Posted on Jan 31, 2023
Military must find new ways to deal with medical personnel shortages
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Have you experienced first hand issues with medical shortages as a member, retiree, or veteran of the Armed Forces? I personally do not like the idea of virtual care becoming the norm. Sometimes the clinician and patient must be face to face in person to determine the true source of an ailment. Consequently, I fear virtual appointments will lead to an uptick in misdiagnosis.
Military must find new ways to deal with medical personnel shortages
Posted from armytimes.com
Health
Medical
Posted 1 y ago
Responses: 8
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I go for an annual physical at a minimum. Even at face to face appointments, especially since COVID, they hardly touch you and then it is only to listen to your chest. The days of checking for swelling in the glands or possible issues in the abdomen have gone away. Ultimately, my physical could simply be a blood test. I have the physical for prevention/ early intervention but unless a malady presents in a general blood test, I guess I’m SOL until I am symptomatic.
SPC (Join to see) SPC Douglas Bolton SGM Erik Marquez COL Randall C. SPC Gary C. SPC Woody Bullard CPL Douglas Chrysler SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL Cpl Vic Burk Lt Col Charlie Brown Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen MSgt Dee Ann P. MSgt James Parker MSG Greg Kelly 1SG Paul Ayotte LTC (Join to see) LTC Trent Klug SMSgt Lawrence McCarter SGT Ruben Lozada SFC (Anonymous)
SPC (Join to see) SPC Douglas Bolton SGM Erik Marquez COL Randall C. SPC Gary C. SPC Woody Bullard CPL Douglas Chrysler SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL Cpl Vic Burk Lt Col Charlie Brown Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen MSgt Dee Ann P. MSgt James Parker MSG Greg Kelly 1SG Paul Ayotte LTC (Join to see) LTC Trent Klug SMSgt Lawrence McCarter SGT Ruben Lozada SFC (Anonymous)
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MSgt Dee Ann P.
SGT Gerald “Jerry” Harrell - you think it will be over then? Do you think the VA will care? My whole thing is: we don’t wear a mask anywhere else….
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SGT Gerald “Jerry” Harrell
MSgt Dee Ann P. so the White House announced that they were ending the State of Emergency over the Pandemic in May (11th I think). The only reason we are still wearing the masks at the VA, in my opinion, is because they were want to stretch or the executive powers to circumvent congress. Not wearing the mask would infer there was no danger and the state of emergency is not needed. It’s politics….. as usual lol.
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SPC Gary C.
SGT Gerald “Jerry” Harrell - I asked at my VA and was told that they have to follow the CDC guidelines. The nurse I talked to told me that she HATED wearing the face diaper. She raised her voice when she said hated.
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SGT Gerald “Jerry” Harrell
SPC Gary C. - Same here. The nurse I spoke to this last time wasn’t a fan of the vaccine either…. She said she couldn’t wait to retire so she wouldn’t have to wear the mask nor take the vaccine.
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Virtual care serves a purpose but certainly isn't an end all. My meds expire every 6 months so I must get lab work and see my PCM every 6 months. I could certainly support an annual face to face visit with the 6 month point being lab work and a virtual appointment. Any new ailment diagnosis should certainly be face to face.
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Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen
SPC Gary C. Thatt sounds like the sensible way handle visits. Wife's oncologist was the same as yours until she got a clean bill.of health.
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SPC Gary C.
Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen - My white cell count has been high for years, they say it's because I smoke. I feel fine, nothing more than colds and maybe once a year the flu. Now my back is a different matter.
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Even in the civilian world virtual appointments are a growing thing. As for the military, it wasn’t but a year or so ago they were talking about drawing down military personnel.
After I retired in 1996, the Air Force shut down a number of small hospitals and turned them into clinics. IMHO the military doesn’t realize the need for medical personnel to take care of the fighting force and to ensure dependents are cared for as well.
After I retired in 1996, the Air Force shut down a number of small hospitals and turned them into clinics. IMHO the military doesn’t realize the need for medical personnel to take care of the fighting force and to ensure dependents are cared for as well.
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MSgt Dee Ann P.
Especially since Tricare support by the local medical community can be a hindrance to getting care. When I needed a plastic surgeon, the one who was going to do the work quit taking Tricare a month before the surgery! I was devastated, to say the least. Thankfully, we found another surgeon who said taking care of military members was important to him and that’s why he started taking Tricare — this was in 2005. I have recently lost my periodontist because he stopped taking United Concordia, it’s so frustrating!
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