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.

You won't be considered unless you have at least 2 years of experience...ideally that experience will be in the specialty you'll want to pursue in the military. Max age is 42, as of now. That number was lower before the increased recruiting needs for OIF/OEF, so it may go back down again. And whether you have dependents or not, isn't going to impact if you are selected. The Army doesn't care about that extra expense, as long as you can perform your job. Sorry to bring bad news.

Medicine is a life of learning. While it can take a while with A&P to really start to get it, as the other posters mentioned, take an objective look at what you want to be doing, because it doesn't get any easier from here. In a nursing school environment, the subjects will be detailed, and fast paced. The other students will have strong backgrounds in biology, A&P, etc, perhaps former Paramedics/EMTs. If you are repeating those classes to learn more, to become a more knowledgeable person and prepare yourself to excel in nursing school, then do so, and study very, very hard. If you repeat them just the look better on paper, there are other careers which might be more suitable for you.

Make sure you take an AHA (American Heart Association) class, others are typically accepted, and take "BLS for Healthcare Professionals", which anyone can take, regardless of their job...the generic CPR class probably won't be accepted either. It's a quick class, requires little prep, but is dependent on you paying attention in class. You'll take a recert class every two years, but usually it will be free, provided by your place of employment. I hope you like the BeeGees' song Stayin Alive...that's the soundtrack to CPR.

There's a great Wenckebach video done by some Canadians, set to Sexyback:

We would occasionally be on NATO bases the size of postage stamps, and their GOD VOICE, apart from the normal garbling, had 6 different messages, depending on the threat, and all announcements were in Ukroatitalenglish...so the accents made them pretty much unintelligible. Our translation: Just grab your armor and get to the chopper! (Never use chopper...unless it's in an Arnold voice.)

You wanna watch my head pop off...say MEDEVAC three times fast within earshot. I doubt that will ever go away.

Making your own cards will allow you to revisit them later and trigger memories associated with lecture/studying to create them. It adds a tactile level that reading someone else's material does not. Hard work is the only way to do it. If knowledge was downloadable I would have busted my bandwidth years ago.

The best mnemonic is one you make up...but short of that, try here: Medical Mnemonics .com: World's Database of Medical Mnemonics

The above suggestions are good ones: detailed notes, teaching mindset, use study groups/A&P Lab time. Beyond not falling behind, read a chapter ahead, so when that system rolls around, and you read it a second time to nail it down, it will make much more sense. Usually 2 is more in-depth physiology than 1, so not showing up to class having already learned as much as you can from the book will put you at a distinct disadvantage. Depending on your class environment, most students will barely have looked at the material, and will expect to learn it in class. They will fail. Don't allow your class time to default to their level. Answer as many questions as the instructor will allow. Saying it goes a long way toward being able to recall it when you need to. Lecture time is for you to refine/clarify. Neuro, Renal, Lymphatics, and Endocrinology are quite complex, and often interrelated. Sketch out flow charts, draw nephrons, don't just look at pictures. Good luck. Don't feel shy about getting a tutor if you need to...its better and cheaper than taking it a second time.

A&P is not a once and done course...the version you took in HS will help you understand A&P 1, which will help you with A&P 2, which if you go on to advanced schooling, will help you with system specific classes, with gross anatomy, etc. Even 1 credit Medical Terminology courses are really A&P-Lite...each time you revisit the subject, if you've previously tried to learn, not just tried for a passing grade, then you will learn an enormous amount...and your patients will benefit. If you cannot visualize how it works when its right, you certainly can't understand what has gone wrong, and how to fix it. Pick up your A&P materials at least once a week. Refresh a few things, learn a few new things, keep it relevant whether you are currently taking an A&P class or not. So when you take one, you'll crush it.