MEDIC UP!!!!!

Somebody get the DOC!!!!!

.............someone hollar Doc!   (best medical/clinical face on..)

Yes, how can I help you today?

Man, it just depends on type of assignement you draw.  You can go to the CaSH (Combat Support Hospital)  Too much brass running around those places for me.  In the CaSH's, your lowly medics are nothing more than litter bearers.  You can get hospital duty.  Boring.  You can assigned to a Troop Medical Clinic (TMC), can be ok.  Depends who you work for.  Or you draw the holy grail of all medical duties........

a line medic.  Now, if you want to be a real medic.  This is the place you want to be.  Nothing better than taking care of your troops.  But let me warn you, they will see through you.  If your not confident in your skills, they'll see.  If your weak, in your skills, they will see it.  If your afraid to get down and dirty, they will see.  If they see and I guarantee they will, you won't last long. 

A medic's duty to me, is there almost nothing more important.  Not only do you have to help the mission exceed, your there to keep the guys in the fight.  If the guys know they have a good medic on their hands, they don't have to worry if they get hit.  They don't have to worry about their medic taking care of themselves.  If they have a good medic, your guys will take care of you.  They won't let others screw with their medic.  If you're a line medic be prepared for some heavy weight.  Not only do you have your ruck but your medical bag.  So you usually have almost double the weight.  Another weight you will bear is that if you didn''t study hard in school or pay attention in clinicals, you will let someone needlessly die on your watch.  Yeah, there are those we know we can never save, but there are those we know we can keep them going until we hand them off to someone else.  Your job is to get them handed off to the next level of care.  If you have done that, you've done your job.  If someone dies, because let's say, you gave them too much Morphine, then their death is on your hands.  I don't want that kind of guilt and I imagine you don't want it either.  So study your ass off.  When it comes to clinicals, the more you volunteer, the more you will learn and be allowed to do.  The old Army addage of "Don't volunteer for nuthing" dosen't apply during your rotations on the ambulance or ER.  Get in there and learn.

Kind of general but there is so much a medic can do these days.  That's why they have consolidated all the job skills under one MOS title.  Makes us more versatile (they say).  All I can say, is if you want to get down with the troops, pray for a line medic slot.  If you want clean and easy, well, you may get your wish too.  The needs of the Army dictate.

The last and final thing I can say, you will know your guys have accepted you when they start calling you the time honored title of "DOC"!

As a Grunt I liked all medics that didn't have the propensity to cry on a 10 mile movment to contact combined with those that knew their shit. All Grunts have much respect for a squared away Doc. There our saviours in the most critical moment. Plus: they hump as much weight if not more, than the average Grunt.

 I respect guys that are HARD and know their shit, bottom line, whatever MOS you may be.

Only advice I can give is this. Be prepared for long hours. This MOS is the longest A school in the Army. Pay attention and study all you can. The Corpman is what you make of it. My mother being in the medical profession for years used to bring home all those magazines and books like PDR's, NGM. and I would read them all. Never taken a Latin Class in my life it made me learn to spell, which was a week point in school for me. This prepared me well in advanced of what was to come.

The number one thing you will need is this Confidence "Find a SF Corpman and stide to be like him" They got it you want it!

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The last I looked it was worth 43 credit hours at any 4 year College. Also the SF Corpsman school is longer then any other MOS in the Army, Two years I think its up to now.

Thats why I Know these guys have to be self motivated to complete not only Medical training but also a secondary MOS and a second language to boot on top of that.

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