DA NANG, Vietnam - Medical staff from the U.S Navy and Japan Maritime Self Force (JMSDF) led a medical evacuation demonstration for the Vietnamese military as part of Pacific Partnership 2014, June 11.

"Today we led a demonstration for the Vietnamese medics on how to safely do a medical evacuation of a patient from the ship to the shore," said Lt. Cmdr. Veronica Bigornia, a family practice physician. "We tried to impart to them that any one can do this as long as you are using the right techniques and to be creative if you don't have the same equipment."

It is known as a ship to shore transport. The first stage of the demonstration started when a patient was identified aboard JS Kunisaki (LST-4003), currently in port in Da Nang. Patients are put on a backboard, stabilizing their spine and protecting them from any unknown spinal cord injuries while medical staff conduct an initial assessment.

"The second stage was stabilization in the sick bay and then making the decision of either to keep the patient on the ship or transport them to a higher level of care based on the severity of the injuries," said Bigornia.

After the training was complete, the groups discussed the training and shard lessons they had all learned from the scenario.

"They responded well to the training and they had a lot of great questions, it really felt like we were able to contribute and impart some knowledge," said Bigornia.