Army MEDEVAC/Dustoff?

[notdeadyet]

Can anyone educate me as to what role, if any, Army physicians play with MEDEVAC/Dustoff units? Do flight surgeons in these units have any responsibility (hands-on or delegated) for actual care of the patient transported, or does this lie with someone at the destination hospital?

Just curious if a flight surgeon role for these units had any involvement in actual operations or if it would be a more typical flight surgeon job you'd see like with any other slot.

Tried doing a search on this and found very little on the subject on SDN.

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[usnavdoc]

Can anyone educate me as to what role, if any, Army physicians play with MEDEVAC/Dustoff units? Do flight surgeons in these units have any responsibility (hands-on or delegated) for actual care of the patient transported, or does this lie with someone at the destination hospital?

Just curious if a flight surgeon role for these units had any involvement in actual operations or if it would be a more typical flight surgeon job you'd see like with any other slot.

Tried doing a search on this and found very little on the subject on SDN.

Just like any other FS. They will get their flight time in(Navy not sure about army) but there is generally no need to put a physician in a bird on an operational flight where there is a higher chance of getting shot down. The flight crew on these birds are generally paramedics and are pretty good.

 

[edmadison]

Can anyone educate me as to what role, if any, Army physicians play with MEDEVAC/Dustoff units? Do flight surgeons in these units have any responsibility (hands-on or delegated) for actual care of the patient transported, or does this lie with someone at the destination hospital?

Just curious if a flight surgeon role for these units had any involvement in actual operations or if it would be a more typical flight surgeon job you'd see like with any other slot.

Tried doing a search on this and found very little on the subject on SDN.

Flight surgeon will review the "run sheets" for the medivacs and ensure that standard of care is being met. FS would participate in flight medic training somewhat, but this is mostly an NCO thing. You can fly with them, but since their flight times are sporadic, most FS's prefer to get their hours elsewhere. If you did happen to go on a run, I assume you could participate in medical care if appropriate.

Ed

 

[notdeadyet]

Ah. Got it. So for medevac cases, the flight paramedic is solely responsible for the patient en route and he's taken to a CSH or somesuch, where doctors assigned there take care of the patient? And the flight surgeon attached to the medevac unit is pulling regular flight surgeon duties for the medevac pilots and whatnot?

 

[edmadison]

Ah. Got it. So for medevac cases, the flight paramedic is solely responsible for the patient en route and he's taken to a CSH or somesuch, where doctors assigned there take care of the patient? And the flight surgeon attached to the medevac unit is pulling regular flight surgeon duties for the medevac pilots and whatnot?

Yes, except for the admin and training issues noted above. The flight surgeon will also be that unit's battalion surgeon. He/she will be the PCP for approximately 500 soldiers. This will include running sick call and taking care of chronic medical problems. Additionally, he/she will be doing flight physicals for the pilots, flight medics and crew chiefs of the unit. There are other administrative responsibilities as well, such as safety programs, participating in pilots briefings and what not. Typically, the unit with have an aeromedical PA as well.

If you are considering doing flight medicine in the Army, there are some positives, but there is a huge negative: The wings on your chest are a target on your back for deployment.

Ed

 

[notdeadyet]

I'm actually applying for a National Guard program right now and am trying to familiarize myself with what the different units do in the Army so that after residency I can look for units that would be interesting to be affiliated with.

Appreciate the info, though. The "deploy me" badge is something I've heard before and will definitely keep it firmly in mind. I was considering it if you were involved in the emergency med aspect of medevac, but if it's a more traditional flight surgeon role, it holds less appear.

Thanks for your help.