Expert Field Medic Badge

[starlight_745]

I‘ve been looking at some sites on the net and I was wondering if anyone knows of any Canadian medics who have earned the US Army EFMB.
Basically it‘s a 5 day series of tests including stretcher evac obstacles, EMT skills, 12 miles speed march, comms, survival skills, NBCD etc. As well you have to score at least 180 on the APFT and qualify to marksman on the M16.
If it‘s not possible to get on the American course then how the hell do we get a qualification like this created in Canada. Something like this would be excellent for not only improving medical skills but also pushing soldiers to excel in basic soldiering skills and physical fitness.

 

[RatCatcher]

The old Group Chief earned the badge, probably while in Germany....

 

[mikeninercharlie]

There are many of us who have a strong desire to see a Canadian equivalent to the US Army "Expert Field Medical Badge" created...   Raising the level of expertise / field skills / fitness levels amongst medical soldiers are major factors in the push to create the qual. The benefits include the fielding of a much improved medical soldier who is better equipped to met the rigours of an operational deployment 'cause its been said time and time again that "being a light fighter medic ain't easy"

The medical competition recently held during Op CELEBRATION (the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Army Medical Service) was initially to be called the Combat Medic Challenge however, when the event was rolled out it was named the "Expert Field Medical Competion", coincidence or the thin edge of the wedge?

Perhaps the issue should be raised during OPMED in Edmonton later this month.

BTW, the badge was earned in Ft Lewis.

 

[Armymedic]

Suggestion of such badge would probably be crushed as it reeks of elitism within the medical services, as it is a standard only a few younger, fitter, and more driven soldiers could attain. And being only for medics...I am sure there is a NO somewhere who wouldn't like that...

Sorry,  bitterness from the Osons thread spilling over, Sir.

But by God, would it be awesome to earn such recognition as an outstanding member of my trade.

I am going to OPMED, and be more then willing to help get this idea some airtime...

 

[RatCatcher]

I've been hearing chatter about this type of "badge", "course", "competition" for a long time... since my reserve days.... can't see it happening in my lifetime

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Don't the occupation (trades) badges already suggest proficiency within the trade?  Wouldn't an "expert" badge be a duplication?  And aren't peacetime "achievement" badges kind of silly anyway?  We never did wear those silly Warrior badges in our corner of LFWA; looked too much like the Participaction awards we got in elementary school.

A Canadian version of the Combat Infantry Badge (or equivalent for the engineers, medics, armoured and artillery) I can see as being useful; it will identify someone who as seen the elephant.

"Expert" badges for peacetime training sounds a lot like the boyscouts.  If your unit (or you) are any good, the trades badge and cap badge should announce to all and sundry your level of proficiency in your trade.  If the medical branch as a whole maintains a good rep, then the cap badge will double as an expert badge to those in the know.

 

[Armymedic]

With regards to every other trade, I would agree with you MD,

But in regards to the Medical Trade, particularly the Med Techs, in an area where experience is everything, we have no way of differentiating between those who BTDT or those who spent 10-15 yrs on an Airforce base or in the big hosp, earning their pay but never really doing anything hard (in the army sense of the word).

Also at the Jr NCO level, once you have your Ql 5, there currently is no further formal medical training until you reach you 6's/PA course. Something like this would be a outstanding goal for the Cpls and MCpl's to master basic skills and develop good allround army skills at a time in our careers when there is a limited desire to continue learning.

 

[RatCatcher]

The thing with the EFMB is that it evaluates not only the medical skills but also the military skills.  It is the US Army way of giving the medics a "ranger" type course.  If the CA Army ran this type of course the standards should be kept to an extremely high standard such as the US Course... I think the failure rate would be quite high...it is not a freebee badge.

 

[Armymedic]

The thing with the EFMB is that it evaluates not only the medical skills but also the military skills. It is the US Army way of giving the medics a "ranger" type course. If the CA Army ran this type of course the standards should be kept to an extremely high standard such as the US Course... I think the failure rate would be quite high...it is not a freebee badge.

Hence the reason th CF will not adopt it...costs to much in effort and $ to improve the morale of a few elite medics.

 

[sdimock]

It would also make the medic trade a more attractive MOC.

