I know that more men are combat medics than women during a war..To be a medic in the current war in Iraq and Afganstan, a person has to be a RN or a paramedic..
Being a combat medic, I guess you can consider it male profession since, you will be in black hawk helicopters, hummers, and carrying the wounded over your shoulders...
Probaby very different from the idea that nurses is a female dominated profession..
I am an Australian so my info is a little different than already stated. In our Army there is a large number of female medics, (Medical Corps) and female nurses, (Nursing Corps). Often they will be posted to an Infantry Battalion but will tend not to go on patrol. As for non-Corps medics the majority are men because they are Infantry, (in most cases) first and medics as a secondary skill. Our female non-Corps medics are as a generalisation members of logistic units.
Like the US, Australia has a rule that female personnel are kept from certain jobs, but as medics and nurse they are found at the "sharp end" even if they are not on patrol.
Dunno?- As a previous poster stated- you seem to be a bit confused about the private contractor medics vs. military medics.
The agencies that you are speaking of are the private security contractors that operate in Iraq and other stellar locations. They are very interested in the Special Operations Medics- not your standard medic due to their extensive combat arms experiences. Since they aren't working on US soil their scope of practice is quite extensive. They run the show. These medics are expected to be as much of a tactical operator as a medic.
The medics found in the US Army are the 68W Combat Medics, this job is open to both males and females- they are both expected to be in helicopters, carry rucks, patients, weapons, etc etc. Every unit in the Army has medics assigned, but the combat arms units only have male medics assigned since females cannot be assigned to an infantry unit. However, the war in Iraq has muddied this issue a bit- it's not as clear cut as it used to be...
there are more male medics in the army than female, i don't have the spec. numbers but i think back to when i went throught ft. sam there was like only one female plt per training co. and like 4-5 male platoons, and it was like that for each training co. usually most of the females goto clinics, hospitals and so forth every now and then a few will get sent down the pipe to line units, but as stated before i've never seen one attached to a combat arms line unit. not to knock a female medic i have worked and work with many that are top notch, it's just the way the army has things, as far as training, you will get a chance to test for the nremt-b cert in school, but once you get to your unit they'll offer you and push you to increase your base of skills, remember the "whiskey" school at ft. sam is just a foundation and you and the unit are to add and build to the foundation. you should have chances to take a paramedic course when you get to the unit and study for the efmb and once you make e-4 apply for flight medic school, most units will help you map out what you want to do with your education and skill level (now keep in mind all this has to revolve around deployements and training) but overall i look back at my medic days with good regard.
as a combat medic myself, i can say that there are far more male medics then there are female medics. the er i worked in had 20 male medics and 2 female medics, 15 male rns and 3 female rns. it was a little weird working in a male dominated emergency room. but hey, i'm not complaining. the female patients didn't like it though.
as far as certifications for medics go...
68w medics are emt-b certified
68wm6 medics are emt-b and lpn certified.
rns are almost always officers
i have my emt-b as well as acls, nrp, pals and some other obscure army medical certifications.
paramedic trained medics are uncommon and they usually hold supervisory positions. (from what i've seen at least)
i was a 1t2x1 in the af. when training was complete we had emt-b and nremt-p and they also threw in some minor field surgery, aam (advanced airway management) and pharm. the only problem with this mos is that it's a boys club.
I'm currently an RN about to finish my BSN. I went to the recruiter to find out about becoming a combat medic and the guy told me that dentist, doctors and RN's couldn't be combat medics because they were over qualified.
This was a navy recruiter, and by combat medic I mean I wanted to be in the feild attached to a squad.
I thought it had to do with the operating at your highest level of training but you guys say that there are RN's in the field with a squad as combat medics. Was this guy just wrong?
Hi Guys greetings from a South African military nurse, over here the Military Health Service is the fourth Arm of Service, so we work at our own AOS facility within their units.
Im currently working in a naval environment and am researching the role and fucntions of naval nurses. For many years nurses ahve not been allocated to vessels of the Navy. If any of you would like to share your experiences please dont hesittate to contact me.
1st RNs do not get assigned to squads of infantry in the field. All Army RNs are BSNs and officers.
Ranger Paramedics??? i have never heard of such a thing I knew THere were some Special Ops units sending medics to paramedic school. THe reason that not all combat medics are paramedics is that the National Cert requirements are too long, the army doesnt have a year to spare to get you on the Job. You learn most of your skills on the job. I'm a retired 91b/w (2002)
I had a lot of great female medics working for me. of course ther are more male medics, ther are more males in the military than females. and as ststed before females are not allowed in certain job descriptions due to direct combat etc.
but the real question is who the hell cares?? you can either do the job or if you cant your gone, end of story.
btw i got my paramedic in the army my last year, so my cert would equal my skills on the outside.
As far as the USAF goes, I would hazard to say that there is a 50/50 ratio. The only units that females do not get assigned to are some secret squirrel Independent Duty Medical Technician slots. I do notice however that there is a disproportionate amount or prior service male nurses than female, probably due to the fact that once you make E-5/E-6, you tend to get pulled out of direct patient care. Of course, the AF does not due "combat missions" per se, but this is changing as we pick up more army taskings. Do not let aerovac troops fool you, they are not dustoff medics buy a long shot, though I knew a couple that filed army taskings.
I miss my time in the .mil, and I plan on becoming a butterbar once I complete school at Chico.
twistedpupchaser
266 Posts
I am an Australian so my info is a little different than already stated. In our Army there is a large number of female medics, (Medical Corps) and female nurses, (Nursing Corps). Often they will be posted to an Infantry Battalion but will tend not to go on patrol. As for non-Corps medics the majority are men because they are Infantry, (in most cases) first and medics as a secondary skill. Our female non-Corps medics are as a generalisation members of logistic units.
Like the US, Australia has a rule that female personnel are kept from certain jobs, but as medics and nurse they are found at the "sharp end" even if they are not on patrol.