Posted on May 25, 2018
What does getting the NPA stuck up your nose feel like?
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Any medics out there?? I'm shipping out here soon and then after boot will be at the one and only Fort Sam Houston. I got word about the NPA training, I am an EMT myself, but in civilian classes, we only had to practice on dummies.. so now I'm super nervous lol. I don't flinch at the thought of needles but the NPA and the videos are a little cringy. But I'm gonna have to go through it anyway so how bad is it? is it a pain or just pressure? on a scale from 1 to 10? thanks!
( P.S don't get me wrong I can handle some pretty gruesome stuff, as I said before, I am currently an EMT. this is just new)
( P.S don't get me wrong I can handle some pretty gruesome stuff, as I said before, I am currently an EMT. this is just new)
Posted in these groups: 
Combat Medic
68W: Healthcare Specialist (Combat Medic)
Flight Medic
91A: Medical Corpsman
Combat Medic 68W: Healthcare Specialist (Combat Medic) Flight Medic 91A: Medical Corpsman
Posted 7 y ago
Responses: 35
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During CLS I always demonstrated the NPA on myself, it's a slight pressure but once it's in the pressure goes away eventually goes away. I would say it compares to water up your nose in a swimming pool. Completely normal for watery ears since it does put pressure on your tear ducts. FYI those with wide nostrils or big noses have almost zero pain.
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Back in the day we paired up and placed them. The fun part was recording the experience then playing it back at lights out and trying to figure out who was responsible for the sounds being made. The laughter that night made it all worth while. I will skip over the digital rectal exam recollections.
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I am a highly considering joining 68W, can anyone tell me what I will have to go through this basic and job training?
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to everyone who has responded, THANK YOU. even though some of you sound horrified from the experience, your replies have surprisingly made me less anxious!
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It's fine if your septum is normal. Mine is deviated and pretty jacked up to where you gotta twist and push quite a bit. The pain never goes above a 3 though, and that's stretching it.
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Uncomfortable, but better than running nine miles(1 0ut of 10). I was instructing a CLS course and had the 17 year old just out of AIT drop one in me without an issue.
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It depends on how good the soldier is at placing an npa in your nose. I've had some that were slightly uncomfortable and some that felt like someone was carving my nasal cavity with a knife
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You’re only required to take two but you’ll take plenty more as a simulated patient throughout Whiskey phase. If you’re smart and sneaky enough you can trim them all the way down and make it look like you got one. Just make sure to throw it away quick after the index. Getting stuck is a part of being a medic, too. After a while you’ll get used to it and have plenty of cool track marks to prove it.
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CPT (Join to see)
Do they still stick in whiskey phase? Had a soldier come back and say they did it on arms
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I reacted HORRIBLY to it, strong burn and I bled like a mofo. Of all things the NPA was the worst (for me.)
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