JANUARY 28, 2025 – Navy Medicine and Readiness Training Command (NMRTC) Rota is dedicated to fostering professional development and recruitment in military medicine.
The small overseas command, collocated with Naval Hospital Rota, offers training and shadowing opportunities for service members, enhancing retention and operational readiness in line with Navy Medicine’s strategic objectives. The training also supports those seeking career progression.
Because Naval Hospital Rota is a forward deployed shore command, many of its Sailors will be assigned to sea rotations or operational units after their tours. Preparing these Sailors to provide healthcare in a non-hospital setting, or as part of an expeditionary medicine (EEXMED) team, helps with skill sustainment, retention, and resiliency.
Capt. William Scouten, the hospital’s director and the NMRTC Commanding Officer, stressed the importance of training. “Training builds individual competence and high-functioning teams ready for rapid response. As we prepare for the most likely contingencies, teams validate lines of communication and reinforce command and control relationships that may become blurred during combat operations,” he said.
One such training opportunity includes candidates from within the Medical Enlisted Commissioning Program (MECP), with non-medical backgrounds, who partner with the hospital’s Emergency Department and Multiservice Wards to shadow nurses and receive mentorship.
Lt. Serena Yesenofski, Rota’s MECP Coordinator said, “This program offers a unique opportunity for junior Sailors to earn a nursing degree and a commission. We are committed to supporting their full potential in service to others.”
Additionally, officers in the Medical Service Corps (MSC) support the Medical Service Corps Interservice Procurement Program (MSC-IPP), which offers commissioning pathways and educational opportunities.
“MSCs take pride in mentoring candidates who may one day serve alongside us,” said Cmdr. Aaron Eckard, Director for Administration. “This is how we invest and develop our future officers.”
NMRTC Rota has also hosted senior-year Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) Nurse Corps Midshipmen for immersive rotations, enhancing their readiness for future assignments.
“I am very excited that Rota has been able to offer this opportunity. NROTC is an incredible way of building leadership skills and truly helps prepare nurses for a successful career in the Navy,” said Cmdr. Jenny Paul, Director for Public Health Services.
Within the past year, Preventive Medicine Technicians have trained 28 junior Sailors, preparing them for operational roles, while new initiatives like a Hearing Conservation Technician course aim to bolster mission readiness.
NMRTC Rota engages in an ongoing professional development series and has recently initiated Thursday afternoon training evolutions to ensure enlisted, officer and civilian staff are provided dedicated time for knowledge, skill and ability training and contingency operation preparations.
During this training time the commands directorate and senior enlisted leaders leverage the expertise of the command and local clinical and administrative experts to provide lunch and learn and afternoon training sessions. These evolutions highlight changes in clinical practice guidelines, review capabilities, and provide staff hands-on clinical practice for new or war-time critical skills.
NMRTC Rota’s strategic location in the Iberian Peninsula makes it a critical asset in supporting global medical missions throughout Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, ensuring readiness and expertise for any contingency.
Navy Medicine – represented by more than 44,000 highly-trained military and civilian health care professionals – provides enduring expeditionary medical support to the warfighter on, below, and above the sea, and ashore.
From Cmdr. Jenny Paul