# The medical component of the CF DART



## nurse sarah (15 Jan 2005)

I'm almost finished my nursing degree and I was wondering if anyone could tell me how you could be part of DART or anything I could possibly do later that it would make it easier to do it. Thanks


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## Bruce Monkhouse (15 Jan 2005)

Welcome to army.ca, did you use the search feature and research DART? You may find some answers there.


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## nurse sarah (15 Jan 2005)

thanks, I did look it up and im finding some things but mostly on DART being sent to Asia recently nothing on how to get into it. I'll definately keep looking though


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## KevinB (15 Jan 2005)

DART is a rotating mission tasking.

From last info when we were DART tasked it was a rotation like high readiness, NEO etc.


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## Armymedic (15 Jan 2005)

Due to the proximity of CFB Petawawa to CFB Trenton, 2 Fd Amb has the bulk of the personnel attached to DART. For you as a nursing officer, and want to be part of DART, the best place to be is in 2 Fd Amb. Remember, DART is a secondary duty, not a full time role. 

Saying that, I must mention I chuckle at every news report that calls the DART "elite"...Only thing special about DART is the extra DAGs you go thru (most of our unit does them 2x a yr) to ensure 48 hr readiness is maintained.

Last time I checked there are no Nursing Officers on the full time DART manning slate in Kingston.


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## McG (16 Jan 2005)

2 CMBG is the high readiness Bde.  If it were 1 CMBGs turn, then the medics would likely be 1 Fd Amb.  Same thing with 5 CMBG.


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## Infanteer (16 Jan 2005)

Don't let the appeal of DART's humanitarian mission lull you into some sense of "do-goodery" -  if you were to join as a Nursing Officer, your primary duty would be to attend to soldiers who have had their bodies smashed and torn apart by the enemy.


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## Armymedic (16 Jan 2005)

MCG said:
			
		

> 2 CMBG is the high readiness Bde. If it were 1 CMBGs turn, then the medics would likely be 1 Fd Amb. Same thing with 5 CMBG.



Not quite correct, DART is rotated to the other FD Ambs when 2 FD Amb can not man it due to other operations. In my 9 yrs in Pet, DART task has been here 6 yrs of it. 



			
				Infanteer said:
			
		

> Don't let the appeal of DART's humanitarian mission lull you into some sense of "do-goodery" - if you were to join as a Nursing Officer, your primary duty would be to attend to soldiers who have had their bodies smashed and torn apart by the enemy.



Also not quite correct. Your primary duties would also include training, administration, courses, officer things, etc. If you are lucky and posted to somewhere that you'll be able to actually nurse, then 50% of your time will be attending to ill or injured soldiers.


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## Infanteer (17 Jan 2005)

Armymedic said:
			
		

> Also not quite correct. Your primary duties would also include training, administration, courses, officer things, etc. If you are lucky and posted to somewhere that you'll be able to actually nurse, then 50% of your time will be attending to ill or injured soldiers.



Well, I guess that would fall under the duties of any Army Officer.  I was only trying to dispel any ill-founded ideas about joining the CF Medical Service to give relief to people in ravaged areas.  I'm sure we could agree that the prime reason for the medical branch of the Army is to aid in Force Sustainment by patching up broken soldiers - as your sigline states _A busy day for me is likely a bad day for someone else._....


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## civichick (17 Jan 2005)

Hope you don't mind a civilian sticking her nose in to something she doesn't know much about (military life), but I'd suggest to dear nurse that if she it thinking about doing strictly humanitarian work she should look to one of the NGO's like Doctor's Without Boarders or similar.  Remember, either route, military or otherwise, you may run into things that you'll never be able to rid from your memory that you'd never see here in Canada, so do a lot of thinking first.  I have a friend who's worked for several years in international development, she lives in Indonesia right now, and it's not a easy life.  It's great that you want to be part of something instead of just standing around scratching your head or complaining about how other's are doing it.


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## KevinB (17 Jan 2005)

civichick said:
			
		

> It's great that you want to be part of something instead of just standing around scratching your head or complaining about how other's are doing it.



 I got to meet with some NGO's in Afghan in my job and I must admit they had the same shitty attitutde most of us had...
(We had their NEO task so a couple of us got to visit with them and make them see we where human)


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## nurse sarah (17 Jan 2005)

thanks guys. i was just looking for some information on things i can do when i graduate. i really want to go on tours and i thought maybe being part of DART would help


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## Bruce Monkhouse (17 Jan 2005)

Civichick,
I'm posting this just in case you browse through again, your quote...
Hope you don't mind a civilian sticking her nose in to something she doesn't know much about 

...not at all, first off welcome to army.ca and secondly part of the reason that  this site exists is so anyone can come in and read and learn and even participate, your opinion[civilian] is one of the reasons the military exists, so by all means if there is something you wish to learn or share, go for it.
Bruce
.....ok, but to the subject. 8)


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## Peace_Keeper (17 Jan 2005)

I read that DART has 14 actual peopel assigned to the unit at all time the rest are dragged in from the regular CF so...


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## Armymedic (17 Jan 2005)

One of my fellow Sgts came upon the site after the TDV site last night....

anyway he was reading thru this thread. From him:

DART medical platoon has, with the exception of a short time at its conception and a month or so when 1 Fd Amb had it, been manned by personnel from 2 Fd Amb.


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## nurse sarah (17 Jan 2005)

so i should try to get to 2 fd amb? i have to go to edmonton, halifax or ottawa first after i graduate. 2 fd amb is in petawawa isnt it?


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## Bruce Monkhouse (18 Jan 2005)

Yes


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