New PHA process provides additional medical training, saves Airmen time

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Andrea F. Rhode
  • 115th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MADISON, Wis. --  The 115th Medical Group was the fourth Air National Guard unit to implement a new Physical Health Assessment program on base Oct. 2-4.

After learning about the Quick PHA program from its 133rd Airlift Wing counterparts in St. Paul, Minnesota, the medics put their training to use and processed more than 890 Airmen from the 115th Fighter Wing.

"In the past, the medical group would process members on a monthly basis according to their birth month," said Lt. Col. Jessica Sullivan, 115 MDG medical administrative officer. "The Quick PHA is different in that the medical group processes everyone through for their annual or five year PHA over a couple of days."

The only Airmen excluded from this process are flyers and firefighters, due to their additional medical requirements.

According to Sullivan, benefits to this new process included less wait time, more time for members to spend in their respective squadrons throughout the year, and a more personalized one-on-one health care visit for each member.

In addition to member benefits, the Quick PHAs also gave the medical Airmen, who normally work with the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and High Yield Explosive Enhanced Response Force Package, a chance to utilize their technical school training.

"It was kind of nice to work on real people," said Senior Airman Jill Fredrickson, 115 MDG CERFP. "Normally our patients are just actors."

The CERFP usually works on actors pretending to be injured during exercises. This real-world experience gave those Airmen an opportunity to give vaccines and draw blood, two skills they learned during their technical training.