SOCM Prep

[HemingwaysPen]

Morning, gents.

I'm preparing for BLC and SOCM. It looks like I'll be going to BLC at the end of March and SOCM in June. I'm studying the SUT handbook for BLC. My wife's an RN so she gave me her Anatomy/Physiology textbooks and ACLS, BLS, ALS books. She's teaching me EKG/ECG charts. She's also running me through IVs. What else do I need to be doing/studying/reading to prepare? Rumor among student company is that a large number of guys going through SOCM recycle Trauma II. Any insight? Thank you.

 

[DZ]

Lucky for you I'm sitting next to my 18D buddy and asked him what his number one piece of advice is for a brand new cherry going to SOCM ..

He said be prepared to sacrifice all your time. Have a dedicated area in your house to study undisturbed. When your buddies go to Wilmington over the weekend to fuck around, you need to be studying. If you want to be SF, and especially a Delta, this course needs to be your 100% focus until you finish.

The instructors will give you everything you need to be successful, it's on you to study and practice.

Your focus should be 1. Studying 2. Doing PT and 3. Your family. Everything else can wait till the course is over.

Don't be one of the medics who gets out of shape during SOCM, it sadly happens a lot. Make time for PT, and don't neglect your family.

Good luck.

 

[HemingwaysPen]

Roger. Thank you very much.

 

[Deleted member 7960]

Honestly, I’d just focus on EMT and A&P for the SOCM stuff. Lots of dudes fail EMT, and A&P is probably the most academically intensive part of the course and should be your focus before you even start moving on to more advanced stuff.

Learning to read EKGs and do IVs is great and all, but they’ll teach you the way they want you to do it in the school house in due time if you make it past EMT, A&P, Pathopharm, and Clin Med... which is far from guaranteed. For example, they have a very specific set of steps that have to be done in a specific order as a hands-on test for IV in Trauma I. Dudes that come in with prior IV experience have to unlearn their old habits such as popping the restricting band after advancing the catheter vs. the school house’s technique of popping the band after securing the tubing to the catheter as part of a three step patency check. We had a few prior medics have trouble with little differences like that, and honestly you’ll get so many reps in the school house that you’re not really doing yourself a favor focusing on it before you even class up for EMT in June.

As DZ said, PT is important. It’s real easy to get out of shape in SOCM, especially during A&P and Trauma II, and not so easy to get it back. Your focus should be on the course, and DZ is right in that there are times where you’ll have no life... but try to take that at least 30 minutes a day to go for a run or something so you don’t screw yourself moving forward. It would be a shame to crush SOCM just to fail your Gates in MOS or wherever they’re doing them now.

 

[HemingwaysPen]

Thank you very much for the advice. I’ll be sure to follow it. Looks like I start SOCM end of June. Been doing fun details in the meanwhile. Soaking up as much knowledge as I can from other students in different phases.