Posting: SMM, Combat Medic Course
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I'm posted to the above-mentioned vocation.
Any seniors or people who can give more info/advices on the Combat Medic course? (I've surfed the SMM website already.)
Should I just go through the course or should I make an request (appeal) for a change in vocation? I've called the CPC regarding the appeal and they advised me to speak to my S1 or the officer-in-charge when I report to Nee Soon Camp on Monday.
My case is, I'm considered small sized (1.65m) and my back already aches very badly when I carried my FBO as I have mild spine curvature. I knew combat medic has additional load (e.g. stretcher, medical packs...etc.) when there are outfield trainings and unit exercises.
I was actually rather shocked when the posting page loaded on miw.com.sg. By the way, I'm in the PTP/BMT Enhanced Batch POP-ed on 6th Sep 2005. -
Well, this vocation gives you whatever you described.It's a vocation in a support sense, has a chance for you to be a 3SG, combat pay too.
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hm.. so are you unhappy that they posted to as a combat medic when you are suffering from back problems, or that they didnt post you to advance schools for commanders?Originally posted by Luc85:My case is, I'm small sized (1.65m) and my back already aches very badly when I carried my FBO as I have a mild curved spine near the tail bone. I knew combat medic has additional load (stretcher, medical packs) when there are outfield trainings and unit exercises.
I was actually rather disappointed when the posting page loaded on miw.com.sg , since I passed my IPPT, shaded on the OMR sheet to express my interest to be a commander, heard that I ranked in the middle of the platoon in the Peer Appraisal Survey and I really done my best in the Vocational Assessment Computer Test at CMPB before enlistment. By the way, I'm in the PTP/BMT Enhanced Batch POP-ed on 6th Sep.
well, with your back problem, i think you shouldnt be going for either of them. -
On the 1st day, you will be asked to fill up a medical questionaire..Highlight your back problem and a Medical FFI will be held for you shortly after u fill up the form..Tell the MO there..(hopefully you get Dr Yeo S C, try not to get a fit looking Dr Lai..
..Dr Lim W Y is quite OK)
Bring any specialist letters/MO memos there to show to the MO..He may allow u to revocate to service medic or a total new vocation will be given to you..He may even put u on KIV for next course..and you will be a TSS for the next 3 months..From there see how
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to me, this is one of the few vocations which skills you can actually use in civilian life
by the way, i'm STILL a combat medic...
2 slipped discs and 1 pinched nerve later, and "promises to downgrade me to C9L9" i'm still one
go.. it's about one of the most honourable vocations you can have in the military -
You can try appeal to CPC, but I doubt it helps... if genuine medical problem, see a specialist, then the MO.... and pray.
But in any case, as pointed out, you shouldn't even hope to go commander school if you think you have any medical problem because those are the places that will most likely aggravate your problems.
As for being a combat medic.... only a portion of combat medics actually get platoon medic, which is the one with the heavy load....
My suggestion is to go thru the course, and pray for a nice cosy medical centre job.
3SG for medics is currently..... in a state of chaos.... so don't put too much hope into it.
See you monday -
Stay as a medic.It's a great vocation that leaves you with a lifelong knowledge of basic first aid.
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see u on monday.
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well, i was one batch earlier in the medic course but I am a service medic. yeah the sergeants are quite good and I learnt a lot of good knowledge.
just report on monday, indicate on the forms and they will send you for FFI. Nevertheless, hope you can stay on as a medic, be it combat or service.
Seek, Save, Serve, Medic! -
when i book in everytime..always wonder which of the RP is u..Originally posted by Gordonator:see u on monday. 
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hi, anyone going to report to nee soon at 8am ? they didn't really say what to bring for the stay-in items , so i guess just bring along FBO (pack 1~7) ?
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I would like to clarify this statementOriginally posted by dk999:You can try appeal to CPC, but I doubt it helps... if genuine medical problem, see a specialist, then the MO.... and pray.
But in any case, as pointed out, you shouldn't even hope to go commander school if you think you have any medical problem because those are the places that will most likely aggravate your problems.
As for being a combat medic.... only a portion of combat medics actually get platoon medic, which is the one with the heavy load....
My suggestion is to go thru the course, and pray for a nice cosy medical centre job.
3SG for medics is currently..... in a state of chaos.... so don't put too much hope into it.
See you monday
"As for being a combat medic.... only a portion of combat medics actually get platoon medic, which is the one with the heavy load...."
Whether you are platoon medic depends on
1. What is your medical status?
2. Which unit you go to? Infantry, Armor,Arty etc.
3. Where MO and senior medic post you?
You are in COMBAT medic course. You are trained for combat. I.E. you are expected to go to field!
Often as a rule of thumb in army, a fresh out medic need to orientate from platoon to company to battelion. AND even if you are a battelion level medic, you need to go field in FBO and BCS bags! and the weight is no less than a platton medic.
