Headline: Independent duty corpsmen: medical jacks of all trades
By Judith Robertson, Naval Hospital Bremerton
BREMERTON, Wash. -- If you say they are the Jacks of all trades, you are close to the truth and they are proud of it. They work on small ships, subs, remote field operations and Medical Civil Action Programs. They are the front-line medical care for anything -- as trivial as a splinter, as serious as a heart attack.
They are independent duty corpsmen, or more familiarly, IDC, and as their name implies, they work alone. They are mature, professional, caring and dedicated individuals respected by their patients who just call them ‘doc.’
Thirty-eight IDC participated in the 7th Annual Pacific Northwest IDC conference Apr. 26-28 at Submarine Base Bangor, Wash. Sponsored by Naval Hospital Bremerton, the conference was designed to provide 16 continuing medical education credits necessary for IDC to remain current with medical updates, labs on airway management and the current medical treatment guidelines for Fleet IDC.
Aside from the "Professional Development of the IDC" segment, the agenda for the three-day conference read like a medical journal, covering such disparate subjects as "Anti-histamines and Allergies," "Pitfalls in Treating Abdominal Pain in Females," "Eye Trauma," and “Urological Emergencies." It was these billings that drew IDC from as far away as Washington, D.C., Millington, Tenn., and San Diego, Calif.
IDC detailers attended the conference, and according to Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman (SS/FMF) Craig Kelley, IDC program manager at the hospital, the detailers were not only able to get a good feel for the issues of the IDC they serve, but could also take advantage of the educational offerings.
"IDC detailers still need to keep their CME current. So it was a working visit," Kelley said. "We are providing professional education in primary and emergency care; it is the most important thing for an IDC."
For Chief Hospital Corpsman (FMF) Frank Percy, who works at the Fire Fighting Division, Fleet Training School, San Diego, Calif., this venue for getting CME credits is "the best," because it provided the opportunity to talk to specialists in the field.
"Normally, all my questions go to a general practitioner, which is usually no problem, but if you have a detailed question about the eye that's been bothering you, here's where you can get it answered by an eye specialist. Psychiatry is another specialty area where contact with a specialist is a benefit."
With an ever-increasing number of females in the Navy, Percy found the session on female abdominal pain the most valuable. While this particular subject might not be quite so foreign to Hospital Corpsman 1st Class (SW) Kathleen Michalski, the doc aboard USS Paul F. Foster (DD 964), the conference proved invaluable.
"The lectures are very appropriate for what we deal with day to day. It helps to answer questions that are always looming in the back of our heads. And the manual is excellent, very well organized."
IDC must first serve at least two years as a Hospital Corpsmen 2nd Class before they are eligible to attend the Navy's year-long Independent Corpsmen School. After graduation they are prepared to medically support all aspects of Navy and Marine Corps operations.
"Personally I feel they are indispensable, Kelley said.
Kelley had a real taste of just how indispensable when he went to a remote region in northern Vietnam last year in support of a State Dept. sponsored Medical Civil Action Program. "I was the sole care provider there. I saw more than 300 patients in four weeks: sick babies, aged women, malnutrition, broken bones, malaria, you name it. It was an area under served by medicine for years."
For Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Jerry Smith (DV/NAC), a diver medicine technician with the Submarine Development Group based at Bangor, the training helped in his aspirations to become an IDC.
"This is really good information. The more training, the better,” Smith said.
Aside from training, participants at the conference gained something more. "It provided a great opportunity to liaison with others in the field. Some have been in for awhile and have really good insight and experience," said Michalski, who is in her first year as an IDC.
Michalski and other conference attendees learned, among other valuable lessons, that while they work independently, they are not alone.
http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/news/mednews/med00/med00020.txt
