# Aerospace medical apprentice



## Ryanpfd

Thier pretty much the Medics in the Airforce, Any one out thier ever been one? and it sais it allows you to sit for a NREMT lisence, does this mean paramedic. You are airforce medic, so I dont see why you wouldnt, But the military is weird like that. I talked to the recruiter and he said he would get back to me with that info. But Im Kind of anxious to find out.


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## medic417

EARospace or Aerospace?

Don't know about the military.  Many military medics I work with were able to challenge basic but had to take Paramedic.  Not sure if there is a point where in the military you are able to get Paramedic.  If recruiter can provide written requirements etc please post so in the future it will help more with similar questions to get the answer.


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## akflightmedic

Well, anxious or not, your best source of information will be the recruiter.

With that understood, yes you can be a true paramedic in the Air Force. They train their guys up to that level and you do indeed test for National Registry. The caveat is that you are actually selected for that job when you sign up. Get everything in writing!!

I said, get everything in writing. Verbal promises, assurances do not mean a thing if you do not have it in writing. Do not fall for the line of "take this job and you can transfer later" routine. Either sign on for the job you want or don't join.


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## Ryanpfd

my bad thier was a type on that. But thats good to Know, And yes I told him I wasnt really interested in many other jobs, Ill take the Emergancy service apprentice, or firefighter and thats it. Only  because they translate to the fire service/ems field. And I will get that In writing that should be done at MEPS right?


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## ffemt8978

Ryanpfd said:


> my bad thier was a type on that. But thats good to Know, And yes I told him I wasnt really interested in many other jobs, Ill take the Emergancy service apprentice, or firefighter and thats it. Only  because they translate to the fire service/ems field. And I will get that In writing that should be done at MEPS right?



Fixed the thread title for ya


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## mycrofft

*Military firefighter does not necessarily help in civilian job market*

Also, many many people trying for civ firefighter slots. But you might find a home in the USAF.


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## Ryanpfd

mycrofft said:


> Also, many many people trying for civ firefighter slots. But you might find a home in the USAF.


 
I am a civilian firefighter....
fire uno 
and fire dos NH fire academy


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## maddox

*Air Force Medic*

RyanPFD,

    You can take the NREMT for Basic out of Air Force medic school. You will be trained as a basic not a paramedic even though they will call you a medic. Currently no one coming out of any medic school in any branch (Navy, Army, or Air Force) can be certified as a medic unless you are a special ops branch. The PJ's (Air Force Spec Ops) are certified as NREMT-P's but they are pretty much shoot and scoot. Most all Spec Ops go through the Army's 18 Delta School (18D), but that is only for Spec Ops (SEAL, Recon, Delta, PJ)  As a medic in the military you do not train enough with A&P, Pharm, or Cardiology (which is huge as a Civ paramedic.) 

The cool things is though is that you will get to have a higher scope of practice as a Medic in the military than as a EMT-B. Akflightmedic said it *get everything in writing* recruiters will tell you anything to get you to join. But don't let it get you down. As medics we don't have the same scope of practice that our civ counterparts do. We do much more with less.


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## maddox

*as for Firefighter....*

oh as for firefighting in the Air Force (I am a medic not a Firefighter) I have some really good buddies that were and they say it was a blast... also not a bad way to get some time on the job and a lot of certs.

If you have any more questions feel free to post.


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## BuckeyeMike

Ryanpfd said:


> Thier pretty much the Medics in the Airforce, Any one out thier ever been one? and it sais it allows you to sit for a NREMT lisence, does this mean paramedic. You are airforce medic, so I dont see why you wouldnt, But the military is weird like that. I talked to the recruiter and he said he would get back to me with that info. But Im Kind of anxious to find out.



I'm not a medic (Currently an EMT-Basic student), but my job in the Air Force / Air National Guard takes me on quite a few Aeromedical Evac missions. The Air Force training for AET (Aero-Evac Techs) gets you a EMT-B, but a lot of the AET's will go on to get their Medic certification, using their GI Bill, to make rank farther in their career. Also a thing to think about is that the Aeromedical Evac job is almost exclusively done by the AF Reserve, which would leave you plenty of time to go to school as well.


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## tjbroussard

Perhaps I misread something, but indeed every Air Force medic (AFSC 4N0xx) is tested and certified at the NREMT-B level.  Additionally, they are working on about 300 positions that will be paramedic rated with a special experience indicator.  We (see there I go again, forgetting that I just retired from 22 years of active duty Air Force nursing) have EMT coordinators at nearly every AF medical facility to coordinate the EMT training and records.  Now retired, I recruit military medics for my company here in the south, and are developing a paramedic bridge course for our employees.

To stay in compliance with the BB rules, you'll have to email me for details at terry (dot) broussard (at) acadian (dot) com .