In infantry context, 1 platoon need 1 medic, 1 company 3 platoon + 1 medic 3SG. 1 battlelion 3 rifle company + 1 support + 1 HQ. So what is the chance of a battlelion medic????
From my experience, Never leave your posting to fate and prayer! Fate often deals a nasty hand to you!!!!! -
Well, I was a combat medic. Truth be told, I didn't want a siong posting, and my heart sank when it was revealed that I was posted to 3 SIR after my combat medic course.
Even then, I really hoped that I would become a BCS (battalion level) medic, and my hopes went up when my MO told me that he wanted me to stay on as a BCS medic. Still, I got posted to one of the rifle companies - as a platoon medic.
I won't lie to you. The course itself will be easy. It was already pretty welfare during my time, and it's even more welfare now (guaranteed nights off every week... even during the first week!).
But being a platoon medic is going to be one of the toughest things ever. I didn't get any respect or whatsoever from the men - medics are supposed to be one of the most honourable vocations in the Army, but they are also one of the most derided. I got picked on by them a lot - it didn't help that I was more highly educated than them and they have a suspicion of all those who are more highly-educated. I swear to God, I didn't treat them any differently from my friends, but they still picked on me anyway.
People keep having the mentality that all medics are slackers, and there's not a thing you can do about it to correct that misperception. When I tell others that I'm a medic, they exclaim that I'm a slacker, even though I'm a chiong sua warrior and they get to do admin jobs.
But I kept my hopes up, and did my best, and eventually I became a company medic and got my three stripes. Things got much better after that, and the men who used to pick on me somehow no longer had the balls to do so any more. Bloody cowards.
Anyway, the bottom line is, don't be too surprised that there are people who will look down on you for your vocation. At the same time, though, remember that for every one of those people who looks down on you, there are many others who look to you with respect.
As a final note, be proud of who you are, and who you will be - the person who saves lives. The man who reduces suffering and hardship of others.
Good luck.
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Certain BNs only have one medic.
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Seems like you don't have a good time with your unit...Originally posted by fudgester:Well, I was a combat medic. Truth be told, I didn't want a siong posting, and my heart sank when it was revealed that I was posted to 3 SIR after my combat medic course.
Even then, I really hoped that I would become a BCS (battalion level) medic, and my hopes went up when my MO told me that he wanted me to stay on as a BCS medic. Still, I got posted to one of the rifle companies - as a platoon medic.
I won't lie to you. The course itself will be easy. It was already pretty welfare during my time, and it's even more welfare now (guaranteed nights off every week... even during the first week!).
But being a platoon medic is going to be one of the toughest things ever. I didn't get any respect or whatsoever from the men - medics are supposed to be one of the most honourable vocations in the Army, but they are also one of the most derided. I got picked on by them a lot - it didn't help that I was more highly educated than them and they have a suspicion of all those who are more highly-educated. I swear to God, I didn't treat them any differently from my friends, but they still picked on me anyway.
People keep having the mentality that all medics are slackers, and there's not a thing you can do about it to correct that misperception. When I tell others that I'm a medic, they exclaim that I'm a slacker, even though I'm a chiong sua warrior and they get to do admin jobs.
But I kept my hopes up, and did my best, and eventually I became a company medic and got my three stripes. Things got much better after that, and the men who used to pick on me somehow no longer had the balls to do so any more. Bloody cowards.
Anyway, the bottom line is, don't be too surprised that there are people who will look down on you for your vocation. At the same time, though, remember that for every one of those people who looks down on you, there are many others who look to you with respect.
As a final note, be proud of who you are, and who you will be - the person who saves lives. The man who reduces suffering and hardship of others.
Good luck.
True enough. Medics are the touted to be the slackers of army. That is becoz most pple get their ideas from medical centre medics (BMTC?). But actually, after you go through one or two mission wif them, they will know how tough we are!!! Really!!! -
come back to this qns a medic only have 2 IV pack assuming platoon have 3 medics so we have 6 IV pack but in time of war most of the injuries need IV pack so who are u going to give since they are bout 30 pax in a platoon.....
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Look, some medics, probably the service medics, are indeed incredibly slack. It is hard not to feel distaste for people who, whilst you are running your arse out, ride around on bicycles humming in a oh so carefree manner. And then they tell you to run faster. AND, they are pretty helpless most of the time anyway.
That said, i think being a medic is great is terms of transferable skills. I do not know what civilian accredition SAF medics get (i suspect only CPR), but trust me, when you are in further studies and are looking for a part time job, your experience as a medic can only be a boon. -
Well, we medics get accredition for CPR. After the dunking case, we all had to be accredited to use the AED (automated external defibrillator). You know, that device where you get to place paddles on the guy's chest and yell 'CLEAR!'.... Only the AED is slightly different in the sense that it's automated instead of being manually activated.Originally posted by lwflee:That said, i think being a medic is great is terms of transferable skills. I do not know what civilian accredition SAF medics get (i suspect only CPR), but trust me, when you are in further studies and are looking for a part time job, your experience as a medic can only be a boon.