 

[RatCatcher]

if people are joining the Medic trade because of something like the EFMB then I don't think I would want them treating me... the people the CFHSvcsGp needs are people who want to help their fellow soldier first and foremost, awards should come secondary.  At the same time I do beleive that the CF lacks a system of awards (appart from the Medal System) to recognize hard working people.

Please note that I like the concept of the EFMB even though I would not be able to take part even though I wear a Medical Cap Badge, the simple fact is in my trade the recognition comes from the medics not having to work... ie no gastro due to clean kitchens...

 

[George Wallace]

Just skimming over this quickly....do you guys want to join the Boy Scouts or something?

You have your various levels of trade badges already, but no one wears DEUs much anymore do they?  If you are very proficient in your trade, you usually will get promoted faster, don't you?  Trade Badges.  Rank Badges.  How many badges do you want? 

Badges....we don't need no stinking Badges!  ;D

GW

 

[Armymedic]

Its not the actual badge, George, that we desire. Its the ability to test ourselves and our skills without having someone actually bleeding on me.

There are no professional competitons for Medical, up until this yrs EFMC....

 

[starlight_745]

Here here armymedic!  For me it would be the process that would be valuable not the badge.  It would give soldiers motivation at the unit level (i.e. every unit could send say 20 people per year and get the chance to earn it).

 

[sdimock]

First off I'm not an Army Medic, I'm a Reservist sapper who is the training officer at a Volunteer Fire Dept., we do respond for extractions and recoveries, but are not officially a first responder department and I considered Medic when I joined.

I very much doubt anyone would join the medics strictly because of the EFMB but If a person was looking at Medic and the EFMB was presented as the bar everyone strives for you can more clearly see the physical challenge and objective.

If you compare that to seeing medics standing by (prepared but hopefully not having to do anything) it doesn't look like as much of a challenge (or as much fun) as your typical infantry or sapper job.

So if a person is looking to the physical testing/pushing yourself as a factor in what trade they decide, Medics aren't at the top of the list.

We all know that old saying "experience is the best teacher" and if the EFMB puts people on the spot to perform, even if it is simulated, so much the better.

Chimo

 

[Armymedic]

I very much doubt anyone would join the medics strictly because of the EFMB but If a person was looking at Medic and the EFMB was presented as the bar everyone strives for you can more clearly see the physical challenge and objective.
If you compare that to seeing medics standing by (prepared but hopefully not having to do anything) it doesn't look like as much of a challenge (or as much fun) as your typical infantry or sapper job.
So if a person is looking to the physical testing/pushing yourself as a factor in what trade they decide, Medics aren't at the top of the list.
We all know that old saying "experience is the best teacher" and if the EFMB puts people on the spot to perform, even if it is simulated, so much the better.

Exactly my feelings...

We are truely the only trade in the CF which everyones makes a concerted effort to ensure we don't have anything to do....

Hence the need to have it simulated and tested

 

[sdimock]

I have to give credit where credit is due, yesterday evening at our garrison night we did a 2.4k run and I was beat out in the last 50 m by a medic.

 

[medicineman]

A little thing about the EFMB - in the US Army it's open not only to the 91W medics, but also to ALL officer classifications and sub-sets of the 91W MOS (read MOC in Canadian).  As someone mentioned, it's like a Ranger tab to the Medical Corps/Nursing Corps/Medical Specialist and Service Corps personnel to strive for.  When I was in Kingston, 2 guys were sent (on rather short notice) to do this training in Ft Drum.  One failed in the first week and the second failed in the test week.  About 12 out of around 900 people who started were awarded the badge.  It is indeed hard to get, but for alot of people, so are jump wings and rightly so.  I'd have no grief at all about seeing a similar badge come about.  It gives something to strive for and it is something that you have to EARN - that doesn't strike me as elitist, that's just good quality control and and lets the people we're supporting know that the people wearing the badge have their (BEEEP) wired tight.  Funny I saw this, since I was thinking about trying to arrange getting some people down to a test site in New England if there are any this year.

Cheers for now.

MM

 

[Blackadder1916]

Resurrecting the dead (thread) and it's not Easter.

I recently came across this site and thought it might be of interest to any lucky enough to do the EFMB test.  If not then there may be some reference material that may be useful for general study.

http://www.medtrng.net/webtemplate/index.htm