Posted on Dec 2, 2016
AMSUS session explores ways to have military medics and corpsmen transfer to civilian service
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Two of the largest job specialties in the military are the services’ medics and corpsmen, the troops who serve as emergency medical technicians of the battlefield. But despite the in-demand nature of what they do and the high quality they deliver, many of these skilled health care providers struggle to have those valuable skills recognized and transferred into the civilian medical sector. The Military Health System is working with other federal agencies and private industry to change that.
“The skills our medics and corpsmen possess are not only transferable, but needed in the civilian sector,” said Dr. Richard Thomas, president of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU). Thomas is a retired Army major general, military doctor and dentist. “When you think of these men and women doing these duties, many of them also have combat duty, a great catalyst for enhancing and furthering medicine. Being able to transfer that to civilian medicine is exactly the right thing to do.”
“The skills our medics and corpsmen possess are not only transferable, but needed in the civilian sector,” said Dr. Richard Thomas, president of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU). Thomas is a retired Army major general, military doctor and dentist. “When you think of these men and women doing these duties, many of them also have combat duty, a great catalyst for enhancing and furthering medicine. Being able to transfer that to civilian medicine is exactly the right thing to do.”
AMSUS session explores ways to have military medics and corpsmen transfer to civilian service
Posted from health.mil
Medics
Corpsman
Civilians
Service
Posted 8 y ago
Responses: 4
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This is perhaps the oldest and DUMBEST problem our DoD health services training platforms have. It's not rocket science. Yes, the needs of each service mission demand different skillsets, but let's look at what's already in place...Community College of the Air Force, Army training to license LPNs, etc. What we DON'T need to do is find a way for ex-service E5 generalists to make $80k/year doing what a practice can hire a $13/hr medical assistant to do, because the vet will never get hired. There are programs for corpsmen/medics to get further education, to certify as EMTs, etc. Actually, the biggest drop in prestige/practice comes for independent duty types. They're used to working as physician extenders (same as PA or Nurse Practitioner) but gain no (or very few) outside certifications. There are programs for these folks to become Physician's Assistants, but many don't go that route (either because they're tired of school or are just happy with their retirement checks and a job that doesn't demand much).
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SGT (Join to see)
I know my VA PA sucks big time. I was a first responder where I worked and we learned enough to become an EMT. When I go see my PA, she has to look up too many things in the Physicians bible to make a good "guess" what my problem could be coming from. I quit using her and have a real doctor for my Prime Care doctor. I don't know how those people are employed by the VA. I wish the medical Vets could be put in the VA system. The vets would have it much better.
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The funny (or sad) thing is that I am now after many years out getting my EMT. My instructor is a paramedic and an Army Reservist Combat Medic. I admit that I have a hard time with the some of the SOP, knowing that I have done just as much as the Paramedic and more. I deal with it because I know it's the civilian world, and I'm just living in it.
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PO3 David Fries
SGT (Join to see) - Yeah, protocols have a tendency to change. My instructor was Jamestown talking about how he had to memorize our state protocols or he could lose his license.
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SGT (Join to see)
PO3 David Fries - We were registered with the county, and CIMA, Channel Industry Mutual Aid. We were monitored pretty close. If we couldn't pass the new protocol test, we couldn't participate. We had to do life saving, rescue, and fire fighting. It was right up my alley with the adrenaline rush I still had from being in Vietnam. This was our uniform. I was very proud to be involved in CIMA.
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PO3 David Fries
SGT (Join to see) - The Emergency Respnse Teams I have been involved with have never been anything that formal. The first one I got involved with had their members CPR/FA certified, but didn't have any other training or drills or anything else. I created a training guide based on the National First Responder handbook. The one I'm involved with now isn't much better. I run this one, and coordinate the training, but getting corporate interested in anything company wide is a fight. Hell, they don't even want to get AED's.
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SGT (Join to see)
I live in an area that is wall to wall chemical plants and refineries. Every refinery or chemical plant had a response team, and depending where they were, they were in a certain district. This was done so in case a plant caught fire, there would be enough first responders to be called on to support that plant's fire. My company took it one step further and had rescue, EMT, and fire training for each member. We felt a lot more secure with all of that training when we were dispatched to a plant fire. It was similar to a city fire department with it being one, two, or three alarm fires.
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