Hooah! Now what?

[divedeeper]

I just enlisted in the Army as a 68W Healthcare Specialist. I am honored not only to be serving the country, but to be doing so as a medic! That being said, I want to be the best I can be. I don't leave for Basic until August. In the meantime, what is the most efficient use of my time, study-wise? I know they will teach me "all I need to know" in AIT, but I think if I am already up on a lot of the basic info, I can concentrate more on practical nuances and details. I would love to hear back with your advice.

Steve B)

[AJ Hidell]

That's not much time. It pretty well limits your options. But here are the top three things I would do:

1. Get a programmed workbook for medical terminology and work completely through it before you go. Spend several hours a day with it, and you'll be way ahead of your peers.

2. Get an anatomy & physiology coloring book and a box of colored pencils, and work completely through it before you go.

3. If you haven't already, take a CPR for Healthcare Professionals course, and even the instructor course, if you can. You can never have too much CPR practice. And if you already know it, that's one less thing to worry about.

And, of course it goes without saying, if you are not already in great physical condition, start working seriously on that right now, at least a couple hours a day. Mostly cardio conditioning (running, bicycling, stair stepping (probably the best), and elliptical training. General large muscle group resistance (weight) training too. When you get to Bullis, you're going to be carrying a lot of gear and some pretty heavy dudes around.

Congratulations, good luck, and thank you!

[mycrofft]

Waiting for the washers gives you time away from the bay you can spend studying, asking guys ahead of you about what's coming up, etc.
Ditto AJ's comment.

[Afflixion]

if you can get your hands on a TC-3 book try that it will help alot (AIT has changed since I went back when we were 91Ws so my info may be old) definitely get an NREMT study book as most people probably wont pass the test first go and you don't want to be stuck going to study hall on your already limited schedule. You may also want to see if you can ridealong in a ambulance prior. After AIT your a highspeed CLS, you really don't get any skills until after you get experience in a unit I know hood makes all new medics spend 3mos in the ER at DCAMC before being assigned to a unit also if your planning on getting your EFMB get it right out of AIT before your "skills" develop their own shortcuts and signatures as everything is in EFMB is how you learned in AIT so everything will still be fresh.

[AJ Hidell]

...if your planning on getting your EFMB get it right out of AIT before your "skills" develop their own shortcuts and signatures as everything is in EFMB is how you learned in AIT so everything will still be fresh.
Excellent advice. It is the very same reason that we encourage EMTs to go straight to paramedic school without wasting time on basic experience.

[Afflixion]

eh not the same with combat medicine... you kinda want to develop your own twist on skills from what they teach you... the DCMT really needs to update their course, and the EFMB should be different from AIT level skills imho. It's supposed to be the EXPERT field medical badge after all. Alas that call is out of my paygrade...how else would REMF nurses and xray techs get it without ever knowing one thing about combat medicine...

[apagea99]

What's your ship date for BCT and where are you going? I leave Sept 1st for Benning. I'm just finishing up my EMT course and will be taking the NREMT at the end of next month. Maybe I'll see you around at Ft Sam! I should have a couple other friends there around the same time.

Other than that, I don't have anything to add to what others have suggested. Know your anatomy (inside & out), know your medical terms, and get in the best shape you can before you ship. The National Guard website has some great workout info. Sgt Ken Weichert has a lot of videos and workout programs on there. He came to my last drill and wore us out all weekend. It's good stuff!

[Afflixion]

apagea what did you put on your dream sheet of preferred duty stations?

[AJ Hidell]

...the DCMT really needs to update their course, and the EFMB should be different from AIT level skills imho. It's supposed to be the EXPERT field medical badge after all.
Completely agreed! In it's current form, the EFMB really serves very little purpose.

apagea what did you put on your dream sheet of preferred duty stations?
If he's smart, he only listed places that he doesn't want to go.

[Afflixion]

oh shucks! I wanted to be the bubble burster there. LOL yeah I put FT Hunter-Ligget, FT Carson and FT Drum... got none of them but Cambell isn't bad Indianapolis isn't to far away...

[apagea99]

apagea what did you put on your dream sheet of preferred duty stations?

Hehe! I'm in the TN National Guard, so I'm just on the 1 weekend a month cycle. The Guard makes you start drilling right away so I'm working/training once a month even before shipping to BCT. I'll be part of the TN Med Command in Smyrna, TN but my unit is located in Chattanooga. It was the only unit I could find with an open medic slot within driving distance! :wacko:

After AIT, I have a couple of options I'm kicking around. The first is to try and get on at Ft Campbell as a civilian contractor EMT. I like this option, but it seems like the position I was eyeballing has been filled. The other option is to work full time for the Guard. There's a medic position opening up at the local training center and it's basically been offered to me once I'm MOSQ'd. They can only keep me busy for 10 months a year though, so I'll need something else during the slow times. The good news is my wife has an awesome job LOL

[Afflixion]

ah if you can get a job as a tech that's great (started my military career in the guard) yeah Ft Cambell has always been tough getting a job on the EMS there along with any post for that matter (except a few like FT Bliss) they're all Depart of the Army Civilians which means they get paid as a GS usually GS6 which is great starting pay (58k a year) but it means the slots fill fast.

