Question about Ranger/SF Medic versus Ranger/SF P.A.

[2014Bulldog]

I'm one of the newest members here, but I don't want to sound like a 15 year old. I want to be a member of these units because I have researched them and talked to the veterans. I can firmly say that I have the utmost respect for the Veterans of those units.
To start my question, there is a drive and motivation in me to serve in these units, be on the teams. So naturally, I imagine enlisting as a 68W with the Option 40 Contract. However, I want to make sure I have a solid career path for when I retire (I don't want to be an EMT once I get out), so it seems like it would be a better idea to become a Physician Assistant for the Army, where I could still serve in the Rangers and with the Special Forces. Even after reading Captain Detro's story and how amazing he made a difference, I just feel like I would rather go to the Citadel and not accept a commission, and serve as a 68W. I feel like I want to serve on the teams and provide that first-response medical care. I mean, I could still do that as a P.A., but I wouldn't be allowed to really serve on the teams or on the ODA's, which is what I really want to do in life.

I was just hoping for a Ranger's outlook on this, if you can provide yours. Thank you very much,
Adam

[panthersix]

Step 1 - Enlist for Ranger Medic

Step 2 - Achieve Ranger Medic

Step 3 - Work on casualties

Then decide if you really want a career in military medicine. If you're good at being a Ranger Medic, then you will have opportunities for further medical training and advancement.

Who knows, you may break your vagina in Airborne school and end up giving prostrate exams at the clinic for your whole enlistment or get sent to Korea to check peckers for STDs. Both reasons not to quit, ever, unless you like that sort of medicine....

Go find your fate and quit over thinking it. It's as simple as 1 - 2 - 3.

[IEDmagnet]

Who knows, you may break your vagina in Airborne school and end up giving prostrate exams at the clinic for your whole enlistment or get sent to Korea to check peckers for STDs. Both reasons not to quit, ever, unless you like that sort of medicine....

Bawhahahahahahahaha!!!!!!

I think I just shit myself laughing at that.....


Nope....false alarm.

[2014Bulldog]

Thank you for your opinion on this, Ranger panthersix

[panthersix]

Thank you for your opinion on this, Ranger panthersix

It wasn't my opinion, it was my experience. After I achieved Ranger Medic, I went to Medevac to practice what I'd learned at 1st Bn as I never went to war with my Ranger unit. I had over 100 patients mostly due to vehicle crashes, both civilian cars/trucks, aircraft and armor. I got them all to an emergency room, but after that, I don't even want to know.

The worst part about emergency medicine for me was working on women and children. Working on Rangers is tough enough, but working on babies, little kids and pregnant women...much different.

Go get your hands bloody and see if it's something you want to do more of in your life.

[Jim]

ISo naturally, I imagine enlisting as a 68W with the Option 40 Contract. However, I want to make sure I have a solid career path for when I retire (I don't want to be an EMT once I get out), so it seems like it would be a better idea to become a Physician Assistant for the Army, where I could still serve in the Rangers and with the Special Forces. Even after reading Captain Detro's story and how amazing he made a difference, I just feel like I would rather go to the Citadel and not accept a commission, and serve as a 68W. I feel like I want to serve on the teams and provide that first-response medical care. I mean, I could still do that as a P.A., but I wouldn't be allowed to really serve on the teams or on the ODA's, which is what I really want to do in life.

I was just hoping for a Ranger's outlook on this, if you can provide yours. Thank you very much,
Adam

Allow me to focus on this issue. By enlisting for 68W, Option 40, you are making an initial investment in one of the most intense learning experiences available. If you look at the career pattern of Army Physician Assistance, you will notice that many (if not most) are graduates of this training. As a Ranger/SF medic you will be afforded lots of opportunities to deploy into harms way. Never, never quit!!!

[2014Bulldog]

You are all right, I guess I am planning too far ahead before I even know if this is the right route for me. And again, thank you very much for your input through your experience, I'm very thankful that you took the time to reply to this.

I'm still reporting to the Citadel on August 14th, do you have any recommendations for me? And no, I will not ever, ever quit!

[merlyn]

Step 1 - Enlist for Ranger Medic

Step 2 - Achieve Ranger Medic

Step 3 - Work on casualties

Then decide if you really want a career in military medicine. If you're good at being a Ranger Medic, then you will have opportunities for further medical training and advancement.

