Posted on May 8, 2018
Putting Marines at risk: How shocking flight medic training gaps could endanger grunts on the...
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Medicine
Flight Medic
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PO1 Tony Holland good read and share!
The Navy has a severe shortage of flight medics. And the medics it does have rarely earn the paramedic qualifications that are required by the Army, Air Force and the civilian world.
The Navy and Marine Corps are the only DoD branches that do not provide paramedic certification to flight medics during their training pipeline. Astonishingly, those who do earn those certifications — like those responding to the Whidbey Island incident — pay for it out of their own pocket and get it on their own time.
The SMTs are the medics that are responsible for the Navy’s search and rescue mission and at times whisking Marines off the battlefield, ensuring they stay alive until they reach a full-scale medical facility for surgery and other lifesaving care.
Yet only six SMTs in the Navy are certified by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, Navy officials say. And the field is manned at only 54 percent, with only 80 medics in the fleet.
TSgt Joe C. SFC William Farrell PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas Maj Marty Hogan SGT (Join to see) SGT Philip Roncari SPC Margaret Higgins SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth SP5 Michael Rathbun CW5 Jack Cardwell]] COL Mikel J. Burroughs ] CPL Dave Hoover SFC Shirley Whitfield SPC Jovani Daviu SGT (Join to see) LTC Stephen F. SGT Jim Arnold SSG William Jones
The Navy has a severe shortage of flight medics. And the medics it does have rarely earn the paramedic qualifications that are required by the Army, Air Force and the civilian world.
The Navy and Marine Corps are the only DoD branches that do not provide paramedic certification to flight medics during their training pipeline. Astonishingly, those who do earn those certifications — like those responding to the Whidbey Island incident — pay for it out of their own pocket and get it on their own time.
The SMTs are the medics that are responsible for the Navy’s search and rescue mission and at times whisking Marines off the battlefield, ensuring they stay alive until they reach a full-scale medical facility for surgery and other lifesaving care.
Yet only six SMTs in the Navy are certified by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, Navy officials say. And the field is manned at only 54 percent, with only 80 medics in the fleet.
TSgt Joe C. SFC William Farrell PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas Maj Marty Hogan SGT (Join to see) SGT Philip Roncari SPC Margaret Higgins SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth SP5 Michael Rathbun CW5 Jack Cardwell]] COL Mikel J. Burroughs ] CPL Dave Hoover SFC Shirley Whitfield SPC Jovani Daviu SGT (Join to see) LTC Stephen F. SGT Jim Arnold SSG William Jones
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This is like dejavue. This is the exact same realization that the Army went through not so long ago. There are still Army Flight Medics that are not Paramedic certified. The deadline continues to get pushed back for 100% certification due to limitations in the amount of medics that can go through the Paramedic course at one time. The Navy went through the old flight medic course with the Army, I wouldn’t be surprised if they could find a way to incorporate themselves into the Army’s Paramedic and critical care training programs.
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