[AJ Hidell]

Base pay for a GS-6 is $30k a year, which is $580 a week (roughly E-7 pay). Not bad for someone with a mere 120 hours of training, and better than any private ambulance job out there. There are few things as boring as being a BLS ambulance driver on a stateside military installation though. It's not going to be serious experience, if that's what you're after.

[Afflixion]

hmm every job posting I see as a GS6 is at 58k a year? Weird maybe it's mis posted...

[apagea99]

The more I think about that AGR job the better it sounds. They're getting ready to let an E-6 go as he's costing them too much. I'll be going in as E-3, so I'll at least get a few years in before I start to "cost too much" lol.

For the EFMB, how long does it take to perform all the skills listed? Days? Weeks? Just curious. I need to work on my land nav skills. As our Sgt said last weekend: "You morons couldn't find a fire hydrant in an empty field!" Classic! I wasn't the one holding the compass though....I'm sure my pace count wasn't the problem :unsure:

[spisco85]

Start running. Running sucks. I hate running. I hated running more while I was in the Army. Death runs were ok. Over before you knew it. So what if you threw up yesterdays breakfast?

[Afflixion]

The more I think about that AGR job the better it sounds. They're getting ready to let an E-6 go as he's costing them too much. I'll be going in as E-3, so I'll at least get a few years in before I start to "cost too much" lol.

For the EFMB, how long does it take to perform all the skills listed? Days? Weeks? Just curious. I need to work on my land nav skills. As our Sgt said last weekend: "You morons couldn't find a fire hydrant in an empty field!" Classic! I wasn't the one holding the compass though....I'm sure my pace count wasn't the problem :unsure:

EFMB school if you could call it that is 2 weeks. you get 4 days to refresh your skills rest is all testing. Tests cover NBC, camouflage, immobilization, maintaining an airway, and various other medical skills, my favorite 12mi road march in 4 hours with 45 pound ruck. Also they will give you a PT test there so be prepared to pass it. As opposed to the EIB the EFMB is 1 failure is no-go...no retry.

Start running. Running sucks. I hate running. I hated running more while I was in the Army. Death runs were ok. Over before you knew it. So what if you threw up yesterdays breakfast?

If you don't like running pray to go you don't go to a light infantry unit or airborne unit. On that note don't even think about going for your jump wings or AASLT...you'll die basically.

[boingo]

When I earned my EFMB in 92' there was a 75% fail rate. The written test knocked out half of them, the hospital types failed PT and road march, as well as land nav. I also had the pleasure of returning as cadre twice.

I will definately agree with the running. If you don't like running, or can't, as well as PT in general, you are in for a rude awakening if you go to an infantry unit. If there is one thing the infantry likes it is running....far.

Duty stations, I don't know how that works, I got my first choice, although others I went to AIT with got none of theirs. The Army works in mysterious ways.

[Afflixion]

It really depends on what posts you choose some are high fill rates while others are over full the typical germany, hawii, japan etc don't expect to go there...

[boingo]

QUOTE=Afflixion;147572]It really depends on what posts you choose some are high fill rates while others are over full the typical germany, hawii, japan etc don't expect to go there...[/QUOTE]


I went to Hawaii....:P

[Afflixion]

as your first duty assignment? Wow your lucky lol.

[boingo]

In all fairness, we were deployed or in the field quite a bit, but when we were on the rock, and not working, what a nice place to live!

[divedeeper]

I have been studying and working out. I really appreciate your support and advice. I live in Broward county FL. I would really like to ride with an emt crew, but I have only heard of emt students being allowed that privilege. I really would love the opportunity to either observe an autopsy (again I've only heard are open to Med Students) or help in an ER. I've witnessed a small skin biopsy, several first aid encounters (including a pretty bad snake bite) and did not feel queasy or faint, but I'm sure severe trauma is much more shocking. I have watched plenty of this sort of thing on TV, but I'm sure real life trauma is quite different. Does anyone know of an opportunity to gain experience in this type of environment? I leave August 10th for BCT and would be willing to wash the ambulance or scrub instruments or whatever I can do to earn a ride or observation opportunity. Please let me know if you have any ideas or advice on this. Thanks!!

[Afflixion]

When you get to AIT they'll show you plenty of real gruesome pictures and anyone who gets sick and asks to leave gets booted to a different MOS. When I was going through AIT we did a live tissue lab as well though I hear that it is only available for BNCOC students now... You will also do rotations at BAMC as well if they let you choose where you want to go try for the ER of course or the Burn Unit both are very helpful and let you do a lot. Just keep ann open mind, pray your not afraid of needles (once you get into the W1 portion of the class you get stuck 6-10 time a day.) Just have fun I heard your no longer allowed off post but the bowling alley and such at FT Sam are alright....just don't go picking up females/males (whatever your into) at The Hacienda.

[apagea99]

I was wondering where we would do rotations. BAMC should be a cool experience. Do you do rotations on the whiskey side too or just on the EMT-B side?

[Afflixion]

When I went through AIT we only did rotations at BAMC and at the end of W1 before we went to the field.