BSC celebrates mission, keeps Team Offutt fit to fight

Members of the Air Force’s Biomedical Sciences Corps were recognized during an appreciation week held January 23-27.

The annual event recognizes the contributions of the BSC that includes 2,400 medical officers across the Air Force.

At Offutt, nearly 30 officers work in the BSC under the command of the 55^th Medical Group. They provide clinical support at the Ehrling Bergquist Clinic as well as other base health services.

“Our BSC members are integral to ‘Trusted Care’ and have far reaching impact across the wing,” said Col. Jill Scheckel, 55^th MDG commander. “The impact ranges from direct patient care, ensuring members are medically fit for deployment, promoting occupational and mental health resiliency, as well training aircrew about changes in physiology associated with the aerospace environment... and this only touches the surface of the BSC's spectrum of operations.  I'm truly proud to serve with each and every one of them.”

With 17 distinct specialties, the diversity of the BSC is part of what makes it so special.

“A public health officer can’t be a physician’s assistant - there’s really a lot of uniqueness’ that we each bring,” said Maj. Karen Buikema, 55^th Medical Support Squadron clinical laboratory flight commander. “We’re all individually very vital to the function of the clinic and to providing care.”

Capt. Kirsty Nichols, 55^th Aerospace Medical Squadron officer-in-charge of public health, echoed her thoughts.

“When you think about the medical group, you primarily think about the doctors and nurses, but without the BMC, the medical group would not function,” Nichols said. “Your ‘docs’ might be the glitter, but we’re kind of like the glue in the back scenes of the medical world.”

Nichols’ team specializes in deployment readiness.

“We clear you medically to go overseas; we make sure you complete your deployment related health assessment; we make sure you have all of your medications to go down range; and we make sure when you get back, you’ve got everything you need,” Nichols said.

Specialty positions within the BSC also include bioenvironmental engineers who ensure there are no issues with chemical or biological agents affecting the base, physician’s assistants who provide health assessments and oversee the Personal Reliability Program, optometrists who ensure Offutt flyers have the correct vision, and physical therapists who help restore mobility.

“They are all good people that are going to get you ready to get back in the fight,” Nichols said.

The origins of the BSC date back to 1917 when the Sanitary Corps was established to combat infectious disease. It was later named the Women’s Medical Specialist Corps, and eventually evolved into the Biomedical Sciences Corps in 1965.