Who knows, you may break your vagina in Airborne school and end up giving prostrate exams at the clinic for your whole enlistment or get sent to Korea to check peckers for STDs. Both reasons not to quit, ever, unless you like that sort of medicine....

Go find your fate and quit over thinking it. It's as simple as 1 - 2 - 3.

Ranger panthersix has given you the best advise. The Army is going to require a certain amount of time in service ( no doubt no less than 3 years) and a certain rank (E5 or 6). In the meantime, it would be prudent of you to get as much hands on experience as possible. Serving in a field unit ( Rangers, Airborne or even a field hospital or medivac team) will give you a good foundation for your future endevers. Also, I'm not so sure about PAs in field units. When I served, they were mainly used in TMCs and hospital ERS. However, times have changed. It is possible that you could actually find your niche in a field unit. There is still the opportunity to pursue you PA goal through the college fund program (I think that's what it's called). You could put all of that time in service into preparing for PA school, only to find out that there is a waiting list (for myself, it was 3 years). I'm not trying to discourage you. In fact, I wish you the best. I'm just relating my own experiences with what advise Ranger panthersix has offered. Good luck!

[panthersix]

You are all right, I guess I am planning too far ahead before I even know if this is the right route for me. And again, thank you very much for your input through your experience, I'm very thankful that you took the time to reply to this.

I'm still reporting to the Citadel on August 14th, do you have any recommendations for me? And no, I will not ever, ever quit!

The Citadel? Yeah, get a butt plug.....

[2014Bulldog]

Again, thank you for all of your recommendations based on your experience. I'm going to do everything possible to succeed in what I go for, thank you all for your help and encouragement!

[whocares175]

if you want to be in mix of things you need to stay enlisted. like panterhsix stated, i also would recommend to start off in Regiment as a medic. doing this you'll go through the Special Operations Combat Medic course, SOCM, in which you'll be trained to roughly the same level as a 2-3rd year resident (a person who's completed all of med school, is a dr and is working on completing their on the job training basically) in trauma medicine. you'll have a good enough grounding in trauma that you can spot the mistakes the doctors make and intelligently talk about them. then you'll go to a Battalion and get some good experience working with guys that like to hide injuries, ignore pain and not come and see you. this will you give you experience in basically spotting injuries simply by looking at someone. you'll also work with injured or sick civilians on deployments. if you like this then you can branch out to an SF medic. the biggest difference between a Ranger Medic and SF Medic is that advanced procedures like labs and some surgeries a Ranger Medic may know they need to be done but the SF Medic can actually do them himself. you'll learn that in SFMS (Special Forces Medical Sergeant course). otherwise as for trauma medicine and sick call they are both on par with each other. SFMS is taught by PA's at a PA level. when you get on an ODA you'll be acting in the capacity as a PA. this will give you a little experience more with diagnosing, treating, prescribing drugs and procedures, etc. if you like doing this then you'd be well ahead of most other people who'd like to go to PA school. along the way you'll get the opportunity to become EMT-P qualified and a few other medical specialty courses.

[whocares175]

18Ds are not PAs while deployed. They do not have the ability to order labs, xrays, and write prescriptions at hospitals in Afghanistan or Iraq.

18D's are the only non-degreed/non-commissioned healthcare provider that has prescriptive authority. as an 18D you will prescribe meds for teammates and indig. you can order labs and xrays and interpret both of them. you have the ability to do many of the labs yourself i.e.-cbc with diff, blood smears, fecal preps, u/a's-both macro with dipstick and microscopically, rpr for syphillis and a few others. we have in our tac set a portable xray machine that while it's not optimal you can still take needed xrays. the scope of practice of an 18D is definitive care. the scope of practice for a Ranger Medic is to stabilize most if not all combat injuries for up to 72hrs and prepare for evac.

[Terrible Ted]

Whocares175, if you think that you have the equivalent fund of knowledge as a 2nd or 3rd year resident, then you are deluding yourself, which will prove fatal to your patients.

I was a Ranger Medic, went to SOCM, got out and went to medical school, etc. Now I am a physician, board certified in Emergency Medicine.

You have got to know your limits medically. Do NOT believe your own press releases.