Military Medics
The United States Armed Forces is full of qualified combat medics. Regardless of the branch they serve in, they all receive their initial training at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio, TX. However, each branch has different types of advanced training for their medics.
Medical Training in the Navy
The Marines have always utilized the Navy to provide their medical support in combat. And, many years ago when I joined the Navy, they had their very own specialized Navy corpsman training that was done at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center.
In my years in the military, I have seen and worked with many different medics and must say that the Navy corpsman is better than the medics in the other branches of the military.
Why do I say this?
Well, unfortunately, I have spent the last two years at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Many different medical personnel from many different branches all work here. And, while they are all are very qualified and professional medical personnel, the Navy personnel here lead the way in providing medical care.
Why the Navy’s Medical Training Is So Good
In my time in the Navy, I was stationed at many different bases and ships. Then, being EOD, we also had our very own corpsman that traveled with us everywhere we went. The Army has some outstanding medics, and the ones that I had with me were all very qualified and professional.
Both the Army and the Air Force have medical professionals that receive advanced medical training equivalent to a physician’s assistant. In the Army, these professionals are a special forces medic known as an 18D. In the Air Force, they are known as PJs.
Again, however, these professionals have advanced training. When it comes to basic military medical personnel, the Navy leads the way with their corpsmen.
I think this is because Navy corpsmen could find themselves on a ship or in the middle of nowhere with the Marines, without a doctor, so they need to be prepared for more complicated medical situations.
In addition, the amount of responsibility put on Navy corpsmen begins on day one when they get to their permanent duty station. They receive a huge amount of on the job training, which may occur on board a ship, in the field with the Marines, or in a large military hospital.
My Personal Experience
Like I said before, I’ve been spending a lot of time at Walter Reed. Both in my time here and in the military, I have watched and worked with several different corpsmen in a variety of situations. Whether I have been in the hospital, the emergency room, or physical therapy, the Navy corpsmen have by far been the most knowledgeable and best to work with.
In my honest opinion, this is because the Army focuses on training their basic medical MOS personnel for combat situations. They don’t really receive the true caregiving and healthcare training that the Navy does. This makes it difficult for the Army 68W to adjust to, and be successful in, a hospital setting.
Navy corpsmen thrive in the hospital setting, and from what I have witnessed, provide some of the best caregiving and healthcare in the military. They just seem to be much better caregivers and healthcare professionals.
Why Other Branches Need to Improve
With the ongoing deployments and constant threats of combat, the rest of the military really needs to train their medical personnel on how to work in a hospital setting. Unfortunately, when there is combat, there are wounded personnel who fill the hospitals.
They will rely on the military’s healthcare professionals to help them through the many surgeries they will need.
These professionals are the ones our servicemembers will count on for assistance when they can’t do the daily things for themselves that each of us take for granted. They’re the ones our servicemembers will look to for support when they have nobody else because they have sat in a hospital trying to recover from their injuries for so long that their own family has forgotten about them.
Why It Matters
I have learned there is a big difference between a medic and a true healthcare professional like the Navy corpsmen. True care doesn’t happen in the field, it happens after that, from hospital personnel.
Getting this care from the moment a soldier, sailor, marine, or airman arrives at the hospital is critically important. It will help their recovery and rehab have a higher success rate so they can get home to their family a lot faster.
That’s why it’s time for all of the branches to teach healthcare and not just wound care.
Finally, I just wanted to say “Thank You!” to all the Navy corpsmen who have helped me and the thousands of other wounded warriors that have protected freedom by serving in our United States Armed Forces.
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