When can you call yourself a Medic?

[morky]

I'm just asking because I'd like to get some courses under my belt as I'm hoping to get into the industry, but don't have the extensive CV or experience that a lot of people have on here. Tours of FRY and NI probably don't count for much when applying for jobs in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Is it as simple as paying to participate in some of the courses on here to get a foot in the door and go from there or does it take years of medical training/experience to make it worth putting on your CV?

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I don't want to pay Thousands out on something that won't really benefit me. I'd like to do some medical training anyway, but can't afford it as a luxury that won't help me to get work.

Thanks.

[Disco3]

A good question and a difficult one to reply to. I have come across 'medics' over the last few years working in HE environments who to be honest were fighting above their weight so to speak!! No names and no pack drill but I have had experiences where guys calling themselves medics have had no actual 'hands on' exposure to real casualties.

Like the security industry and CP work in general experience and background count for a hell of a lot in the medic world.

Yes there are courses out there that will give you an 'EMT Advanced' after 10 days but to be honest any decent employer will not be impressed with that. The general standard is some sort of recognised and certified/registered qualification. By this I mean SR Paramedics, HSE Offshore Medic. Also the CMT 1's etc.

I would do a lot more research into this before handing over your money. Perhaps a good idea would be to contact companies and find out what their miminum requirements are. As always this is usually client driven and changes from contract to contract.

Good luck.

[M4MED]

I agree totally with Disco3s' comments. There are two routes as I see it. A registered paramedic / military medic comes onto the Circuit and does some form of CP training or a CPO complete some form of medical training.
EMT courses are always a talking point as some are run over 5 days and others are modulated over 5-8 weeks. The key is that all the basics of A & P are covered, illnesses and other conditions, basic interventions including airway management (suction, OPA, NPA, doble lumen airways, LMAs), CPR with equipment, medical gases, defibrillation, ambulance aid (all kit on an ambulance), monitoring vital signs, basic medications, scene safety, legislation, etc and on an advanced coure IV's, etc.
This is a great level, providing it has been covered in suficient depth and not just skimmed over.
However, all of these, even the basics need to be consolidated during clinical attachments. Even the simplest intervention is different on a real casualty to a manikin. Hospital or ambulance attachments are a must and this experience will set apart your CV from a text book medic and ultimately alow you to see what really works on the ground, what doesn't and what is unecessary.

This paves the way if guys wish to progress onto courses such as PHTLS, Offshore medics courses or a university paramedic course, although each has their own strict pre requisite criteria to get on the course and therefore a realistic level for CPOs to attain is probably a good comprehensive EMT course followed by experience.

Stay safe

[Roadhog]

I can certainly second M4MED's comments the more clinical time you can get in the better. Remember if you are on a task as a medic chances are you've got rounds coming at you- hence focus on TCCC- and then the bloke you need to treat is very likely to be a mate. Any wasted time in the preliminaries- using the TCCC model CABDE- and your mate is a gonner. Bribe, beg, impersonate someone else but get clinical experience before you get out on the sharp end.

I went on one of the go in a medical amateur come out a medic courses- mostly classroom and mannikin work, no clinical experience at all. Then on a convoy a mate got hit in the chest- through the arm hole of his body armour- traumatic chest wound, luckily it missed everything important, but he still had a great big hole in his chest and blood was pouring out. So there I am- a back up Team Medic- who has not done a clinical intervention before, working on a live casualty.... as you can imagine I was totally f*****g flapping at that point. But I got him stabilised eventually. My point though is that in hindsight I would have done a course that had a lot more clinical time with live people instead, even if it costs more time and money.

[KEVTHEMED]

Id agree with all of the above. I was 13 years army medic and have being instructing in various roles since i came out. Mannikin work has its place but it is diffrent to working on a kicking screaming casualty who has you by the throat and is screaming you to help him/her.
Start basic and move gradually upwards, no point starting with advanced stuff and not understanding basic A+P.
I would say a good medic is one who isnt afraid to adapt to change and stay current look at IV protocols, no more large bore bilateral cannulation. One final thing to remember is that as a medic you wont be dealing with traumatic amputation, catastrophic bleeding and compromised airway every shout. There will be simple things like sprains, cuts and bruises, rashes etc, ive worked with some so called medics who couldnt do a BP unless it was with a digital BP monitor. Remember that getting a recognised qualification is only part of the deal, staying upto date is a big part of the job too.
There is more to being a medic than rushing around with a f off great trauma pack full of kit you cant use.
KTM

[morky]

Thanks for the replies lads. I thought it might have seemed like a stupid question after I typed it.

I'm thinking along the lines of joining the TA and training as a Combat Medical Technician now and hopefully getting myself deployed to a Hostile Environment. I haven't done a tour of Iraq or Afghanistan so I think I need to make sure I can walk before I try to run. Not worth doing expensive courses if I don't have the basics right or the relevant experience.

Thanks again.

[M4MED]

Cracking idea mate, best of both worlds. Good luck and stay safe.
Oh and don't be afraid of asking stupid questions, it's the only way to learn

[Disco3]

Morky it was a good post mate and definately not a stupid one. It's a question I have been asked many times before or on similar lines.... " I'm fed up of just running around with an AK - How do I become a medic?" was a question that a mate asked me recently!
KevtheMed is right on about the reality side of things. In the last 12 months between working in Iraq and in the Remote/Offshore environment the worst I have had to deal with is a dislocated shoulder on a guy who slipped on some stairs. It's not all blood, guts, IV's and quickclot! Most of the time it's the more mundane stuff like Kev outlines.
The TA route is a good call mate. Plenty of opportunties to develop your skills and get some real hands on. My mate is TA and just done 6 months in Camp Bastion in the hospital there. Said it was the most rewarding experience of his professional career and he has been NHS and Offshore medic for almost 20 years.
Good luck mate.

[Daz080970]

Ho Morky

If your stupid mate then so am i! been looking at the CMT route myself both regular and TA more so TA as at 37 i'm a bit long in the tooth! i have done 2 ex med courses up to MIRA level and also a team medic cadre out in the pit which took 10 days and can attest that good as that training has been it does not substitute for the live hands on experience that you really need, a great many people are keen to trumpet their so called medical credentials but without a solid practical background its a sugar pedastal, i dont know if others were told it but when i passed my driving test on the journey home the instructor said " Right now you start learning!" same in all fields i suppose.

[Disco3]

Daz. Spot on mate. Sums it up. I was 12 years NHS after leaving Para Regt. 3 years at Uni prior to that to qualify as a Staff Nurse. CPD. Continued Professional Development. Never stop learning and keep up with the latest reseach. Name of the game buddy.