Catching up

For all the people whom read this blog. I am sorry I have not written in a while. The reason for this is because I have been working in secured areas.

After the course, I returned back to the Nahal Unit. There, I was told that I would be working in the Tara'gad. The Tara'gad is the clinic found on the boarder, which soldiers can go to when they are sick or when then need to. We also go out on different missions as a medical emergency team if needed. The Tara'gad is made up of medics, paramedics and doctors. However, not all my time was spent in the Tara'gad. I also went out to different areas as the main medic on site. Such trips included a driver’s course, where I was the main medical person for 10 drivers. Another example was at training exercises, where I was again the main medic on site. While most of my time was spent watching the exercises or enjoy the view from the back seat of the jeep, I also got to put my training to the test and help soldiers whom got injured.

However, all that now has changed. I am no longer in the Tara'gad. I am now the main medical person for the new trainees. My job now will be to schedule appointments for the soldiers. Look after the health and also to deal with any problems that arise during their training. Besides doing something I know I’m going to love, I will also be getting an interesting experience because now I will get to look at training from the other side. Last time I was back on this base, I was just starting the army and didn't know what to do. Now however, I am also a year and a half in the army and I get to see how the commanders and staff work. I hope that I get to be the mentor to the kids, that my commanders and Hopel (Hopel = Hovesh plugati or company medic. It is also my new job title) was to me.

Finishing up Medics Course

This week was our last official week in the medic’s course.

While most of our time was spent returning our gear and signing off on a few paper work issues, we did have a very big tests.

The first test was the misdar Mamag (the Mamag is in charge of all the medics’ course in Bad 10. (Bad 10 is the army's Medical Training School.)) he knows everything there is about medics and our course (including the tiny details that one might forget very easily when looking at the big picture. In his misdar, he could ask us anything he wants (including the tiny details which one might forget when looking at the big picture) or have us perform any number of tasks that we have learned in the course. Thankfully we all passed this and with his approval graduated the course.

Once we finished the Misdar, everything became a lot easier. We started relaxing and having fun with our commanders.

On the last night, we broke distance with our commanders. When someone breaks distance it means that we finally get to see them as real people and not our commanders. We get to know their real names, where they come from and a lot more personal information about them. We also get to joke around with them, making impressions and remembering all the funny stuff that happened in class.

Then on Wednesday, we finally finished the course for good. After a brief tekes (ceremony), where we were each awarded pins, we were allowed to go home and leave Bad 10 for the last time.

New Years Finishing off and PHTLS

Last week we had a quite week. We went on a trip to Jerusalem, to visit Yad Va'shem and had a talk with a man whom was a former medic. We also spent the week reviewing for our final tests. WE had a nice New Years on base and enjoyed the final Shabbat we would be spending together as a group.

Then, this week was our last unofficial week in Course Hovshem (Medics).

To start the week off, on Sunday we brushed up on all of our skills (such as opening up a vein at night, attaching a line and tying it down, and surgical operations.)

On Monday we started our O.S.C.E. An OSCE is a final practical test, where we must show to our commanders that we can live up to the standard that we were taught. For example, in our surgery OSCE, we must show our commanders that we know how to tie down an intubation tube to a person, without it falling out. Another example was during our CPR OSCE, we had to show our commanders that we know how to perform CPR correctly and that if needed, we could perform the task at hand.

On Tuesday we had our final test on all sort of trauma a person can go through. The test included trauma to the chest, stomach, head, broken bones and other trauma incidents that we can find in our "new" line of work.

Then on Wednesday and Thursday, we had a PHTLS (Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support). This is a brand new course that was started a few months ago. The course is meant to teach us how to respond to incidents, in more of a civilian background. For example, we learned how to treat people who have suffered a car crash and other civilian accidents. The purpose of the course was to teach us how to look at things through the eyes of a regular EMT, instead of an army medic. While the differences are small, they are a few changes that we had to learn. For example, back boarding and morphine have two different criteria for when we apply it or when we put someone on a backboard.

While the course was hard (12 hours a day of strait learning and very short breaks) it was a lot of fun and interesting to see the differences between the military medics and a regular EMT.

As a bonus for completing the course (and hopefully passing) I will receive a certificate which is good for everywhere in the world. It will also let me work as a medic and apply for a job as an EMT back home in the states.

This week, will be our last technical week. While we will not be doing much, it will be sad to see people go back to their units. However as in most times in life, while one door is closing, another will reopen up soon I hope.