Barney, Some Questions For You...

[Marauder]

Hey sir, I just had a few things I was hoping you could answer for me.
What level of medicine do QL3 qualed medics practice in the field?
What sort of QL4's do medics get?
How hard would it be for a guy who's already fully R031 qualified to get a summer 'Mo Medic QL3 crs? How long is the crs?
Lastly, could that guy, if he passed the crs, still remain with his infantry regiment and not become an *ahem* ServiceBatt "pogue"?
Reason I ask is from the looks of things, my choices for Class B next summer are sitting my ass next to a radio in Gagetown all summer like one of our CPLs did this summer or getting GD in Meaford. (Yippee. No, really, the idea excites me.) I was thinking that since my ultimate career goal is to be a trauma nurse, picking up a medic qual would be a nice alternative if possible. Well, that or GD at the CPC, but I don't wanna ask for *that* and be laughed out of the damn armoury. So any 411 you can provide would be nice. And yes, I know I can ask the recruiter, but they already lied to me enough about this summer that I'd rather avoid dealing with them if possible.
Thanks in advance.

[Barney]

Well, the fact that you want to work at Meaford indicates some form of illness.... but I digress.

The whole Med A trade is currently in a state of flux right now, particularly for the Reserves. We know that we must meet the Regular Force QL3 Med A standard, and that they are trying to meet the civilian Primary Care Paramedic qualification (a standard that should be national soon). So, in theory (remember - in theory), anybody who has the course could challenge the Provincial test and work as a Paramedic. Remember this - the committee (SCOMR - look for their stuff on the Health Services Homepage) that will make the call on adopting this standard or not, hasn't issued their final report yet.

The problem is, that it's a long civy course, 2 yrs at college now. The Reg F compresses it into a min of 8 months (under review). And, the Reserves will break it into two summers, plus Distance Based Learning at the unit or home.

All that to say, the current Res QL3 Med A course is 25 training days, and should be lengthened by another 5-10 training days for next summer. Summer employment opportunities in the future would include any Reserve augmented MIR (Meaford etc), and course staff at the school in Borden. Plus chances at Rotos, backfill, range coverage etc.

In your unit, they may try to use you as a GD, but that's not on any more. By going to a national civilian standard, we will have to meet strict guidlines on maintenance of clinical skills (civy Paramedics need 100 hrs in Ambs/year in Ont). So, your parade nights will involve a lot of skills refreshers, and learning, quite possibly at the loss of the fun grunt stuff. The local Med Coys will be sticking their noses into how your unit employs you to ensure standards are met.

However, we may find it necessary to set up hospital and amb rotations to give hands on training - a big plus in my world (I've done it several times, and seen things I'll never forget). Though again, this is just a proposal.

I know this all seems way too vague, and trust me, I'd like more finality too. But, the level I'm working at gives me greater insight into how the proposals become reality, and why it takes so long. All I can say is hang on a little longer if you want to do this, changes are coming to improve the trade.

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Death to the Purple One

[Marauder]

First off, part of my last post should have read:
Reason I ask is from the looks of things, my choices for Class B next summer are sitting my ass next to a radio in Gagetown all summer like one of our CPLs did this summer or getting GD in Meaford. (Yippee. No, really, the idea excites me.).

Don't you hate it when you forget to put sarcasm tags in? http://www.socnetcentral.com/ubboard/wink.gif

Now, if I understand correctly, I could, possibly, go to Borden for 5 weeks this summer and the next, do some long distance courses, become a fully qual'd medic, and stay with my regiment, with the only expense being missing doing shit like doing walkthrough/talkthroughs of section attacks and review on weapons systems we did all summer and for MLOC just a few weeks ago? (Pardon the rant, just that our training night last nite sorta blew goat's ass....)
Where do I sign up? http://www.socnetcentral.com/ubboard/smile.gif

What sort of EO/PO's are in the cirriculum? Is it all trauma related or is there public health/dental/etc stuff involved? Using defibs? Starting IVs? Trachs? Chest tubes? Intubations? Learning triage? Any of this stuff?

Lastly, do I need any sort of approval above my unit to get on course and pick up a secondary MOC since I am already grunt qualified? Like, will I have to do an interview at Brigade or Area level or anything ridiculous like that?

Oh, and Barney, where do you "work"? I'm guessing somewhere in 32 Brigade HQ? Close?

[TonyM]

Ha! I hear ya Marauder. Section /platoon / company attacks. I'm suprised we don't have to practice trench warfare. Oh wait, we do. Why do we always practice for the last war, and this time even while the next is going on? Sounds like you got a good plan going. I might look that up myself.

[Barney]

Meaford....hey, ya never know - some Medics view an MIR tasking there as gold - it's usually one of the longer ones available.

What's on the QL3 Med A course - that's changed a lot since I last ran one. Typically though, it's (in no particular order):

a. Anatomy and Physiology - probably distance learning now
b. Medical admin - paperwork is everywhere
c. Patient handling and triage
d. Mass casualty triage
e. NBC aspects
f. IV therapy
g. O2 and suction
h. All the stuff from St John's Advanced Firts Aid level II, plus all the protocols of Basic Trauma Life Support, plus most of the treatment methods and protocols from the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care and Crisis Intervention (PECCI) book.
i. Some basic hygiene and Preventative Medicine skills (very basic)
j. Sterile field management and maintenance techniques


When I ran the course, we used a 'systems' approach - ie teach CNS and typical injuries and tmt for them.

As far as intubation goes, or crich kits, even intra-osseous infusion - they are extremely difficult skills to maintain, and can have severe repercussions if not done properly, so we used to avoid them - though that may have changed now.

Defib - I really don't know, but it may be added, depending on the kit we buy - the old life packs required a good knowledge of atypical cardiac function before you fried their bacon. But, I gather a trained monkey can use a Lifepack III.

I don't really have a great deal to do with the training folks at work, but I can talk to them. I don't understand a great deal as my education was initially archaeology, and then an MA in War Studies from RMC - studied Medical Intelligence & infectious disease.

As an HCA, I never actually touched military patients (though I've doen too much FA at accidents - still get nightmare about some things). I had to get my warm fuzzy feelings from watching my troops work calmly and competently, and handling all the command and control issues to make their life easier.

As for where I work - I'm in Ottawa at CF Health Services HQ, one of a few Reservists there. I'm writing (with loads of research & input from the BGen on down) the concept paper on how the Medical Reserves will adapt to meet future HS demands.

In order to become a medic, you would have to remuster, in essence loose your infantry trade. It sucks, but the CF and the Geneva Convention basically demand it. To remuster, you would submit a memo of your intent, and then you'd have to have your recruiting center file reviewed - to see if you've got the educational prerequisites (Advanced Bio and either Chem of Physics) from High School. If you're already in a med program at school it shouldn't be an issue at all.

Anyway, this post is too long, and I've got to study for my Hunter Safety test tomorrow - gonna learn to safely whack Bambi.

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Death to the Purple One