies the Air Force will insure its friends are using they practices in disaster management situations.

Seven RoK nurses spent a week on Oahu to discuss mass casualty response, civil-military coordination, and biohazard response procedures. The nurses also made stops at Tripler Army Medical Center and a Naval clinic on Pearl Harbor during their visit.

“We are here to share with U.S. experts and also learn the systems and programs to apply them into our curriculums and our programs,” said Maj. Myoung Ran Yu, Chief of Republic of Korea Military Nursing Research Center.

With disasters like the recent tsunami that devastated Indonesia and mudslide that hit the Philippines this type of information sharing with allied forces ensures the best possible reactions to dramatic situations. The hope is that medical officials from both nations find new and better ways to manage disasters.

“You have a really good system for disaster management,” said Maj. Soon-Young Lee, Adult Nursing Instructor. “We are trying to prepare a system in Korea so we want to start from here,” she said.

The nurses will go back to Korea with new ideas and new friendships both of which they can use to strengthen their disaster management system.
(Courtesy of Pacific Air Forces)