What do HM's actually do while in the fleet?

notjustaUSNwife · 11-06-2013, 09:12 AM

My husband has been an FMF HM for seven years and I have a lot of friends through him that are in several different specialties. To compare an HM to a CNA is really oversimplifying things. What you do will depend on the doctor you work under, the specialty you choose and the experience you have as well as your rank and what command you are at. Sweetmtn, it really sound like you are trying to make FMF Corpsman doom and gloom. I am sorry for your loss but it is a very rewarding job for people who are a good fit with Marines. Never call an FMF Corpsman a Navy Medic. If I called my husband that he would lose his mind. Anyway, there are HM's who are Radiology Techs, Dental Techs, Lab Techs, Nuke Med Techs, Surgical Techs, Search and Rescue Corpsman (they can test for the civilian flight medic exam), etc. Since the draw downs some specialties are harder to get than others. 2 months ago Spec War Fields (SAR, Dive Med Tech, etc.) were hot fills. FMF, according to my husband's new guys is hard to get. It's even harder to get stationed with the Marines after FMTB because they're disbanding some units.

Even Corpsmen with no specialty do more than a CNA depending on the department they work in at a hospital. Corpsmen in the ER at the Naval Hospital here do triage, give non-IV meds, do dressing changes, suture, clean wounds. The doctors here have even let some of them completely manage patients on their own if they have the appropriate skills. My husband was first with a Marine unit's scout sniper team. He was their Doc during 3 combat deployments. He's now at the hospital. He and the others that came from the same unit all head departments like the ER, Personnel, Human Resources, Education and Training, etc. most of them work a few shifts in the ER on busier days. He deployed from
The hospital to a hospital in Afghanistan along with one of the respiratory tech Corpsmen. She managed ventilators in the ICU and he managed airway (intubations, placing patients on ventilators, etc.) with his trauma team. If they got too many casualties he managed his own patients.

It's really up to you what kind of corpsman you want to be. The ones that end up in leadership positions either have the natural ability for it or work really hard to develop those skills. My husband worked really hard to get where he is. Sometimes I came second to his job but I respect that it was necessary. Now it's my turn. My husband and his friends from division spend a lot of time studying medicine and extra time in the hospital to keep their skills up now that they've gained so much rank that they push paperwork. Granted, that's not the sole way to not be treated like a CNA but, like I said, that's a gross oversimplification. Corpsman is way more complicated than that.

This is just what I have learned by talking to a lot of active duty Corpsmen. Hope this helps.

matzo · 11-06-2013, 10:40 AM

notjustaUSNwife, Thanks for the information. It is nice to get insight on actually what goes on in the HM world rather than just reading brochures. Seems like the job is very rewarding and respectful. appreciate the feedback

HMYert · 11-06-2013, 01:24 PM

Does anybody know where all the different HM C-Schools are located? Or are all of them located at Fort Sam Houston. Specifically I am interested in Radiology Tech, Surgical Tech, and Respiratory Therapy Tech.

Kyledmorgan · 11-06-2013, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HMYert

Does anybody know where all the different HM C-Schools are located? Or are all of them located at Fort Sam Houston. Specifically I am interested in Radiology Tech, Surgical Tech, and Respiratory Therapy Tech.

Check this site out, very informative:

C SCHOOL INFORMATION:
http://navyformoms.com/group/hmhospi...hool-locations

A SCHOOL INFORMATION:
http://navyformoms.com/group/hmhospi...olinsanantonio

sweetmtn · 11-06-2013, 04:21 PM

I would recommend all FUTURE HM's to read this book:

http://www.nationaltraumainstitute.o...-mcgennis.html
Here is a sample of my nephew's book:
Derek McGinnis, a hospital corpsman in the U.S. Navy, was dispatched to pick up wounded marines during the 2004 Fallujah Offensive in Iraq. As his Humvee ambulance paused on the street, it was broadsided by a suicide driver, whose vehicle exploded on impact and ripped the ambulance to shreds.

If this had happened in a previous war, Derek would be dead. His left leg was nearly blown off, the entire right side of his face and much of his body was mutilated beyond recognition with flying shell fragments, his right eye was severely damaged, and his brain jarred dangerously in the blast.

Through the highly evolved U.S. military trauma system, Derek’s nearly lifeless body made it to a field hospital piled in the back of a vehicle with several other wounded men. He had lost a lot of blood, and the trauma surgeon had to amputate his leg in order to save
his life.

HMYert · 11-06-2013, 08:32 PM

thanks for all the information. Opened my eyes to some other NEC's that I might be interested. I was interviewed for a Secret clearance I believe, not TS cause they didn't talk to everyone I ever new. Are there any of the NEC's that require a TS, besides maybe the sub NEC's?

delucabv23 · 11-07-2013, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetmtn

I would recommend all FUTURE HM's to read this book:

http://www.nationaltraumainstitute.o...-mcgennis.html
Here is a sample of my nephew's book:
Derek McGinnis, a hospital corpsman in the U.S. Navy, was dispatched to pick up wounded marines during the 2004 Fallujah Offensive in Iraq. As his Humvee ambulance paused on the street, it was broadsided by a suicide driver, whose vehicle exploded on impact and ripped the ambulance to shreds.

