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Medical Restructure

combat_medic

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Well, I‘ve been astounded yet again. The Canadian Forces Medical Services, or health services, or dental and ballroom dancing services (they‘ve changed their name too many times to keep track) have dealt the killer blow to medics everywhere. They‘ve sent a letter to all medics saying that they‘ll be forced to leave their units and join a local medical company.

Could someone out there please sound a death knell for medics who are still soldiers?

What happened to the days of the combat medic? Is there anyone else out there who thinks that having attached medical personnel with useful soldiering skills applicable to the trade they‘re working with is a GOOD idea? Is there anyone else who thinks that a medic with nominal soldiering skills is a liability in tactical situations? And no, MLOC alone does not cut it, even if it were done properly.

So now, all medics not in a medical unit are being faced with the following choices;

1. Leave the CF
2. Remuster to some other trade
3. Abandon your unit, your regimental pride, your friends, and your soldiering skills, and show up at some medical company, hoping that they might task you out to your home unit once in a year.

If anyone needs me, I‘ll be in mourning for the death of the UMS medic.
 
thats decusting. being a combat medic is or now was a important job in a unit why have a medic unit. medic‘s are very important to the unit whos idea was this?
 
They did it to the Regs while I was in Battalion. Its too bad, my unit has a real high speed, ex-grunt medic.

What happened to the days of the combat medic? Is there anyone else out there who thinks that having attached medical personnel with useful soldiering skills applicable to the trade they‘re working with is a GOOD idea? Is there anyone else who thinks that a medic with nominal soldiering skills is a liability in tactical situations? And no, MLOC alone does not cut it, even if it were done properly.
Perhaps the call should go out for a seperation of the trade, like the light/mech infantry debate. There would be the "Med Tech" that handles the conventional roles in the field hospitals. Then there would be the "Field Medic" or "Combat Medic" who was assigned to combat arms units and received extensive field training. I believe that US combat medics shipped off the Vietnam did equal amounts of field infantry training and medical training.

As well, another idea I liked was that the British unit I worked with had Infantry soldiers with "QL4"-like medical qualification and worked with the company medic, an infantry corporal. These troops were trained more extensivly than any Canadian infantry soldier, ie they received training in IV‘s and Morphine.

Anyways, shitty deal. It just drives another wedge in the working relationship between the sharp end and the trades. I guess the only good thing for you is that you only have to drive down the street to Jericho. How is the CFMS handling medics in units in small towns where there is no nearby medical company?
 
From what I hear about the boys who went to Afganistan is that they had designated troops within the coy that had extra training. Perhaps they should expand on that. **** they used to teach everyone how to give IV‘s and stuff.
 
Infanteer: whoever said that I was abandoning my unit? I would sooner remuster than join a medical company, and I know dozens of other medics who feel the same way.

I agree that having a separate "field medic" trade or qualification would be of enormous use to all combat arms units, and would be a fabulous idea, but when was the last time you knew DND to make a GOOD decision?
 
Ah, turf wars. Never stops through out history.
 
Infanteer: whoever said that I was abandoning my unit? I would sooner remuster than join a medical company, and I know dozens of other medics who feel the same way
Are you saying there will be a change in your monkier soon?
 
It‘s certainly looking that way... gonna have to go from med tech to death tech. At least that‘ll allow me to stop having to adhere to the medical aspects of the Geneva convention that stopped me from shooting off large amounts of C6 and Carl G.

It‘ll also require me to start from square one in a new MOC for the THIRD time. Not that I‘m bitter or angry or anything.
 
thats decusting. being a combat medic is or now was a important job in a unit why have a medic unit. medic‘s are very important to the unit whos idea was this?
An accountant‘s? Some way of limiting the expenses, at the expense of efficiency?
 
It‘ll also require me to start from square one in a new MOC for the THIRD time. Not that I‘m bitter or angry or anything.
Now that truely sucks. Will you get to keep all of your PLQ mods, or have to redo the field phase?

Hey, at least you can swap BIQ tips with all the noobs here (sorry...couldn‘t resist....)

On a good note, my unit had a guy with TI from sigs come to our unit. After completing his QL3 they immediatly promoted him to corporal. I have now doubt that it‘ll be the same for you in your unit.
 
As far as I understand, I can keep all the PLQ Mods, and would just have to go back for the Inf Sect 2IC course. As for the remuster, I think they‘ll let me stay as a Cpl, providing I get qualified within 2 years (?) in 031. I‘m just pissed off that they‘re doing this to me, right when I was a few months away from getting my leaf. What an absolute kick to the nuts... assuming I had any to begin with. ;)

As for BIQ, I think I‘ve been hanging around with the grunt types long enough to have picked up a thing or two. I‘d like to think I‘m a few steps ahead of the noobs. I‘d like to think that if I‘m qualified to lead a section attack, that there‘s a good chance I‘m capable of simply participating in one.
 
That was fast. That last post was descriptive of the marital status of parents at birth of those responsible.
 
The only thing infantry has PLQ wise over the rest of the trades is Mod 6 as far as I know.
 
So, is there still a DP2B course for inf?

If yes, do you have to take both mod 6 PLQ and DP2B?
 
ALL arms in the reserves have to take the full Mod 6 of the PLQ (for the time being, that may change sometime in the future), and the infantry have to take DP2B in addition, in order to get promoted to MCpl.
 
But I thought mod6 and 2B is basically same thing?

Is it same in length also?
 
combat_medic

Thanks boocoop for that quote in latin. I read it somewhere but lost the original quote. I could only remmber it in english.

Slainte,
 
Gee, combat medic, take a chance, see what the other side of the coin holds for you.... :akimbo:

If you doubt your role as a competent soldier and a leader with vast field experience amongst all the young, size 6 OPA swallowing, :D female Ptes of a reserve med coy, :cool: the go 031 and stay with the boys...

Go ahead take a chance.... :evil:

As for the remainder of it all...the plan is only following what the reg force is doing for the last couple yrs. With the shortages of medical NCO‘s to conduct tng in the new "Health Services Academy", and the speed which senior people have been getting out, there has been a shortage of adequatly trained personnel across Canada. Its also part of the effort to keep all medical under snakehead control (Director General Health Services) and maximize the training and employment opportunites of all medics (MED A‘s, Med Tech, same great taste) no matter what unit you are TASKED to now. It works well in that medical tng, career course and operational tours are easier to get, PERs are more fair, and resources and pers normally untouchable by being spread out to units of a brigade group can be easily accessed by the fd amb command.

Any comments, then bring them on.... :fifty:
 
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