To be awarded the 70D AOC (Area of Concentration), one has to
- Complete 70D MIMC Phase 1 (DL – Distance Learning)
- Attend 6 week 70D MIMC Phase 2 in Fort Sam Houston
Completing 70D Phase 1 is a long and an exhaustive process. I had to register for the class through ATRRS (Through my Training NCO) to get access to the course in AMEDD Blackboard. There were four modules
- EHR in ATRRS (separately)
- 081SDL20-62AMC4-0001 MC4 HALO
- 081SDL19-60MC4-0002 MC4 AHLTA-T
- 081SDL11-65MC4-0002 MC4 DCAM Level 1
- 081SDL19-65MC4-0003 MC4 DCAM Level 2
- 081SDL19-65MC4-0001 MC4 TMIP Reporting
- Courses in US Army Skillport (PDF instructions for access)
- Windows 10, Server 2012, Network+, Sharepoint 2016
- Cyber
For each course, you will need to upload the certificate of completion. Someone from the 70D Course manager team will need to sign off. Once you complete Phase 1, you are eligible to register for Phase 2. In 2022, 70D MIMC Phase 2 was conducted twice per year, in January and July. They had very few seats (8) and all the quota for AR was used up. I had to wait for 45 days prior to the report date for the AD slots to be opened up. I had to chase my Training NCO to get a slot. My unit had to pay for it. Monday (June 20 2022) was the travel day.
I did the DTS once I received my orders. The School house emailed us the instructions and encouraged us to book a room in Staybridge Suites in Downtown San Antonio, which I did. The hotel has a small kitchenette.
Classes are held at the ROC Drill Facility in Fort Sam Houston (10 min drive fro the hotel). Lunch was for 60 to 90 min
Helpful Tips
- If you are staying at Staybridge Hotel, do not follow the GPS directions to ROC Drill facility. It will route you through the Commercial gate which is not permitted. Use the Walters Gate (Exit 159B). However, you CAN exit from the commercial gate, you just can’t use it to enter the base.
- Ask your Training NCO/DTS Admin to get you a rental car or drive if you can. It’s challenging to survive without a car. Classes may end early and carpooling doesn’t always work.
Week 1
Day 1 (Tuesday) – In Processing, What is a 70D, Ethernet Cabling brief and Sharepoint basics. In the afternoon, we practiced wiring Ethernet cables (i.e using attaching a RJ45 jack to a twisted pair Cat 5 cable. We did 7 per group of 2)
Day 2 – Networking basics (OSI model, IP Addressing, Subnetting, configuring a Router, a switch, Routing protocols, Voice protocols)
Day 3 – Configure a VOIP phone, Softphone (on a PC), Setup a Wi-Fi AP, connect a laptop to a Wi-Fi AP
Day 4 – Test day. We had to configure a Router from scratch, setup the interfaces, enable telnet, enable VOIP, configure a Switch, configure VLANs, connect and test the VOIP phones, an analog phone, a virtual Softphone (Cisco IP Communicator), configure a WI-FI Access Point (AP, this one through GUI after setting up the credentials through telnet), and connect a laptop to the configured AP. We split in to teams of two in a class of 8. It took my team 1 hour 20 min to complete it. Record time in the past was 1 hour 10 min.
Week 2
This is the Security+ week. We had Mr. Brown who is an excellent instructor. He doesn’t go through the book page by page, chapter by chapter. He instead goes through questions directly. He then
- Introduces new concepts, terminology and any pre-requisite information, diagrams, visualizations needed to understand the question
- Explore the wrong answers first and explains why they are incorrect
- Goes over the correct answers
Day 1 – Questions 150 to 300 from the Question bank. Covered PKI, Symetric vs Asymetric keys, Hashing algorithms, SSL/TLS, SSH, Backups (Differential, Incremental, Total), IDS, Encryption (Authentication, Confidentiality & Integrity), Rainbow tables, Recovery Time Objective (RTO), RTO
Day 2 – Question 300 to 375. VPN Authentication, RADIUS, TACACS+, Password Spraying, Brute Force, Fingerprint sensitivity (Crossover Error rate), Identity Providers and Attestation, Pass the Hash. We covered about 70 questions.
Day 3 – Questions 375 to 450
Day 4 – Questions 450 to 535
Day 5 – Questions 535 to 650 and simulations
We went to India Palace for a dinner buffet. Food was excellent. We then did the river walk to burn off some of the calories.
Fourth of July Long Weekend
We still had to study questions 1 to 150, 650 to 725, additional simulations, study materials on our own. Most of us studied during this weekend except for attending the 4th of July Fireworks show. We formed a study group and studied together on most days. Everyone worked hard. Don’t do practice tests from other websites or sources. Just go through Mr. Brown’s Questions and his study materials. Other sources are not up to date and may cover topics not included in the test.
Week 3
Day 1 – Exam day for Security+. Exam began at 8:00am at a Pearson Test site near the Fort Sam entrance gate on Walters street. Everyone passed. I got 75 questions including 5 simulations. I completed the test in 30 min.
We resumed classes at ROC Drill at Noon. Maj Glass gave us details on the 3 page writing assignment and we had an open discussion on Information Security.