If this had happened in a previous war, Derek would be dead. His left leg was nearly blown off, the entire right side of his face and much of his body was mutilated beyond recognition with flying shell fragments, his right eye was severely damaged, and his brain jarred dangerously in the blast.

Through the highly evolved U.S. military trauma system, Derek’s nearly lifeless body made it to a field hospital piled in the back of a vehicle with several other wounded men. He had lost a lot of blood, and the trauma surgeon had to amputate his leg in order to save
his life.

Thanks for the info...much appreciated

sweetmtn · 11-09-2013, 02:15 PM

Just so you all know...Derek is my nephew...

11-06-2013, 09:12 AM	#1
notjustaUSNwife Member Join Date: May 2013 Posts: 83 Rep Power: 0	My husband has been an FMF HM for seven years and I have a lot of friends through him that are in several different specialties. To compare an HM to a CNA is really oversimplifying things. What you do will depend on the doctor you work under, the specialty you choose and the experience you have as well as your rank and what command you are at. Sweetmtn, it really sound like you are trying to make FMF Corpsman doom and gloom. I am sorry for your loss but it is a very rewarding job for people who are a good fit with Marines. Never call an FMF Corpsman a Navy Medic. If I called my husband that he would lose his mind. Anyway, there are HM's who are Radiology Techs, Dental Techs, Lab Techs, Nuke Med Techs, Surgical Techs, Search and Rescue Corpsman (they can test for the civilian flight medic exam), etc. Since the draw downs some specialties are harder to get than others. 2 months ago Spec War Fields (SAR, Dive Med Tech, etc.) were hot fills. FMF, according to my husband's new guys is hard to get. It's even harder to get stationed with the Marines after FMTB because they're disbanding some units. Even Corpsmen with no specialty do more than a CNA depending on the department they work in at a hospital. Corpsmen in the ER at the Naval Hospital here do triage, give non-IV meds, do dressing changes, suture, clean wounds. The doctors here have even let some of them completely manage patients on their own if they have the appropriate skills. My husband was first with a Marine unit's scout sniper team. He was their Doc during 3 combat deployments. He's now at the hospital. He and the others that came from the same unit all head departments like the ER, Personnel, Human Resources, Education and Training, etc. most of them work a few shifts in the ER on busier days. He deployed from The hospital to a hospital in Afghanistan along with one of the respiratory tech Corpsmen. She managed ventilators in the ICU and he managed airway (intubations, placing patients on ventilators, etc.) with his trauma team. If they got too many casualties he managed his own patients. It's really up to you what kind of corpsman you want to be. The ones that end up in leadership positions either have the natural ability for it or work really hard to develop those skills. My husband worked really hard to get where he is. Sometimes I came second to his job but I respect that it was necessary. Now it's my turn. My husband and his friends from division spend a lot of time studying medicine and extra time in the hospital to keep their skills up now that they've gained so much rank that they push paperwork. Granted, that's not the sole way to not be treated like a CNA but, like I said, that's a gross oversimplification. Corpsman is way more complicated than that. This is just what I have learned by talking to a lot of active duty Corpsmen. Hope this helps.

11-06-2013, 10:40 AM	#2
matzo Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Florida Posts: 56 Rep Power: 0	notjustaUSNwife, Thanks for the information. It is nice to get insight on actually what goes on in the HM world rather than just reading brochures. Seems like the job is very rewarding and respectful. appreciate the feedback

11-06-2013, 01:24 PM	#3
HMYert Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Aurora, CO Posts: 71 Rep Power: 0	Does anybody know where all the different HM C-Schools are located? Or are all of them located at Fort Sam Houston. Specifically I am interested in Radiology Tech, Surgical Tech, and Respiratory Therapy Tech.

11-06-2013, 04:21 PM	#5
sweetmtn Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: N. CA Posts: 3,792 Rep Power: 0	I would recommend all FUTURE HM's to read this book: http://www.nationaltraumainstitute.o...-mcgennis.html Here is a sample of my nephew's book: Derek McGinnis, a hospital corpsman in the U.S. Navy, was dispatched to pick up wounded marines during the 2004 Fallujah Offensive in Iraq. As his Humvee ambulance paused on the street, it was broadsided by a suicide driver, whose vehicle exploded on impact and ripped the ambulance to shreds. If this had happened in a previous war, Derek would be dead. His left leg was nearly blown off, the entire right side of his face and much of his body was mutilated beyond recognition with flying shell fragments, his right eye was severely damaged, and his brain jarred dangerously in the blast. Through the highly evolved U.S. military trauma system, Derek’s nearly lifeless body made it to a field hospital piled in the back of a vehicle with several other wounded men. He had lost a lot of blood, and the trauma surgeon had to amputate his leg in order to save his life.

11-06-2013, 08:32 PM	#6
HMYert Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Aurora, CO Posts: 71 Rep Power: 0	thanks for all the information. Opened my eyes to some other NEC's that I might be interested. I was interviewed for a Secret clearance I believe, not TS cause they didn't talk to everyone I ever new. Are there any of the NEC's that require a TS, besides maybe the sub NEC's?

11-09-2013, 02:15 PM	#8
sweetmtn Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: N. CA Posts: 3,792 Rep Power: 0	Just so you all know...Derek is my nephew...