68W

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68 whiskey

active
Country United States
Armed forces US Armed Forces
Armed forces US Army
Branch of service infantry
Type Combat Medic
apprenticeship Fort Sam Houston
Nickname Doc
Tradition 91B

68W ( pronounced 68 whiskey in the NATO spelling alphabet ) is the military occupational specialty (MOS) for the US Army medic . 68Ws are primarily responsible for providing emergency medical treatment at the site of the wound on the battlefield, providing limited basic services, as well as health protection and evacuation at a site of injury or illness. This specialty is open to men and women with a minimum score of 107 GT and 101 ST on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery .

General

Known as a Combat Medic Specialist and occasionally a Health Care Specialist, the primary role of Combat Medic in the United States Army is to provide medical care to injured soldiers and their loved ones and, if necessary, to combat enemies. Members of the 68th Whiskey serve as the first level of supply and accompany units that are the minimum size of a platoon or the maximum size of battalions during training and deployment. 68Ws provide first aid, evacuation and oversight for other soldiers with medical training (such as combat lifesavers trained), as well as medical advice for the unit's chain of command. In addition to emergency medical care, 68W members provide soldiers, members of the military and authorized civilian personnel with paraprofessional medical care in military medical treatment facilities . In this role, 68W work under the supervision of medical assistants and doctors together with other medical professionals. 68Ws are initially trained as nationally registered paramedics (at EMT-B level) and are additionally trained in trauma and army-specific techniques and procedures. Civilian accreditation is currently required to be maintained and continuing education is typically provided, including the opportunity to gain additional qualifications through military and civilian training. Currently, only the US Army requires their medics to have civilian accreditation in order to complete training and continue to work as the 68W. Civil equivalents are difficult to assess because the range of skills and training for 68W can be vast. However, most of them are trained, without additional specialist training, in areas that intersect with, or work in, civilian rescue workers, medical assistants, patient management staff, office managers, dispatchers and ambulance drivers , pharmacy technicians, phlebotomists, patient care assistants and others. Senior 68Ws who have been promoted to sergeants tend to take on more administrative duties in treatment facilities while training and overseeing Junior 68Ws.

Additional skill enhancements

Additional Skill Identifiers (ASI) are assigned to personnel who have received additional training in a certain specialist area and affect the positions a soldier who has the skill identifier can be assigned to. These are attached to the MOS code of a 68W. For example, a 68W designed as a flight paramedic would be referred to as a 68WF2. The majority of the ASIs previously used have been modified to become completely different MOS codes with their own specific training.

Active ASIs

  • F2 denotes the US Army Flight Paramedic
  • W1 denotes a 68W who has completed the Special Operations Combat Medic course
  • Y8 denotes an Allergy and Immunology Specialist

Former ASIs

  • P1 is an orthopedist. P1 is now identified as MOS 68B.
  • M6 is a practical nursing specialist. M6 is now identified as MOS 68C.
  • N9 is a physiotherapist. N9 is now identified as MOS 68F.
  • N3 is an occupational therapist. N3 is now identified as MOS 68L.
  • Y6 is a cardiovascular specialist. Y6 is now identified as MOS 68N.
  • P2 is an ENT specialist. P2 is now identified as MOS 68U. P3 is an optometry specialist.
  • P3 is now identified as MOS 68Y.

history

Currently known as the 68W, the US Army medical base MOS was changed effective October 1, 2006. During the Vietnam War era , the MOS code was 91B. The Army Deputy Chief of Staff's department issued a future change notice in September 1999 for licensed practical nurses MOS 91B and 91C. With this announcement, the transition of the personnel of both MOSs to 91W was set on October 1, 2001 and ends on September 30, 2007. The 91W MOS required additional training and the maintenance of civilian EMT certification, which was previously optional for soldiers. U.S. Army personnel holding the MOS 91C would be 91W (and later 68W) with an additional skill identifier of M6. During the transition period, all soldiers classified as 91B and 91C received the identifier Y2 until they had completed additional training to the 91W, were classified in a different MOS or were discharged from the US Army. The administrative title of 68W has also been changed slightly. Formerly known simply as Combat Medic, it was changed to Health Care Specialist to help soldiers achieve civilian equivalence when comparing the skills learned in the U.S. Army with their civilian counterparts. It was changed to the better known Combat Medic Specialist in order to preserve the name and reputation MOS has already built. Colloquially, 68Ws are referred to as "Doc" when they have acquired the infantrymen's trust and confidence to take care of, a title that is not easily earned.

