"Right" for the Army?

[CAdamsPAC]

Point taken, I am having a very great "Pre-PA" day. You don't think the origins of the PA cam from the military? The names were different but still the origin. Yes it's old news, but that makes it history. The PA was created for the military, under a different name. I would not call myself Pre-PA due to the fact that i am not taking anymore classes to get into PA school. I have been accepted and i will be attending. I am not a posser. Your analogy to a fighter pilot is rediculous. I am not saying i am a PA. Just a student. Why would you attack me for saying i am a student? All that i have said is true. As a NCO in the USAF I do not and will not ever pose as something i am not. Frankly, your smug tone offends me. You should work on your people skills. Thanks for the welcome into the forum. I hope your rudeness doesnt discourage people from posting on this forum. Just because you have thousands of posts doesn't mean you can treat people how ever you want. This whole thing is taking away from the thread. I do wish you the best. I am just excited to finally go to PA school and wanted to learn as much as possible before.

 

Have wonderful "PA" day

 

M&M

 

Pop smoke and break contact pal, you are about to be over run!!!

[istat2]

Maybe it's time for a withdraw, in contact receiving fires. Your DIP is not working!!

[Guest Music&Medicine]

Uncle! you win. I'm spent. I do like your use of colors.

Something off subject...prep material for PA school? Any suggestions besides text books?

[jwells78]

Ultimately, the PA was created for the military and war.

This comment is not correct. Having roots that includes medics from Vietnam trained to become PAs is different than assuming our profession was "created" for the military.

 

I agree- not a good idea to come onto a forum and spout shyt out that isn't correct- especially as a newb and a pre-PA.

 

Given the fact that you are in the military- and I believe the rest of us on this thread are or have been, should elicit from you a simple "roger that Sar'nt," or "roger that SIR" and shut your mouth already.

 

If you were my Joe you'd be bear-crawling around the perimeter right now for the attitude.

 

-J

[Contrarian]

Uncle! you win. I'm spent. I do like your use of colors.

Something off subject...prep material for PA school? Any suggestions besides text books?

 

I know you stated "besides" textbooks but if you buy THIS ONE BOOK and read it from cover to cover as many times as you can from now until August 2011... you WILL be the class valadictorian.

 

Good Luck

 

Contrarian

[USN2UNC]

I know you stated "besides" textbooks but if you buy THIS ONE BOOK and read it from cover to cover as many times as you can from now until August 2011... you WILL be the class valadictorian.

 

Good Luck

 

Contrarian

 

So the depth is comprehendible for a pre-pa and it gives you background? If so, Im in :)

[ahbarr27]

To the original poster: do your homework and you will be alright. I'm in the same shoes roughly with the exception that I wouldn't mind the life that comes with the army. I was close to joining up prior to PA school, but have to consider other options with a wife and two little ones. I'm currently talking to the air guard given their favorability on the lifestyle scale.

 

Contrarian et al: ive been asked to do h&p for inpt psych on a contract basis, where is a good source regarding compensation, etc for this work?

[ahbarr27]

Only took 7 months (lol!!), but after meps and credentialing, my package is finally being processed for the Air Guard. Long road to haul, but I stayed the course. Can't wait to get started in the new year with drills!!!

 

Since my last post, I started as a contractor at one of the local basis, so I feel as though I've already started, but now I get to actually put the uniform on! Uh-Rah!

