News

Reserve physicals now less taxing

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Jake Chappelle
  • 446th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  For active-duty Air Force members, getting a physical might not be a walk on the beach, but it usually isn't a difficult process. 

All an active-duty Airman has to do is schedule the exam for a Preventative Health Assessment with his or her provider, show up to the appointment, have the physical administered and they're done, said Chief Master Sgt. Minett Fernandez, 446th Aerospace Medicine Squadron superintendent. 

Unfortunately, the Reserve doesn't have that luxury. 

"We have a day to squeeze in the work that the active duty spreads over 30," said Chief Fernandez. 

Because of the shift to one primary UTA each month, the 446th AMDS formed an executive committee to plan ways to continuously improve the wait times, said Senior Master Sgt. William Robison, 446th AMDS superintendent of clinical operations. 

"Cattle call is a common physical exam process approach throughout (Reserve) wing physical exam units," said Sergeant Robison. 

In a cattle call, the idea is typically to bounce from exam station to exam station until all of the squares are filled - sort of like a scavenger hunt, according to Sergeant Robison.
"The trouble with the cattle call is the amount of time spent waiting in some areas and the amount of people who end up crowding one or two exam stations," he said. 

One big change is the elimination of the cattle call and scheduling Airmen for specific show times for their physicals. 

Instead of having everyone show up at 7:30 a.m., people are now scheduled in groups of four to arrive at a specific time. 

"We performed in-depth studies of our resources. These resources include our equipment and provider capacities, and the logistics of moving physical exam patients from one point to the next," said Sergeant Robison. "In doing so, we realized we could improve things by bringing people in as small appointment groups." 

Wing Reservists scheduled for physical exams must show up 10 minutes prior to their appointment, but will be graced up to five minutes after the scheduled show time before being deemed a no-show. 

Another important factor is the 446th AMDS administration personnel, said Chief Fernandez. They man the front desk and control the flow of the patients to each station, such as immunizations, the lab, or electrocardiogram. When the front desk delegates the patient to each station, they distribute them so each station doesn't get overwhelmed. 

The effort to significantly improve and eliminate waste was three-fold. 

"We stripped away duplication and simplified the exam process steps. As an example, we centralized vision screening in our optometry clinic," Sergeant Robison explains. 

"Next, we studied the amount of time, number and type of available medical personnel and the amount of equipment on hand to establish a tangible clinical capacity." 

"Finally, we scrutinized the timing and order that each step would be accomplished, so that we would not have groups running into each other at stations and creating bottle necks," said Sergeant Robison. 

The 446th AMDS also recruits the assistance of the 446th Aeromedical Staging Squadron. 

"We truly have support from the 446th Aeromedical Staging Squadron because they provide us with physicians and medical technicians," said Chief Fernandez. "It also benefits ASTS because this counts for their training." 

While AMDS is doing its part to make the physical process go smoother, Airman can also make the process easier. 

It all starts with the unit health monitors, said Master Sgt. Brad Clarke, 446th AMDS NCO in charge of physical examination. 

"They let us know who's going to be at the clinic each UTA Saturday. They have to review everyone who's coming in and let us know who needs what exams," said Sergeant Clarke. 

Good communication with everyone involved is also important, said Chief Fernandez. A lot of Reservists don't realize that there is a scheduled show time for their physical. If an Airman is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. then they should arrive to receive their records at 8:30 a.m. Arriving earlier or later only complicates and prolongs the process. 

Another way Airmen can be more prepared for their physicals is to complete their questionnaires with ample time to be scheduled for a physical exam, said Sergeant Robison. Reservists with short physical years should make sure they are seen by a civilian dentist to get their DD Form 2813 filled out before the month of the physical. More simply, if you do your questionnaire and turn in your dental form on time, the process can go a lot smoother, said Chief Fernandez. 

If the physical process goes as easy as possible, it'll get members back to their jobs and their training a lot quicker, said Sergeant Clarke. 

For questions about your physical, contact your unit health monitor.