Air Power!
Terry


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## el Murpharino

Ryanpfd said:


> Thier pretty much the Medics in the Airforce, Any one out thier ever been one? and it sais it allows you to sit for a NREMT lisence, does this mean paramedic. You are airforce medic, so I dont see why you wouldnt, But the military is weird like that. I talked to the recruiter and he said he would get back to me with that info. But Im Kind of anxious to find out.



Having retrained in June to the 4N0 career field, here's what I know.  The course is a 16 week course at Sheppard AFB, followed by a 7-week phase II training which involves clinical rotations in different parts of the hospital/clinic you're assigned to.  The Phase I course involves the following:

- 2-week A&P
- CPR training
- NREMT-B certification
- Medical Readiness training (learning how to operate in a field setting)
- Nursing Fundamentals I - the basics on patient comfort, positioning, crutch/cane sizing, wheelchair usage, bed making, etc.
- Nursing Fundamentals II - IV's, IM/SQ shots, medication math
- Administration (paperwork, forms, medical record maintenance).

You can be a paramedic if you become a pararescueman or a special ops medic.  You can also retrain to be an IDMT after 3 years, which is a nice option if you like to learn alot and work independently - just be prepared to have nothing but an EMT-B cert. when you separate from the AF.  The AF also has a program in place that will allow you to obtain a certification/license during your off-duty time at their expense, provided you're done with your CDC's and other on-duty requirements.  It's a one-time offer, and many people have used it to get their pilot's license, but I'm sure you can find a community college or paramedic program near your base that you can enroll in and take a paramedic class on the AF's tab.  There are also many medical specialties out there in the medical field that you may want to look into.  The AF terms their airmen "Medics" because in the field we are medics...the military lingo and civilian lingo is different.  If you have any other questions, let me know.


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## HNcorpsman

i dont mean to discourage you but just know that being a pararescue jumper is not a regular job, its not even a regular military job... these guys are the BEST of the BEST and then some!!! they go through extensive training throughout their career... im almost tempted to say that these guys are at the same level if not higher and more respected than navy SEALS and im in the navy, now thats saying something!! anyways not only is paramedic school hard enough these guys are pushed through extremely fast, and the physical training is very tough as well... i believe that the drop out rate is 80%!!! i am just writing this because you might have the temptation to enlist in this job, and i dont want you to end up like all the guys who failed out, remember usually when you fail out of your school you are not given a choice on what you want your next job to be... now if you think you can do it, than do it, and give it your all! but only if you know you can do it!


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## EMTSteve0

I work in the same section with both Aerospace and Flight Med folks.  Actually, the Aerospace is just a title for medics that work in Space command (missleers) , just as Flight Medics work with flyers (pilots.)  There are Ambus services in the Air Force, however with the War on Terror, most medics are needed on the battlefiled, so alot of bases here in the U.S. contract EMS services.  Overseas on the other hand use military EMTs and Paramedics, but they are usually assigned to the ER and the availability to be assigned as an EMT is very slim.  With that said, your primary AFSC (Air Force Specialty Code) will be a 4N0X1, which 90% of the time you'll be a patient care tech if you aren't deployed.  If you have any questions, please pm me.  10 years in now Active Duty and awaiting to here my status for acceptance into the Military Physician Assistant Program.  Wish me luck!


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## EMTSteve0

tjbroussard said:


> Perhaps I misread something, but indeed every Air Force medic (AFSC 4N0xx) is tested and certified at the NREMT-B level.  Additionally, they are working on about 300 positions that will be paramedic rated with a special experience indicator.  We (see there I go again, forgetting that I just retired from 22 years of active duty Air Force nursing) have EMT coordinators at nearly every AF medical facility to coordinate the EMT training and records.  Now retired, I recruit military medics for my company here in the south, and are developing a paramedic bridge course for our employees.
> 
> To stay in compliance with the BB rules, you'll have to email me for details at terry (dot) broussard (at) acadian (dot) com .
> 
> Air Power!
> Terry



Very true.  Folks are still administered the EMTB Registry and recieve their recertification at their local Education and Training Flight in the clinic or hospital.


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## USAF Paramedic

*USAF Paramedics*

If you enlist and end up at one of a few select bases such as the one i'm stationed at Edwards AFB, CA there is a slight chance you can get selected to go to paramedic school. I was sent TDY for about 10 months to a private school to get licensed. I am one of onle 3 active duty Paramedics currently stationed here. I recently spoke to our careerfield manager who said we will be looking to expand our number of paramedics across the USAF to several hundred in the next few years. We were also recently given an SEI which is something that Identifies us as paramedics and will eventually be used to help us transfer from assignment to assignment and retain our paramedic status.


