22nd MDG team keep Airmen on the job

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Colby L. Hardin
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  The 22nd Medical Group is now tailoring medical profiles to keep Airmen mission-ready here.

Medical profiles limit Airmen from performing certain duties at work for many different reasons. After receiving first-hand knowledge of what the Airmen do on a daily basis at work, doctors and technicians will issue job-specific profiles so Airmen can still work, but with precautions.

"We see all of the trends that are going on as far as injuries," said Staff Sgt. Christina Begeal, 22nd Aerospace Medicine Squadron medical technician. "We wanted to go out to different work areas to see what we can do to keep as many Airmen capable of doing their job [as possible] while still taking care of their injuries."

Members of the 22nd MDG went to the flightline and inside the hangars to perform general tasks that most aircraft maintainers are required to complete on a day-to-day basis.

"Medical folks don't know exactly what we do," said Maj. Duane Richardson, 22nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron commander. "I wanted to bring some of the profile writers out to show them [what we do] so they can have a better idea when they're writing those profiles."

An aircraft was set up with a maintenance stand, a generator, and other basic maintenance tools. The MDG Airmen climbed up and down ladders, carried tool boxes and went through the tasks it takes to be a maintainer.

"With us going out there and doing their job, we get a better understanding of what they actually do," said Begeal. "It also helps build our relationship with the people on the flightline."

The profiles will now feature specific Air Force Specialty Code restrictions instead of a general restriction on all work related tasks which could unnecessarily require Airmen to stay at home on quarters.

"We all have different jobs, and sometimes it's hard to explain what we do," said Richardson. "It was important that they came out here and got a hands-on aspect of what we do as maintainers."

With medical personnel proactively visiting the flightline, they now have a better chance to prevent incidents before they happen, which should free up appointment slots at the clinic.

"When the doctors receive a patient who comes in with pain from performing a certain task, they can now call and say 'I want to check out this task to see how it can be done better, without causing more injuries.' added Richardson. "That's the type of repertoire we're trying to build here. Every person that we have is valuable, every little bit helps."