Later in the evening, I worked on setting up the Sharepoint site for tomorrow’s test. Each of us has to give a pitch on selling a Content Management Site to their respective units. It should include a home page, a calendar, a discussion forum and a couple of other things. It’s pretty straightforward but use your creativity to shine (eg: Adding a visually pleasing carousel with video auto play, a search bar, make the site aesthetically beautiful, simple, elegant and effective. Present it with confidence, tie everything you did with how each feature helps the mission i.e not just say that a Calendar does what a Calendar does)
Day 2 – Sharepoint Pitch. Each of us took 10 min. I worked hard on preparing for my pitch and I did well. We had a class on
Day 3 – Classes on Healthcare IT Testing & Evaluation and JOMIS
Day 4 – Classes on THIAB. Classes for the afternoon were canceled as the guest speaker contracted COVID.
Day 5 – We took a test on Blackboard that covers the training for this week. Class on “First 90 days as a 70D in an Operational Environment” and MC4 Gunnery Tables by Maj Rendy Yudhistira
Week 4
This is the beginning of the training in the field. We carpooled and drove to Camp Bullis at 7am each day. The Cadre (Mr. Becker) was kind enough to grill burgers daily for the students including Steak on Fridays. The students really enjoyed their time learning.
Day 1
We assembled in an air conditioned Tent right inside the BSA Freedom gate. Each of us had a table to work on. We got to play with some of the Hardware used for HALO, TC2 and other systems. We learned to image a HALO machine
Day 2
Image TC2 Server, Configure and manage Cache database, Configure Mirth and secure it.
Day 3
Image AHLTA Server, add Provider accounts, configure Oracle DB, SAP client. One of the students couldn’t start SAP server in the late afternoon. The trainers had to reimage the computer.
Day 4
Configure AHLTA server, create login accounts, create patient accounts. Configure and install HALO Hub. Create User accounts in HALO
Day 5
There was no powerpoint instruction today. Each of us were given a Getac laptop and instructions to configure the AHLTA client and the HALO client, configure a network printer, a label printer and a scanner. The cadre configured the AHLTA and HALO Hub servers and each of us were given the IP addresses, credentials and other information needed for us to configure the clients. We then had to test the connectivity, create user accounts, login and create dummy patients including records. In the afternoon, Mr. Fabian Barsuto who has been teaching us all week gave us an overview of using AHLTA and its nuances.
Week 5
Day 1 – VSAT/CAISI familiarization, install VSAT receiver outside, connect the IDU (Indoor Unit) to the receiver test the connectivity to the internet. We also configured the wireless AP (very finnicky). Each of the students were issued the individual laptops, AP, Switch and a Firewall.
Day 2 – We configured the Cisco Firewall. We then reconfigured the individual networks (one per student) so that the individual Firewalls are connect to the VSAT network using a Switch. Each of us then connected their APs to their respective Firewalls.
We then installed the APs outside (one is up 30 feet) and the other is a field expeditionary unit connected to the side of an existing structure. We then tested the connectivity between the APs, from the AP to the VSAT. We then did the tear down of the VSAT, APs. After spending a lot of days in the air conditioned tent, we felt the 100 degree heat. Overall, it felt like a long day but it was a successful one.
Day 3 – Training and Preparation Day for the Capstone. All of the equipment was made available for us to practice including the Routers, Switches, MC4 Hardware (Rugged Laptops), VSAT etc.
Day 4 – Capstone Day. We were given a scenario. We were split into teams of two. Each team had to work independently and has an assigned S-6. I had the honor of acting as the overall S-6. We had to rely on the course materials from the Networking and MC4 classes to execute the scenario. The scenario requires implementing everything we learned earlier to setup a network from scratch and make the two units talk to each other. We also had to setup and configure the equipment.
Day 5 – Capstone Day. We were given a new scenario. We had to reconfigure our equipment to talk to each other, setup the VSAT, field expedient CAISI (Wireless Access Points) and a regular 30ft CAISI. I had a lot of fun. We finished the setup successfully and were 100% operational. Information Paper is due at 1700 today. Each of us had to pick a topic related to Healthcare or Technology and send it to Maj Glass. It should be limited to 3 pages (excluding Title page and Bibliography)
Week 6
Day 1 – It was a very busy and a fast-paced day. We assembled at ROC Drill facility again. The first half of the day was used to provide us training on JBC-P Log (replaces Blue Force Tracker), which is a system used for communication, navigation and enables units to share near real-time friendly and enemy situational awareness information, operational maps and graphics, and command and control (C2) messages. We then had a capstone in the afternoon. We were given 3 hours to implement the tasks. It included creating Overlays, Routes, sending MEDEVAC, SPOT and other reports, configuring JBC-P, creating Chat rooms, IM etc.
Day 2 – We were given a briefing on MEDCOP. We were issued test accounts prior to play with it. We also had a classes on Medical Logistics by Maj Tran, MC4 TMDS, Patient Administration by Maj. Wells.
Day 3 – We presented our paper. It was not timed. Most of us did Powerpoint. After that we had briefings on Budgeting, Organizational Structures, Role of HISO and Business case analysis
Day 4 – BAMC tour. It was a long day but a very productive one. We had breakfast together in the BAMC DFAC and a meet and greet with retired 70D Lt. Col Nanette Patton. She successfully transitioned to the civilian side in the Acquisitions area. We then toured the different IS departments including Server Admin, Networking, Information Assurance/Information Security,
There’s parking right in front of the building.
Day 5 – Back in ROC Drill Facility. We did the final News & Weather. Then we did a class on Command Post Computing Environment (CPCE). The tasks were similar to JCP but this is done through a different Web Application. We did the capstone in the afternoon after lunch.
70D Notes
Army Medical Modernization Strategy
The Well-Managed Healthcare Organization
MAJ Charles Kelly – The helicopter outside of the MedCOE building. Owned medical evacuation during Korean war by limiting the use of Medevac Helicopters for Medical purposes