[doubledown10]

You have no business in uniform as a PA. First off, if you are assigned to a forward unit and you let the soldiers of your unit/task force/battalion or whatever, leave the wire on high risk patrols or missions (Which all of them are), you shouldn't be wearing the uniform and having them call you Sir/Ma'am. There are plenty of Army PAs that deploy to nice, cushy, air conditioned Super FOBs (think Disneyland) There is plenty of room for PAs in the Army that are not in direct action units, but you need to understand, you can be selected to leave your weak *** job in a clinic or VA setting and be called to serve in a forward area where needed. Hell, my last PROFIS doc was a pediatric immunologist! You think that he signed up for combat? They pulled him out of his very exclusive clinic and made him put on a ruck. So if you are afraid, say your afraid and don't come in the Army as a PA. You'll take up a slot that somebody else could use. If you want to serve, go guard or reserve, but be warned, you can be deployed there as well. And it's not so much the patrols that get you, it's the everyday crap that is the killer. The negligent discharge that whizzed by one of my medics head one day while we were playing cards on our patrol base between missions is a good indicator of the kind of implied risks that you take. Find another way to pay back your student loans.

[ahbarr27]

Was the last post addressed to me or the original poster?

[doubledown10]

The actual roots of the profession come from the fact that after the Vietnam war, medics and corpsman were returning home with a degree of proficiency and procedure based knowledge that had not previously been seen. I know a few amazing people that were in the first class and my mentor was a CW4 Vietnam vet that went to PA school. IPAP is no joke, study your *** off. Kiss your wife and kids goodbye for a while and don't get discouraged.

[3GeronimoPA]

Sounds like the OP was the object of his rage. Ready to throw a punch back though huh? Don't let him scare you off. The curse of knowledge is that one can no longer understand what it is like to not know what they know. Sometimes, in the case of deployments, we get very pompous about the way we interact with people who don't understand "Army Life" as we see/know it. I've been deployed twice to Iraq (initial invasion and 2005) and twice to Afghanistan 2006 and 2007 to remote fire bases with 20 or less U.S. Soldiers fighting a war with Afghani Army so I too am very passionate about people having the right mindset to enter the Army. There is always some dude who plays the one up game too who can tell you that your deployment was a year long vacation to a day spa compared to his. I'm not saying that's what doubledown is doing, I'm just saying, it's the Army. He is right that our guys only deserve the types of PA's that are willing to pony up and do what's needed to put them in the best hands. An Army PA should be participating in high particularly high risk missions if their unit performs such. It's a part of the gig. This isn't specifically directed at anyone and is directed at everyone I suppose. They used to call the Army "The Service". It's a term my step-father used to use in regard to his days back in the Army. Think of it as that, and if you can't see yourself saying, "let me get my sh*t" when someone asks, "Doc are you coming on this one?", try the Public Health Service or call up the V.A. There are jobs for patriots through those routes as well.

[3GeronimoPA]

Doubledown, they changed IPAP. They added like another 4 months to the program to reduce stress on the students and to give them more family time. I imagine they'll still have the same scores if not worse because the single people will be partying it up downtown with their new found freedom. We'll see. Oh well, I got mine.

[doubledown10]

Holy cow, I can't imagine having an additional four months of "down time" I would have slept and maybe done some laundry with some spare time. My grandfather and father, who were both marines, still call it the service. And I don't ever try to one up anybody about deployments. The war is different for everybody. I had two long and hard deployments to Iraq and I have no residual problems as a civilian. Whereas I know of a young man who was a fueler at a super FOB and never left the wire who came back a basket case (probably had some issues before he went) but the war is different for everybody. But agreed, if you aren't present at the rock drill for any high risk mission that anybody in your task force is about to walk into, you're wrong and you need to hand off to somebody that will.

[3GeronimoPA]

Doubledown, after reading a few of your posts you are the kind of dude I'd hang out with. It's easy for someone to be misunderstood based on a post. Glad to have you posting on the boards.

[MilPA]

I'm new to the forums as a poster, but I've been reading for a few months now. I have a month left in my deployment in Afghanistan (small COP in the middle of BFE). 3GeronimoPA and doubledown have said all that I would say. I appreciate your willingness to treat Soldiers/sailors/airmen/Marines, but I would encourage you to do so through the VA. Not only would you not have to worry about the patrols, MREs, IEDs, but perhaps the biggest plus: no AHLTA (our electronic health record).