New 68W Training

RocketMedic

RocketMedic

Californian, Lost in Texas
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Perhaps I'm behind the times, but my new guys were trained to start performing interventions like saline locks before even a rapid trauma assessment, instead performing only an extremity and torso blood sweep, and well before any patient packaging, evacuation concerns, or further evaluation. Not only that, but they've apparently only learned '500mL of Hextend if there's no radial pulse!' and no other fluids, meds, proper assessment techniques...it's scary.

These kids are going to be at war in 12 months and they can't even start IVs in classroom conditions, much less perform proper trauma assessments, and the less said about medical problems, the better.
 
When I graduated in April '10 that's not how it was. Granted there wasn't quite as much pharmacology as I would have liked, but I guess that is more of a unit-specific skill.
 
I'm really, really disappointed in Fort Sam's education. Even new civilian EMTs are better at their jobs than these new medics, even confronted with similar problems.
 
I'm pretty sure the new TCCC guidelines say 500 of Hextend then 500 more if no effect and that's the max, but don't quote me on it.

That's still no excuse for what they are teaching though.
 
TCCC guidelines say that, yes, but these medics don't even know what Hextend is, much less how to use it appropriately.
 
Rocketmedic40 said:
TCCC guidelines say that, yes, but these medics don't even know what Hextend is, much less how to use it appropriately.
Click to expand...

Fail. Not on your part, just to be clear.
 
Rocketmedic, I'm not sure what they are teaching the 68W, but I have been a Navy Corpsman for 7 plus years. Im a certified TCCC instructor, and the guidelines for hextand not to exceed 1000ml is correct. In fact we are not pushing fluids like we use to 5 years ago, and in most cases its not necessary. TCCC focuses more on care under fire, and evacuating pts. They should still be taught a trauma assessment but not like civilian emts. We have no need for primary, and secondary assessments while under fire.
 
Its not improper tc3, its the total lack of any other knowledge.
 
The bottom line is, they Army only cares about putting warm bodies where the need is great. Even the instructors that give a crap are chastised for giving people a "no-go", because statistically it will reflect negatively on the organization.

They used to have one shot to pass the NREMT, then they would get recycled, or worse. Then it moved up to three, then six.

Six shots?! For NREMT-B?

So, the primary concern is just getting people through the program in the hopes that someone at their receiving unit will "fix" them. But this dosen't happen either. The end result? I see a 68W trying to suture bullet holes up, or surgically cric a 3-year-old, or giving out claritin for anaphylaxis.

Makes me sick.
 
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Doczilla said:
The bottom line is, they Army only cares about putting warm bodies where the need is great. Even the instructors that give a crap are chastised for giving people a "no-go", because statistically it will reflect negatively on the organization.

They used to have one shot to pass the NREMT, then they would get recycled, or worse. Then it moved up to three, then six.

Six shots?! For NREMT-B?

So, the primary concern is just getting people through the program in the hopes that someone at their receiving unit will "fix" them. But this dosen't happen either. The end result? I see a 68W trying to suture bullet holes up, or surgically cric a 3-year-old, or giving out claritin for anaphylaxis.

Makes me sick.
Click to expand...

Sad to hear. The old program used to be pretty good back in the day, but now it seems that the education they are putting out down there is pretty lack luster. I read a report that stated much of the training was being done by civilians, who did not have the appropriate qualifications in the opinion of the DOA. My first time at Ft Sam was in 1986... then again in 1989. It was much different back then.
 
Rumors from our new guys are that they are cutting NR out of it- EMT, optional test, whiskey phase and go.

Our newbies are sickeningly bad at anything not penetrating-trauma.

What do y'all think will come of the push to paramedic-patch the flight medics?
 
Is there any truth to EMT certification being removed from Medic Training?
 
Not sure, Ill tell you in March when new guys show up.
 
I'll share their dirty secrets when I'm done and thru. Four more months and Ill be there jumping in halfway thru as an E4.

Sent from my HTC using Tapatalk
 
Can't comment about the future of NREMT and the US Army, but as the training NCO for a medical Company in a BSB, we still maintain NREMT, and per AR will for the foreseeable future...

BTW, was not impressed with some of the soldiers coming out of 68w training recently...
 
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First off, i have not heard that we are removing the nremt from trying and i do not believe we will due to it is required for out mosq . Still currently as i just received two medics three weeks ago. they are getting multiple iv sticks at bullis. now on the rx side of the house , no they are not training very much on that side of the house. they are leaving that for your unit pa or doc to determine what medications they are allowed to push so that all medics with in that unit are trained the same. we all must remember fort Sam is just the first stop in our medical training. we are always learning and training everyday
 
It's worse than that- these medics haven't even been taught assessments of non-acute trauma or medical patients.
 
The two i just received did during their emt training... But not during whiskey phase
 
Hmmm...maybe we just keep getting the ones who rocked the Hacienda.
 
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