# How to get your paramedic license in the navy?



## ogscottbone (Mar 28, 2017)

I just DEP'd in for the navy as a HM... on the Navy COOL website it says its possible to get you National Registerd Paramedic license, is this true. (Im in EMT school right now i'll have my certificate in May)


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## Muppet (Mar 28, 2017)

Not sure about Navy. I was at Ft. Bragg in the mid and late 90's, assigned to an Airborne Infantry batt., worked as a line medic, senior line and evac medic. Out of AIT (Army medic school), I cert'd EMT-B. In 96, at Bragg, I was sent to paramedic school at Fayetteville Tech., me and a few other medics from other units. One thing you need to look out for is if/when you choose to get out of service. I ETS'd in 99 and P.A. would not accept recip from N.C., apparently, I was missing some modules and P.A. required more hours than I had in N.C. Thats where I met @policemedic who can maybe elaborate more. I would say, it really depends on your unit and optempo. I really don't think there is a way to tell you if they will offer it. I was lucky to be offered a spot. This does not help but it's experience. 

One thing I will say is that, when you go to HM school as an EMT-B, do not act like a know it all. Not ure of Navy HM offers EMT-B, if it's at Ft. Sam, maybe they will. They will teach differently and I can remember people in 94, entering with EMT certs flunking the EMT portion of the test for being cocky.

M.


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## Devildoc (Mar 28, 2017)

When you get out of HM school, your NEC is quad 0 (0000).  You may get EMT at HM school.  Since you will already have it, they may fast-track that portion.  They have done that before.  You likely will not get paramedic in most any C school; you won't if you go to FMTB (8404), but if you go SARC you may be able to sit for a tactical medic exam.  I do know that once you get to SARC and IDC, they have allowed to sit for NREMTP in the past, but that seems to change every few years.

I will say it may be possible, but is not likely.  The NECs and billets requiring EMTP-level care are few and far between.


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## DA SWO (Mar 28, 2017)

You should be able to get NREMT (unless the Navy is significantly different) as part of tech school.
@Devildoc there was a big push when the consolidated everything at Ft Sam to get everyone NREMT as part of the training pipeline, Army and AF are doing it, I thought the Navy bought in as well.


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## Devildoc (Mar 28, 2017)

DA SWO said:


> You should be able to get NREMT (unless the Navy is significantly different) as part of tech school.
> @Devildoc there was a big push when the consolidated everything at Ft Sam to get everyone NREMT as part of the training pipeline, Army and AF are doing it, I thought the Navy bought in as well.



I think it stopped at NREMT (basic).  I fully admit that it may have changed once or four times since I got out, but the medic-level cert had always been a bit of a conundrum since no NEC directly aligned with the certification.


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## policemedic (Mar 28, 2017)

When the Army shifted the combat medic MOS over to CMF 68, there was a change in the training curriculum and all Whiskeys had to become Nationally Registered EMTs at Ft. Sam.   That wasn't the case before, and it led to well-trained Soldier Medics being unable to get civilian carts and jobs when they ETSd.  However, they're not making them paramedics during AIT.  There's a bigger push for Whiskeys to become Nationally Registered Paramedics now then there was in the past but it doesn't happen for everyone.

As to the Navy, I dunno.  I do know that walking in with a civilian NREMT card is a far cry from being competent in tactical medicine.


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## Devildoc (Mar 28, 2017)

policemedic said:


> When the Army shifted the combat medic MOS over to CMF 68, there was a change in the training curriculum and all Whiskeys had to become Nationally Registered EMTs at Ft. Sam.   That wasn't the case before, and it led to well-trained Soldier Medics being unable to get civilian carts and jobs when they ETSd.  However, they're not making them paramedics during AIT.  There's a bigger push for Whiskeys to become Nationally Registered Paramedics now then there was in the past but it doesn't happen for everyone.
> 
> As to the Navy, I dunno. * I do know that walking in with a civilian NREMT card is a far cry from being competent in tactical medicine*.



Definitely.  When I was a paramedic, and at that point a corpsman in the reserve, I precepted former-mil-medics-turned-civvy-medics who had the trauma locked down but a deer in headlights with peds and medical.  Different worlds and all.

The military/civilian certification issue has been an issue for a very long time.


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## TLDR20 (Mar 28, 2017)

Devildoc said:


> When you get out of HM school, your NEC is quad 0 (0000).  You may get EMT at HM school.  Since you will already have it, they may fast-track that portion.  They have done that before.  You likely will not get paramedic in most any C school; you won't if you go to FMTB (8404), but if you go SARC you may be able to sit for a tactical medic exam.  I do know that once you get to SARC and IDC, they have allowed to sit for NREMTP in the past, but that seems to change every few years.
> 
> I will say it may be possible, but is not likely.  The NECs and billets requiring EMTP-level care are few and far between.



There is currently only a bridge program for SARCs and 18D's to EMT-P. It is lengthy and involves challenging state tests and various other stupidity.


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## TLDR20 (Mar 28, 2017)

I think the only guys that have dedicated EMT-P training are the new flight medics and Pararescuemen.


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## Devildoc (Mar 28, 2017)

TLDR20 said:


> I think the only guys that have dedicated EMT-P training are the new flight medics and Pararescuemen.



Around the time I got my commission the Navy started their Enroute Care program.  There had been some corpsmen go through a paramedic course with altitude physiology training, but I don't know if it survived in that model.  When it started I think it started in conjunction with the Army's flight medic program.  HMs who were on SAR aircrew however were EMT basic.