Training and assignment

After completing Basic Combat Training, soldiers train for Advanced Individual Training (AIT) on the ship MOS 68W1O in Fort Sam Houston, Texas. The training usually lasts 16 weeks and includes a combination of lectures and practical field exercises. The first two months of the course focus on CPR and EMT-B skills and conclude with written and practical exams. A potential 68W must pass the NREMT (with a maximum of three attempts) to enter the US Army's special course called the "Whiskey Phase". Soldiers who fail the NREMT will be reclassified to a different MOS according to US Army requirements. The Whiskey phase encompasses the final two months of 68W training and consists of emergency military medicine, patrols , military urban area operations (MOUT), and military-specific medical evacuation procedures. 68Ws are trained in additional medical skills that they are only allowed to perform in a military setting, as their EMT-B scope is limited on the civilian side. These additional skills are based on Tactical Combat Casualty Care guidelines and include emergency cricothyrotomy, resuscitation , giving fluids (injections), administering medication, treating cross and gunshot wounds, and effectively using tourniquets for cuts and amputations . Once assigned to a unit, 68Ws can learn any number of advanced skills at the discretion of their unit's Physician Assistant (PA). The topics are generally defined for each functional role of the unit. For example, 68Ws assigned to an infantry unit (colloquially referred to as a line doctor) can receive information about advanced trauma treatments, including venous cuts, chest tube placement, or the use of special bleeding control methods. Often times, the 68W is responsible for the medical readiness of an entire platoon, which is reported directly to the chief medic or the sub-unit command team.

With members of medical units, they can learn to administer drugs that lead to a more definitive treatment than their civilian counterparts are permitted. Brigade Support Battalions (BSB), in particular, can employ an entire 68W company referred to as "Charlie Med" since the Charlie Company is the ultimate medical unit in this type of battalion. According to the mission of the BSB, the main mission of the 68W will fall into the role of treatment and / or evacuation to support the brigade . 68Ws working in a BSB can also expect to receive training in extensive vehicle maintenance, supplies and logistics , or be transferred to infantry companies within the brigade if 68Ws are missing for that unit. Also in a combat support hospital or smaller medical treatment facility (such as the Garrison Clinic or Battalion Station ), 68-Ws can be quickly trained in patient management, medical laboratory skills, and even medical logistics. Unlike civil hospitals, combat support hospitals do not have a large number of 68C (Practical Nursing Specialist) and instead use the 68W which is readily available and partially trained. Some 68Ws may request additional training in EMT-P. U.S. Army flight paramedics are trained this way after a package has been successfully delivered, although spaces are limited and the school can be very competitive. For the Interservice Physician Assistant Program (IPAP), 68 Ws can apply who complete at least 60 semester hours with the necessary scientific prerequisites and shadow hours . The intensive two-year program leads to a Master of Physician Assistant Studies at the University of Nebraska Medical College, an officer assignment to the first lieutenant, and the opportunity to apply for civil certification.

68W also serve as a source of recruitment for paramedics for special operations such as B. MOS 18D (medic for special operations), MOS 38BW4 (medic for civil affairs), 160th special operations, Aviation Regiment, Flight Medic and 75th Ranger Regiment , Ranger Medic. The former two require a full MOS change during their training, while the latter two remain as 68W for the duration of their assignment. Participants in the Special Forces Assessment Course (160th SOAR) or the 75th Ranger Regiment must complete the Special Operations Combat Medic (SOCM) course (ASI W1), a 10-month intensive course in Fort Bragg, North Carolina . Qualified medics are assigned to the direct support positions of these USASOC (United States Army Special Operations Command) assignments. SOCM health professionals operate independently within specific protocols, and the scope can be expanded if a health care professional is not present. SOCM medics assigned to special units receive regular medical and military training after completing the SOCM course to ensure interoperability with special units.

Combat Lifesaver

A Combat Lifesaver (CLS) is a non-68W soldier with minimal emergency medical training to provide care to the injury site. It is a prerequisite that all soldiers in the first access training complete the CLS course (Combat Lifesaver) and pass the CLS exam during the Basic Combat Training. IET Soldiers who fail the course or fail the exam will be returned to a different class starting the CLS course. Combat Lifesaver Skills are intended for use in combat. However, the skills can also be used on soldiers who are not in combat. The Combat Lifesaver is instructed in various techniques to treat and stabilize combat-related injuries. The Combat Lifesaver Doctrine was developed to improve survivability in combat environments where the combat medic may not be readily available. The Combat Lifesaver is a bridge between self-help or buddy help and the 68W. The Combat Lifesaver can expand the 68W as needed.

recognition

68Ws can earn the Combat Medical Badge (CMB) and Expert Field Medical Badge (EFMB) if they meet the qualification requirements. The CMB is awarded to medical personnel who are engaged in ground weapons or combat aircraft units of brigade or smaller size or who have them under operational control and who are satisfactorily performing their medical duties when the unit is engaged in active ground combat , if it is a person acting now and under attack. In contrast, the EFMB is awarded after the successful completion of an intensive two-week validation of field medical skills. Only one badge may be worn on the uniform at a time, although 68Ws may earn both.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Official website of the US Army, MOS. Retrieved September 17, 2019 .
  2. ↑ Secondary website of the US Army. Retrieved September 17, 2019 .
  3. ^ Website of the US Army Medical Center of Excellence. Retrieved September 17, 2019 .
  4. ^ The Balance Care, Stewart Smith
  5. ↑ [1] In: New York Times Online , February 15, 2018, accessed September 18, 2019 (English).