All right as promised, my Q course recap/lessons learned. Mods, If anything in this post is considered G2 tell me and I will adjust.
Post-selection: After selection, you will get placed in a hold unit for guys in the Q. Day-to-day is not too bad, CQ shifts, daily accountability formations, details, and sometimes the cadre will have mandatory morning PT. I call it Q course limbo, you don't want to be here for long. Your time here will depend on when you get a slot to class up to your next phase of training. The cadre in this "phase" manage every student in the Q course, for the most part, they do a good job but they do make mistakes so if you feel like you are getting left behind or not classing up when you should make sure you talk to them. Having a 300 APFT will show them you are motivated to train. You WILL have PT gates to class up so make sure you are staying fit, it blows my mind but you will see guys fail PT tests by a large margin here in limbo. A mentor of mine told me that you should be able to PASS an apft at any time in your SF career, take this advice to heart. Pretty much every phase will degrade your body so use this time to get fit as possible.
BLC: Everyone who has not gone to ARMY BLC will go to 3 weeks of BLC at camp Mackall. It is the most "relaxed" phase of training. The cadre here will generally treat you how you act. If you act like adults they will treat you as such if you act like children they will treat you like children. Lots of PowerPoint, written papers and physical assessments. Just do what you are told, the right place/time/uniform, and you will be fine. Here you will meet the guys who you will go through the Q course with. When I went we got to use the gym, this is a privilege so keep it clean and put your weights away so you don't screw the next class. Use this time to get yoked.
SOCM/SFMS:
EMT: The first phase of SOCM and for me, it was a gut punch. The information comes at you fast and furious so don't fall behind or you will go through the rest of SOCM playing catchup. The info is a lot but relative to the next few phases it's very manageable. Use this time to develop your routine and build good study habits. I did not graduate college and worked as a bartender for many years prior to the military so I had to learn how to learn. If I could re-do EMT I would develop a solid study group during this phase, but I am kind of shy and I my ego was still a little too big. Your class is going to have other SOF medics who have probably had medical experience/MOS training as a 68w or Corpsman so make friends with them early. Day to day I was still able to have long workout sessions and full nights of sleep. Make sure you go into hands-on tests with enough passing reps to feel confident, that means come in on your off time to get reps. The instructors will never hide the grading criteria from you so you have every opportunity to run passing clinics prior to test day. DO WHAT THEY TELL YOU, STUDY and you will do fine.
Clinical Fundamentals:
This is where the firehose opens. There is a ton of information that will get forced into your brain. The instructors are great and fairly approachable. Study every day and pre-read the material prior to the class. This, for me, was the worst part of SOCM. The study habits that got me through EMT did not work for Clin Funds and I found out pretty quickly. During this phase, I cut out sleep, a healthy diet, and a consistent workout routine. During this phase, I tried to tell myself that I could do it all by myself and still have time to live my life outside of SOCM. Some guys in class will be able to absorb information like a sponge, party on weekends, and still pass every test. I hate those guys (not really). I ended up failing the last test of this phase and had to retest. It was a wake-up call, and the first thing I did after passing the re-test was I reached out to my buddies who were doing well and ask to study with them.
Clinical Medicine:
This is often considered one of the best phases of SOCM. The instructors in this block are world-class and have so much experience and information I really felt honored to be their student. The course info here feels more relevant to the 18D job than the dull fundamentals of the prior phase. You will get a lot more out of it if you did well in Clin funds, if not (like me) you will have to spend more time going back to relearn stuff. Medicine builds off of the basics so make sure you start strong. I started this phase with a great study group. It helped me learn better study habits that the other guys used, also I didn't want to be the dumbest guy in the group so I studied to excel, not just to pass the test. My entire study group's GPAs all went up. I was able to get a decent workout routine and sleep. Once I figured out how to study and a routine that worked for me my stress levels went to a more manageable place and my grades went up. Learn from my mistakes, Don't wait until this phase to ask for help and develop a routine. Another quote from a mentor. "Whatever keeps your blade sharp" what works for me might not work for the next guy, so find out what works for you.
Trauma 1:
This is kind of a breath of fresh air from the academic heavy blocks because it's mostly hands-on. DON'T EASE ON THE GAS. ACLS is the first hurdle of this phase, don't just pass, really understand it and learn it. ALCS will come back to haunt you when you have to go on rotation as a paramedic. Again, the reoccurring theme here is to do what the instructors tell you and get the REPS in for the hands-on stuff. As a tactile learner, the hands-on stuff was easier for me. Get your study group and practice practice practice. This block is where you will see guys getting burned out so keep your classmates motivated.
Trauma 2:
The Hump, the "Filter", the bloodbath... I'm just kidding. Trauma 2 is a test of stress management. If you made it this far you have shown that you can study and are competent. This phase is where you are tested for your ability to actually operate as a combat medic under stress. During this phase, my wife went on vacation with her family for 2 weeks. I was by myself so I was the first one in the classroom every day and the last one to leave almost every day. My routine turned into schoolhouse from wakeup(0530) to 1900, come home and do 100 pushups/sit-ups/squats and a 15-20 minute run (about 40 minutes), shower, eat and cook/prep for the next day then bed around 2200 rinse and repeat until the end of T2. Put in the work and practice with the right people and anyone can pass. GET THE REPS YOU NEED. Other guys in the class told me that I was going to burn out. A lot of guys did a lot less than me and still passed, so find out what works for you. This is the routine that worked for me. This is a stressful block but It is the first one I really felt like a combat medic so try to have fun.
In the days to follow I will continue my lessons learned/recap on my Q course experience.