If I had a buck for every time I banged my head on the wall because of military-to-civvy certification cross-pollination issues I would be blind.  To quote @TLDR20 is falls under "various other stupidity."


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## policemedic (Mar 28, 2017)

TLDR20 said:


> I think the only guys that have dedicated EMT-P training are the new flight medics and Pararescuemen.



The problem I used to see with that was you'd end up with guys coming out of the schoolhouse who could do a surgical cric or needle thoracentesis in their sleep, but could not intelligently discuss the meds they were allowed to carry.  They also couldn't properly identify Soldiers who had contraindications to influenza vaccines, etc.  The program needs to change, though I'm not sure paramedic training is the right choice for entry level. Perhaps Nationally Registered Advanced EMT might be the way to go, or failing that, we simply need to educate basic Whiskeys on the tasks we expect them to perform.


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## Devildoc (Mar 29, 2017)

policemedic said:


> The problem I used to see with that was you'd end up with guys coming out of the schoolhouse who could do a surgical cric or needle thoracentesis in their sleep, but could not intelligently discuss the meds they were allowed to carry.  They also couldn't properly identify Soldiers who had contraindications to influenza vaccines, etc.  The program needs to change, though I'm not sure paramedic training is the right choice for entry level. Perhaps Nationally Registered Advanced EMT might be the way to go, or failing that, we simply need to educate basic Whiskeys on the tasks we expect them to perform.



A couple thoughts.  I am ignorant on they ways the Army educates its medical folks.  I am also post-merge of the basic medical training schoolhouse, where all services go to Texas for their entry medical training.  "Back in the day"...when a corpsman graduated basic corps school, they were generalists, with a foundational exposure to basic nursing, basic lab, basic pharm, first aid, A&P, etc.  Then they could go to a C school to get advanced training, field med for service with the Marines, SAR corpsman, lab tech, RT (both rad tech and resp tech), etc.  The theory was that ALL corpsman would be able to step into a sick bay, do a H&P, explain why they could not take whatever vac, etc.  It is my sense that is not the way it is today.

In the Navy there is no parallel NEC for paramedic.  There just isn't.  Not field med (who could reasonably sit for a tacmed exam, or any other tacmed or trauma-specific cert), not SAR corpsman, not DMT.  Maybe SARC, but even then the vast majority of their patient population are healthy males.  Perhaps if HMs were still providing EMS on bases, but now I can't think of a base that is not subbed out to GS paramedics (making fat $ BTW).  I agree that it is not a great entry-level choice, it just would not be worth the expenditure given that most corpsmen just do not operate at the full scope of practice of paramedic.

I can see it for pararescue who has a chartered role for rescue and emergency care of civilian people in not-combat environments.

I recall a similar conversation in 1993, so it is refreshing to see the military medical fields have evolved so much (said sarcastically).


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## TLDR20 (Mar 29, 2017)

Devildoc said:


> A couple thoughts.  I am ignorant on they ways the Army educates its medical folks.  I am also post-merge of the basic medical training schoolhouse, where all services go to Texas for their entry medical training.  "Back in the day"...when a corpsman graduated basic corps school, they were generalists, with a foundational exposure to basic nursing, basic lab, basic pharm, first aid, A&P, etc.  Then they could go to a C school to get advanced training, field med for service with the Marines, SAR corpsman, lab tech, RT (both rad tech and resp tech), etc.  The theory was that ALL corpsman would be able to step into a sick bay, do a H&P, explain why they could not take whatever vac, etc.  It is my sense that is not the way it is today.
> 
> In the Navy there is no parallel NEC for paramedic.  There just isn't.  Not field med (who could reasonably sit for a tacmed exam, or any other tacmed or trauma-specific cert), not SAR corpsman, not DMT.  Maybe SARC, but even then the vast majority of their patient population are healthy males.  Perhaps if HMs were still providing EMS on bases, but now I can't think of a base that is not subbed out to GS paramedics (making fat $ BTW).  I agree that it is not a great entry-level choice, it just would not be worth the expenditure given that most corpsmen just do not operate at the full scope of practice of paramedic.
> 
> ...



I agree so hard. I do not think the civilian certs are necessary in initial training. What I would LOVE to see is bridge courses added while SM's are transitioning. Getting out in a year? Part of your Daily work becomes getting certified. That should go for mechanics, truck drivers, pilots, medics, HR, the works.


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## DocCallahan (Apr 1, 2017)

I can say this much, if you go to Corps school before the curriculum changes you can typically skip EMT and pretty much cut down your time in the school in half. EMTB is the first portion of the school, it seems they don't let you take the exam for it anymore but if you are already NREMT you should be able to skip ahead. 

As far as getting your paramedic it's gonna depend on you and your duty station.


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## benroliver (May 28, 2017)

ForCountry said:


> I can say this much, if you go to Corps school before the curriculum changes you can typically skip EMT and pretty much cut down your time in the school in half. EMTB is the first portion of the school, it seems they don't let you take the exam for it anymore but if you are already NREMT you should be able to skip ahead.
> 
> As far as getting your paramedic it's gonna depend on you and your duty station.



Yup right now in my company if you are NRMET certified already they promote you directly to E4 and move you on to another company that is starting Whiskey phase.  Saves you like 7 weeks of class time.


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