504 medic

Would'a been easier to fight this when it was still an ocean away...now we are going to pay a much higher price: News from The Associated Press

Wrong on so many levels...yet it explains so much.

Command will issue you a reallllllly tiny gun to shoot enemy viruses. The troops will consist of some medical personnel to train local providers so they can increase their standard of care. Some logistical unit personnel to equip the trainers and provide specialized tools to aid the locals in their fight to bring the infection under control. And some force protection personnel (infantry) to make sure the medical/logistical units come home safe and sound. US Military personnel are popular targets, and in an austere environment like Africa, the support chain is long, and must be protected at all times. The goal is not for us to treat people. The mission is to insure the regional medical responders have the knowledge and tools at their disposal to do the job themselves. If I treat one person, I save one person. If I train one person, I save hundreds of people through the actions of that training. Military Humanitarian Missions are far more common than people know...this just happens to be topical at the moment.

While Deployments are rapidly dwindling, there are plenty of Mobilization missions...some stateside, some overseas, and some in really remote locations. Those humanitarian missions are not without risk or excitement, but if you want to serve, and recognize the value of what we do, you will find satisfaction in your mission, even if it isn't as "cool" as being in a "combat zone". Being deployed/mobilized is still safer than driving on the freeway during a holiday weekend.

Thanks. 99% of PA programs require a bachelors for entry, so a GRE makes sense. IPAP just requires enough college credit to meet the prereqs...so you're effectively applying to U of Nebraska as a freshman, with their SAT entrance requirements. I'm prepared for immersing myself into the program...I get paid to take classes and learn, plus my only mission is to pass the PANCE after I graduate...I'll take that tradeoff, every day of the week. It's a golden opportunity.

Since National Guard/Air Guard units are state oriented, they can have higher age cutoffs than the federally based Reserves/AD. It varies state to state, job to job...they won't take a 50 y/o fuel handler, but they will take a 50 y/o cardiac surgeon with oodles of experience. But most of the medical jobs are with the Reserves Component.

Congratulations. April...I'll let you know the answers once my boots hit the ground.

I found this site a few months ago while doing comparison research on NPs v. PAs. I've been quite impressed with the helpfulness and level of discourse here. I continued to post while I awaited the Board results: now that I know I'll begin IPAP next year, it's finally time for a real question/topic: Of those that have known IPAP participants, does anyone have any insight what I can expect? Re: class size, housing (stay on or head off post), PCSing, particularly difficult subjects/assignments that trip everyone up...the last time I was at Ft. Sam was 68W school, so even though I'm familiar with parts of the post, I have no idea what to expect. I'm sure I'll get a briefing packet, but it never tells you what you really need to know.

The join after the fact option includes gaining experience for a few years in the civilian world as a nurse before they will consider her application to become a military nurse. That means fighting with every other newly minted nurse for a job upon graduation. So the ROTC option is the safest/quickest route to go.

Google "Army Service Uniform"...the blues can be worn with a bow tie for formal occasions. There are also Mess Uniforms which are really fancy, but unless you are in an active unit, holding lots of dining outs...and you have a bunch of rank, you'll never have to deal with those. Marlowe White is pretty much the best online retailer if you want a higher quality cut and fabric.

I've wanted Congress to receive standard civil service salary and benefits for years. They'd sooner turn their families over to somali pirates than lose a dime of their platinum parachute. And we reward them every year at the polls for their behavior.

350 senior executives shared $2.7 million dollars...on top of their $180k salary.

Speaking of "entitlement".... I blew my top last week when GOP Senator Jeff Sessions referred to Veteran's Healthcare as an Entitlement...as in they couldn't afford it. If you can afford to ask 900,000 (the tally as of 2012, when the VA stopped releasing figures) Americans to leave a piece of themselves in Iraq, Afghanistan, Panama, Beruit, Vietnam, Korea, etc, for your freedom, you can damn well pay what ever it takes to try to make it right afterwards. The VA might be messed up, but congress is much worse, and there's nobody around to force them to change.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the bonuses people like me are upset about, went to civilians: middle and upper management, the very people who actively deceived the government, and the nation, about how well care was being dispensed. Those individuals should go to jail...not receive a taxpayer funded bonus. The rank and file providers are the ones who deserve bonuses, if any are to be given.

If you're in a hospital environment, where you can replace the RBCs immediately, no worries...but if not: take the patient down to the ground, stick you knee deep in their inguinal/axillary region, put ALL your weight on it, occlude their artery, and affix your tourniquet. 2 minutes of unabated blood loss, while you create an effective improvised tourniquet out of thin air, will leave them way too deep in hypovolemia-landia for my liking.