Apr

20

Gettin’ Buggy With It

Filed Under AFMS Careers | 1 Comment

The Air Force Medical Service is primarily about healthcare — treating patients, whether they are military, family members, retired members, and such. But there are a few relatively obscure career fields within the AFMS that have little to do with a routine visit to a doctor’s office, such as entomology. Ento-what? That’s the study of arthropods, such as spiders, scorpions, and other critters that can make life - particularly in a war-zone - truly a living hell. For instance:

When military personnel are sent into combat and placed in rugged and remote situations, insects can have a devastating impact. Typhus fever, a disease transmitted by lice, killed 17,000 Spanish soldiers in 1489, incapacitated 30,000 French soldiers in 1528,1 contributed to the retreat of Napoleon’s Army from Moscow in 1812, and caused the death of millions of soldiers and civilians during WWI…entomology is the study of insects, spiders, ticks, and mites (collectively referred to as arthropods) and the discomfort, pain, and diseases they cause.

How small is this career field within the AFMS ? There are only 17 active-duty Air Force entomologists (and six AF Reserve entomologists). Pretty small group! Despite being few in number, they have quite an impact on Air Force operations. If you’d like to learn about becoming an Air Force entomologist, read this and this…and it’s probably a good idea that you don’t mind creepy-crawly things!

Mar

6

IDMT spells “Amazing!”

Filed Under AFMS Careers, AFMS People | Leave a Comment

Not too many people know what an Independent Duty Medical Technician (IDMT) is, or what he (or she) does. You’d be surprised at the amount of responsibility IDMTs take on by accepting the unique challenge of becoming an IDMT. In the “pyramid” of the direct-care health professions, IDMTs fall somewhere in between regular medical technicians and physician-assistants (PAs). In addition to receiving the standard medical technician training, IDMTs also undergo an intense advanced training course, during which they learn more comprehensive techniques and treatments. IDMTs are traditionally assigned to remote locations where healthcare needs exist, but economics or other factors prohibit assigning a full-time physician. Thus, IDMTs are often the sole provider for a particular location, a role that finds them stitching wounds, dispensing medicine, performing dental care, and other such injuries and illness. In addition, IDMTs are also trained in public health, bioenvironmental engineering, food and water safety, and other operational medicine skills. In my experience, IDMTs are amazing people and awesome providers. And now for some IDMT links!

General overview of roles, responsibilities, and sklls of IDMTs
The IDMT Association: great resource, including discussion forums
Training summary for each of the three service IDMTs
Biography of CMSgt Suttles, an IDMT who is now Command Chief at Vance AFB
Memorial site to CMSgt Bill Schaub, an incredible IDMT and friend of mine
Navy equivalent of IDMT is the IDC - Independent Duty Corpsman
MSgt Carlos Diaz is known as “Doc” to his patients
SSgt Jake Leyva, an IDMT in a warzone, talks about his role
There’s even an IDMT on MySpace!

Mar

5

Aim High

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If you’re a healthcare professional - or want to be one - there are few better ways to do so than as a member of the Air Force Medical Service. The main Air Force recruiting site for healthcare careers offers a pretty good overview of the responsibilities and the benefits, and breaks down some of the opportunities for various career fields: physicians, nurses, dentists, allied health (including pharmacists, optometrists, psychologists, etc), administrators, and the many enlisted specialties. The difference between civilian and Air Force healthcare professionals is that the Air Force provides training - for everyone - in leadership and management, at many stages of their career and regardless of their specialty. If you’ve ever considered it, now is a great time to find out more. And, of course, if you have any questions, just let me know (airforcemedics AT gmail.com).

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