Freedoms of a Military Practicing Nurse

[ncox1]

I was wondering if in the military that nurses have more freedom or liberties to practice more invasive procedures than on the civilian side. Example being a medic in the Army if practicing on a service member I have a lot more leeway on what I can do rather than working on a civilian. Under the military I can do IV's, needle chest decompression, and put a King tube in someone but as a civilian I am only a EMT-B and can basically take a pulse.

Are there any circumstances like that as a military nurse?

Any military nurses out there who may have worked as civilians before see any less or even more restrictions on what you can do on your licence while working in a MTF?

[rndiver82]

I was wondering if in the military that nurses have more freedom or liberties to practice more invasive procedures than on the civilian side. Example being a medic in the Army if practicing on a service member I have a lot more leeway on what I can do rather than working on a civilian. Under the military I can do IV's, needle chest decompression, and put a King tube in someone but as a civilian I am only a EMT-B and can basically take a pulse.

Are there any circumstances like that as a military nurse?

Any military nurses out there who may have worked as civilians before see any less or even more restrictions on what you can do on your licence while working in a MTF?

I have worked civie and am now AD AF. There is not much more I can do as military in the hospital setting. The biggest difference is going to be when I'm deployed. In the theatre we are trained to intubate, insert chest tubes, central lines, basically what we have to do to stabilize the patient. It also depends your area. I work with flight nurses who are doing tactical nursing down range where they are scooping up the casualties and doing as much as they can to stabilize the patient in a helicopter until they can get to a mash tent/field hospital for further care. That is on the nursing side.

Now, medics on the military side do far more than I have ever seen on the civie side, even in the hospital setting. As long as it falls within their scope of practice on the base they are on, they have a lot of freedom and leeway. The nurse is still ultimately responsible, but it is a massive help compared to some civilian places I've worked.

I think those medics who have served in the military get screwed by the civilian world and I really do not understand why because you have far more training as a military medic than you will ever get in civie paramedic programs.