Well, what we learn is parallel to what the SCDF paramedics learn. The combat medic course is essentially two courses in one: a paramedic phase where you get to learn exactly the same things as SCDF Level I paramedics, and a combat phase where you learn lifesaving skills on the battlefield. At the end of the course you get two certs: one for Paramedic Level I, and another for Combat Medic.
If you do make it to the Spec II course, you'll be learning Paramedic Level II procedures, as well as more advanced Combat Medic training. Once again, you get another to certs to reflect this.
And yeah, I admit to using the certs to make my resume a little more impressive when I was applying for vacation jobs and scholarships. Nothing wrong with telling employers that I can do some first-aid, I hope.
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Erm.... No. Each platoon has only one medic. There are a total of only four medics in the entire infantry Coy.Originally posted by tarutaru:come back to this qns a medic only have 2 IV pack assuming platoon have 3 medics so we have 6 IV pack but in time of war most of the injuries need IV pack so who are u going to give since they are bout 30 pax in a platoon.....
So for the entire company, there are only 4 x 2 = 8 IV packs.
So infusion is only for the most serious cases where a lot of blood has been lost. I don't like it either that there are enough IV packs for only 8 casualties in a company of 100++ people. However, there has to be a balance between the number of packs a medic can carry and the number of lives he can save.
Mind you, every extra IV pack he carries is an additional 1kg of weight. It doesn't sound like a lot, but out in the field, every single ounce of weight counts.
My MO tried to mitigate this by assigning one box of dressings and one box of IV packs to the store tonner of every rifle company. Even then, it's not always that the store tonner can come down to the Company Casualty Collection Point.
I'm not trying to be cavalier about this.... but that's the way it has to be. -
Quite surprise so many Medic here
As a reservist Medic myself, I must say the standard and quality of training has improved since my active time.
The instructor I had in the past never serve their time in unit , no expereince , infusion skill also sucks big time.
I was thinking then they should have got those season old bird in the unit to go back to SMM as instructor
Yes and I agree what we learn are quite useful but limited application in our life. -
I agree that the standards are risen. The medics now are trained to use defibrillators!!! we old sch are not taught and will not be going through them. Now everytime go on reservist, need an active medic to cover!Originally posted by seancannot:Quite surprise so many Medic here
As a reservist Medic myself, I must say the standard and quality of training has improved since my active time.
The instructor I had in the past never serve their time in unit , no expereince , infusion skill also sucks big time.
I was thinking then they should have got those season old bird in the unit to go back to SMM as instructor
Yes and I agree what we learn are quite useful but limited application in our life.
I think they do send the old birds back to school... provided that the unit is willing to release you (you volunteer for oversea posting???) and the unit stand down like 9 months to 1 yr... very very rare!
IMHO, if you are medically unfit for certain vocation, you should fight for your rights. There will not be any tears shed for you if you aggrevate your known injury due to unauthorised training and you suffer for life! -
Well, the CMC instructors are mostly newbies who had just passed out from Spec II, though there are some old birds as well. Some of them are really good. I had 2SG Adrian and 2SG Jean as my commanders.... anyone remember them? Of all the commanders and instructors I've ever had, I respect 2SG Adrian the most.
Unfortunately, there are also those really-cannot-make-it-ones.... No comments there.
Most of the old birds teach the Spec II and the Paramedic Level III courses. Those who went for these two courses can surely still remember the legendary Staff Amin, Encik Khairuddin, and of course, the larger-than-life Encik Anuar. -
like what most ppl up there have said, v unlikely to tio platoon medic unless u quite suay... nobody is gg to care how painful ur back is, only u noe it... unless u downgrade, ur back problem is not an issue...so get prepared for combat stuff....heard tt the course is not v xiong, it's the posting tt u haf to pray hard...u r now a medic, so forget abt gg to command sch thing, u haf to accept wat u get...this is not ur father's army, so u dun get to choose ur vocation or change it... i wanted to b a medic but the ppl doin the posting dun heck care abt wat u want... u have chance to be a spec, u just haf to be super zai at it... good luck for ur nsf life
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Now where got siong most of time paramedicOriginally posted by khk:like what most ppl up there have said, v unlikely to tio platoon medic unless u quite suay... nobody is gg to care how painful ur back is, only u noe it... unless u downgrade, ur back problem is not an issue...so get prepared for combat stuff....heard tt the course is not v xiong, it's the posting tt u haf to pray hard...u r now a medic, so forget abt gg to command sch thing, u haf to accept wat u get...this is not ur father's army, so u dun get to choose ur vocation or change it... i wanted to b a medic but the ppl doin the posting dun heck care abt wat u want... u have chance to be a spec, u just haf to be super zai at it... good luck for ur nsf life -
During CMC there is a stretcher /Casevac training exercise, its a back breaking day. For suay pple those like me 50 Kg casevac 80 kg buddy . In fact till today I think its was the most siong day in my army life.
the training is tough even my coursemate from CDO /NDU also agreed.