Health teams swap scrubs for uniforms in Exercise ‘Etu’

The dual skillsets of the New Zealand Defence Force’s (NZDF) highly trained Reservists have been on full display this weekend in Whanganui, during the fourth and final joint surgical field exercise between the Defence Force and Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora.

Reserve Force medical specialists including surgeons, nurses and anaesthetists have swapped their usual scrubs for uniforms and gathered at Whanganui Hospital for the fourth year running of exercise ‘Etu’.

This final iteration of the exercise has seen the reservists operating in a full field environment, under tents situated within the hospital campus.

The NZDF’s Officer Commanding General Health Support Squadron, Major James Josephs, says it’s an invaluable opportunity for personnel to not only brush up on their own skills in a military environment, but it also helps advance and develop the NZDF’s broader capabilities.

“In their day-to-day lives, these specialists are employed in hospitals and clinics across the motu, but for some time during the year they switch hospital corridors for deployment zones and field environments to support our Defence Force on missions,” says Major Josephs.

“These highly trained medical personnel hold a dual set of skills which sees them transition seamlessly between civilian life and military capability, and it’s great to be able to see that in action on exercises like this.

"The exercise has seen the team performing surgeries as if they are on deployment where there are no hospitals or medical facilities. Pre-consented (and very excited) patients lined up for the experience of having their surgeries performed in military tents, in order to help make the experience as real as possible for the team.

“Due to most of our Reserve Force personnel working across different hospitals, the opportunity to come together and train as a complete team is incredibly important in order for us to be able to perform in high pressure environments – it’s a crucial part of our training,” says Major Josephs.

“The added bonus here is that we’ve been able to provide genuine high-level care to patients who needed it, and so it’s been very valuable for us to be here.”

Kath Fraser-Chapple, Group Director Operations Whanganui, says she is proud of the relationship that has been developed with the NZDF over recent years to allow these joint exercises to go ahead.

“Being able to assist them in their readiness to be deployed has been incredibly rewarding for the hospital. Our patients have also benefitted from the skills and experience of the visiting health team.”