for a new combat medic...

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BrodyL4513

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Hey all,
I am about to be a new army combat medic and I was wondering if I could get some advice when it comes to aid bags and packing. I am being assigned to a highly deployed unit and I want to me sure I am ready to take off running when the time comes to be deployed. I realize I will be issued a bag when I get to my unit but I also want some other options and opinions to be able to compare to. Also, any idea when it comes to packing. I already have some kits in mind such as bleeder kits which include a saline lock, transparent dressing, 5 ml syringe, alcohol prep, 2x2 and any fluids I would need such as hextend or LR. I was just wondering what yall do with your kits. I'm just trying to take in as much advice and learn as much as I can from those more experienced. Thanks!
 
I'm not a medic in the Army but will be reclassing from 11B to 68W next year in the National Guard and I'll be using OSOE (Original Special Operations Equipment) Aid bag. http://www.originalsoegear.com/collections/medical/products/medical-backpack. I already have a tear off IFAK and compact tear off IFAK from OSOE that goes on my chest rig but once I become a medic they will be attached to the PALS on the pack for everyone else. The gear isn't inexpensive but its quality and has a lifetime warranty. The medics in line units might as well be podiatrist haha cause you'll be dealing with peoples messed up feet a lot. Have a "boo boo" kit as well for small stuff and get familiar with your gear and organize it well so you'll be able to get to it in the dark and in a hurry if you need to without scrabbling around looking for what you need. So yeah, I don't have a lot of experience yet in the medical department but that's what I'll be using once I'm a medic.
 
Ask around at your unit or battalion level of other medics. They should be able to tell you what you will need. Most of the time extra CATs, quick clot or whatever your unit is using now, and bandages for injuries that will be common based on where you get deployed would be needed. Fluids aren't emphasized as much anymore for initial trauma, emphasis is placed on stopping the bleeding and getting the patient to a CASH if they are bad enough to need fluids as most likely they will need plasma or RBCs.
 
You are in the military and becoming a medic and you're coming to an internet forum to ask advice on how to pack...my advice is- learn from your instructors and colleagues???
 
Meh, nothing wrong with asking the internet for advice, 8 years in, 3 deployments later I still google around for better ways to pack my gear...but then again I'm a habitual overpacker even for a simple two day overnight drill lol. That being said, I do highly advise for a new guy to follow the teachings of their Drill Sergeants in Basic/AIT, and then their unit's SOP and advise of your first line supervisor and your peers when you get to your unit. Once you get comfortable with the basics, then you can start looking around at the different ways to skin this cat, and start to play with modifying till you find what works for you that you like....within the left and right limits of your init's SOP of course (Some are highly strict, 1SG says you will do it this way or else, others really don't care as long as you've got your minimum required stuff and no crazy colors). Just remember when asking the interwebs, not all advise is a golden nugget, a lot are really just a polished turd (some more polished than others)


TL;DR/BLUF:
irishboxer384 said:
learn from your instructors and colleagues
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This first, then with a side of a grain of salt, use the advise of internet forums (me personally as soon as I found out it's really an airsoft forum I automatically ignore it and move on lol)
 
Agree- first learn the way you are expected to do things as a new guy, then when experienced experiment with different ways to do things
 
I would recommend checking with your PLT SGT if you're line, if you're BAS, FTT, FST, CSH, etc... check with your section SGT. These NCOs generally know how they want your stuff to look, and usually have no bones telling you how you are going to pack. Especially since they should be looking at your gear for PCC/PCI... ;)
 
T-Quets, ace bandages and gauze/quickclot are priority. I then had a manual suction, , scissors, 2 cric kits, 8 NCD needles, 2 fast IO kits, 1 chest tube kit, hyphen chest seals, 2-500ml NS, 1-500ml LR, 2-500ml hextend (or hetastarch), IV tubing, tape, 14G, 16G, 18G and 20G IV caths, draw needles, 3-5ml syringes, a couple filter needles for the glass ampules. Then I did some luxuries such as band aids, tampons, pulse ox, vitamin M, a bottle of pepto, dermabond...
 
Distributed loads ftw....everyone gets an Ifak + tourniquets, an IV kit, a 500mL bag of NS and a Motrin ration when I could fill it. I carried a tube/crike kit, supplemental IVs, 2x 500ml fluid, NCDs, extra tourniquets, a boo boo pouch, morphine, promethazine, tylenol, narcan in a repurposed epi-pen container in my shoulder pocket, and a little ice pouch with 2x cans of coke, a can of Skoal, Miamis and a lighter, and candy. Made me popular with the PSG and squads lol.
 
RocketMedic said:
Distributed loads ftw....everyone gets an Ifak + tourniquets, an IV kit, a 500mL bag of NS and a Motrin ration when I could fill it. I carried a tube/crike kit, supplemental IVs, 2x 500ml fluid, NCDs, extra tourniquets, a boo boo pouch, morphine, promethazine, tylenol, narcan in a repurposed epi-pen container in my shoulder pocket, and a little ice pouch with 2x cans of coke, a can of Skoal, Miamis and a lighter, and candy. Made me popular with the PSG and squads lol.
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Skoal? No Copenhagen?? LOL.
 
Medics are also kinda Scam Artist, you can put a lot of cans into your IFAK, and you can sell those cans and make a lot of money because of supply and demand when you are in the field. because you are the one with supply and there is a very high demand. $$$$$$ :)
 
EMT11KDL said:
Medics are also kinda Scam Artist, you can put a lot of cans into your IFAK, and you can sell those cans and make a lot of money because of supply and demand when you are in the field. because you are the one with supply and there is a very high demand. $$$$$$ :)
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You are absolutely correct!
 
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