Prior medical experience, still need to volunteer?

[MarineDocFl]

A moment of your time, if you please.

Background: I am a Hospital Corpsman that has been in for 5 years, 6 years when I end my enlistment. I have worked in ICU wards, Labor and Delivery wards, the Emergency dept, general wards, with the Marine Corps as a medic, and ultimately as a unit leader taking care of 27 junior corpsmen.

I have done just about literally everything that full RNs do. I have passed meds, done evaluations and phy examinations, started IVs, changed beds, transported, caught babies (delivered one in the hospital parking lot, a story for another time), and been there for a persons' final moments.

I have done emergency medicine "in the field" that paramedics would be jealous of. I was very much the primary medical provider for over 100 Marines both in the states and here in Afghanistan. I have patched up bullet wounds, treated blunt trama injuries, burns, and bad joints. I have even "treated" a person whoms body was blown in half (again, a story for another time).

Question: Do you think that it is neccessary for me to do all of the volunteerism in hospitals and clinics that more traditional students partake in? Or am I good to go? Not that I shy away from hospitals; since I was a kid, hospitals have been the only place that I felt comfortable outside my home with the wife and kid.


All questions / observations are welcomed.

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[CeeEstee0]

I think you're fine. You have experience few other applicants have. You might need some physician shadowing, but it would just be gravy.

 

[sector9]

Focus on building nonclinical community service experience and research experience instead. You're set with clinical experience

 

[Bartemius]

Are you sure you're not already a doctor?

 

[MarineDocFl]

Are you sure you're not already a doctor?

In Navy Medicine, the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery has just about unleashed enlisted corpsmen on just about everything. There are few things that are outside of our scope of practice within the military.

There are the obvious things like major surgery, illnesses that exceed our knowledge or ability to treat, and life-threatening injuries that, after we do our first responder thing, is kicked to the REAL doctor ricky tick.

But yea, the few of us that receive those right billets at the right time have done some stuff.


But thanks for the answers. I think that research experience would be the way to go