Jan

16

Presidential Air Force Medic

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bgtubb.jpg Making the news is Brigadier General (Dr) Richard Tubb, an Air Force medic who is also the physician to President George W. Bush. Brig Gen Tubb took care of Maureen Dowd, a NY Times columnist and frequent critic of President Bush, during the President’s recent trip to the Middle East.

Brig Gen Tubb’s job description includes:

Physician to the President, and Director, White House Medical Unit, the White House, Washington, D.C. He is responsible for providing direct support and advice to the President of the United States, and he oversees all healthcare services within the White House, Camp David, the Western White House, aboard executive aircraft, while deployed and at contingency locations.

And as a flight surgeon, Brig Gen Tubb is also uniquely qualified to provide medical services for his “high-flying” boss and staff on Air Force One.

Unlike the other Air Force Medical Service flag officers, Brig Gen Tubb is “operational” in the sense that he is not directly involved in AFMS policy and organization. In his role as the President’s doctor, he exists somewhat outside of the traditional AFMS boundaries. Oh, and one additional perk of the job: being “pinned on” by the Commander-in-Chief!

Jan

14

Becoming An Air Force Medic

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There are two primary means of becoming an Air Force Medic: the first way is to enlist in the Air Force and be selected to train as an AF medic in one of dozens of medical career fields, such as lab tech, pharmacy tech, medical services tech, physical therapy tech, and so on.

Generally, people who enlist in the Air Force have not completed a college degree, and work as technicians. These people are often referred to as the “backbone” of the Air Force, because they make up the majority of people in service and accomplish the majority of the work. Basic training for enlisted AF medics is seven weeks at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, followed by specialty training at either Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas, or Brooks Air Force Base (also in San Antonio). The length of the specialty training depends on the specialty: for example, a healthcare administration technician spends only six weeks in specialty training, whereas more advanced training for radiology technicians can take more than six months. Once an Airman has completed basic and specialty training, he/she is then transferred to their first “real” Air Force base to begin serving as an Air Force Medic. In civilian terms, the enlisted medics are the EMTs, LPNs, pharmacy techs, business office staff, and other para-professionals.

The other way to become an Air Force medic is as a commissioned officer. To become a commissioned officer in the Air Force Medical Service, you must have completed at least a bachelor’s degree and usually a graduate (professional) degree. Commissioned officers in the AFMS are the doctors, nurses, pharmacists, administrators, psychologists, and such. In civilian terms, the officers of the AFMS are just what they are in civilian life.

I’ll have more information soon about the how/what/where of basic (enlisted) training and officer training for Air Force medics.

Jan

10

Pumping Iron

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Check out what Major Shawn Baker, or orthopedic surgeon assigned to Kirtland Air Force Base, can do:

We’re watching as 6-foot-5-inch, 260-pound Maj. (Dr.) Shawn Baker lifts and does “shrugs” with free weights totaling 765 pounds. He could have lifted more, and has, but, “I don’t think the bar would take any more weight, and I’d need 100-pound plates, because I would run out of room on the bar using these (45-pound) plates,” he said….At the last competition in November, he beat the 1996 deadlift record of 705 pounds by lifting 711 pounds.

This is a guy who can break your bones and then fix them! Read the rest of the story here!

Jan

3

Linda Osborn

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The Air Force Medical Service suffered a tragic loss this week: Linda Osborn, the budget analyst at the AF Space Command Surgeon’s Office, passed away in her sleep. Linda was an amazing woman, and she will be missed. She was an expert in all things “resourcing” - although her primary focus in recent years was budget, she had many years of experience in all facets of RMO, including manpower, biostatistics (MEPRS and ROP), the “Strategic Health & Resourcing Portfolio” (SHARP), and Mission Support Plan, and every other program the RMO world encompassed. She was a mentor, a friend, an educator, and a colleague. And, of course, a wife, mother, and grandmother.

RIP, Linda Osborn. You left us too early.

Sincere condolences to the Osborn family and the crew at HQ AFSPC/SG.