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## HNcorpsman

man o man i would give nearly anything to have the navy let me go TAD to go to paramedic school, what an opportunity, and deal. sometimes i wish i was in the airforce... get treated the best, tuns of duty stations, better living quarters, better grooming standards, easier to advance (compared to my rate) and lots of opportunity to go to school... o well...


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## mycrofft

*Jeezly I had to go get my own EMT-Ambulance on my Kelly day.*

Aeromed techs are handy, I've had a few working for meB)


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## arsenicbassist

*the 4N*

Just so we're all pretty clear here. There are multiple types of Aerospace Medical Technicians in the Air Force. All go through the initial training and pass the NREMT-Basic exam. From there, are different paths that can be taken professionally. As for myself, I chose the IDMT/Paramedic path. Not all IDMT's will become Paramedics and there are a few differences between the two. IDMT's are considered as the only Air Force enlisted provider. Diagnosing and treating medical and dental patients, often in remote/austere environments and without physician oversight. The only ones that complete Paramedic are the AFSOC and SERE IDMT's, due to the highly specialized missions that they both encounter. IDMT's also act as Public Health and Bioenvironmental Science officers, completing inspections of food, water, and facilities in order to establish bare-base operations. They are also highly skilled in Pharmacy and logistical operations. Not that I'm trying to oust anyone on this, but it is a very unique skill set, that is always a good one to look into. At the end of the day....medicine first, title last.


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## arsenicbassist

HNcorpsman said:


> i dont mean to discourage you but just know that being a pararescue jumper is not a regular job, its not even a regular military job... these guys are the BEST of the BEST and then some!!! they go through extensive training throughout their career... im almost tempted to say that these guys are at the same level if not higher and more respected than navy SEALS and im in the navy, now thats saying something!! anyways not only is paramedic school hard enough these guys are pushed through extremely fast, and the physical training is very tough as well... i believe that the drop out rate is 80%!!! i am just writing this because you might have the temptation to enlist in this job, and i dont want you to end up like all the guys who failed out, remember usually when you fail out of your school you are not given a choice on what you want your next job to be... now if you think you can do it, than do it, and give it your all! but only if you know you can do it!



This is extremely accurate...once you fail out....you'll be slingin' chow or guarding gates. Noone wants that. As for PJ's being the BEST of the BEST, we don't discuss that very much. Let's just say there is lengthy literature on who PJ's must hand patients off to at the earliest conveinence...IDMT's, NP's, PA's, or MD's. Bottom line...Rescue is their forte. I want them picking me up, but I want my guys working me. Or I'll take an IDC...we mirror one another!!!


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## HNcorpsman

Yeah i was gonna mention navy IDCs are just about the same as IDMTs... glad to see you know this... I still believe PJs are the best of the best... I have met, talked, and worked with PJs, and they know their Shiit!! When i went to OEMS, we did a pig lab and the PJs outperformed everybody including the two Air Force IDMTs that attended the class as well. they are just very good at a lot of stuff... knowledge, skill, physical endurance, weapons fundamentals, all around they are exceptional group of commandos. I guess i wouldn't say they are better or worse than some of the other SPFs (SEALs, 18D) because they all do very different things.


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## arsenicbassist

*yeah yeah*

Oh yeah, ya get a few of em going and they can do alot of damage. We get some IDMT's who lack the Paramedic training and are a little underexposed to good trauma skills (spending too much time in flight medicine and not enough time practicing). IDC's are some good cats too. I've only had one that I couldn't stand, but hey, you have that from time to time. OEMS is a gem of an oppurtunity. You should check out some SERE IDMT stuff. Those guys got some pretty amazing saves...


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## HNcorpsman

as in SERE you mean survival, evasion, resistance, escape school correct? I didn't go through the school but my unit went through portions of the school during pre deployment training in bridgeport, CA... and your right every service, branch, unit, has those guys that are just pieces of shiit...


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## arsenicbassist

that is correct. the idmt's up there perform the SAR mission for much of the PNW and get some pretty good stuff. i'm looking to try to go up there soon. and yeah, pieces of :censored::censored::censored::censored: linger everywhere. the best thing is to just ignore them.


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## HNcorpsman

haha.... so do you wanna go to SERE school in bridgeport? my advice is dont go in the winter... you will have a hell of a time... i went in the summer and it, still snowed on us... actually there wasn't a day that it poor something on us... snow, rain, hail, sleet etc... ahhh... say hello to Ssgt Hutton for me. what a character... if you go to bridgeport, you will probably deal with alot of AMS type sicknesses including HAPE, and HACE... we had to evac to guys from my unit who suffered from AMS on the mountain. its hard to sleep too, headache all night, and you dont breathe right...


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## StreetPharmacist

Theres a show that comes on natgeo, called PJs or something and shows what they go thru on a daily basis from the start of them joining the program to graduation. They are the real deal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## HNcorpsman

yup!.................


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