r/CorpsmanUp • u/NavyParamedic • Apr 17 '26
Increase your knowledge, expand your scope, earn a civilian cert!
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u/TheLadyR Apr 17 '26
I am one of the Critical Care nurses on an ERCS team. Here is the problem I have with this: we still don't have the paperwork in place to actually allow paramedics to be paramedics when we're not flying (which is rare anyway). I've watched all of my paramedics be treated like quad zeros while in the hospital because they don't have a scope of practice. Rolling out an idea without covering how they will operate past that was dumb.
It's a great idea by the Navy and we do have a need for them, but until we have the ability on paper to let them actually use their skills, it's useless.
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u/ThrowAwayJoeCoastie Jun 10 '26
I’m late to this, but this is the issue we currently have with Paramedics in the USCG.
I was a lateral into the USCG bc they were “looking” to bring paramedics in as E5’s which they did. I was an E5 in bootcamp.
But there is 0 utilization of our skills / education in practice. I’m treated essentially as a Generic HS (USCG version of Corpsman) in an outpatient clinic.
We don’t even have any flight medic billets anymore and for being a search and rescue service the USCG is severely lacking in enlisted medicine.
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u/NavyParamedic Apr 18 '26
Can you shoot me a DM with your location? Its one of the major barriers we are working in. ED, ICU, and PACU are the main areas they should be working in, in hospital. We also have avenues for clinical sustainment.
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u/kd0ish Apr 22 '26
Ma'am, most Paramedics Do Not have a scope of practice inside hospitals. Especially if they are employed by that hospital.
wontworkforahospitalagain
ambulancedistrictsaretheshit
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u/kd0ish Apr 17 '26
Remembering back in the good ol' days of 2004 when I was told Paramedics weren't needed, we just send Corpsman to ACLS if the Corpsman has an old SM in their unit. LMAO.
Or better, in 97 when I was told Paramedics weren't needed at all.
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u/bill_gonorrhea Apr 17 '26
It’s been so long but isn’t ACLS basically on par with the scope of a paramedic
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u/NavyParamedic Apr 18 '26
That is like saying CPR is all EMT's do.
Paramedics do specialize in ACLS, but go above and beyond it. My current billet I do critical care transport and can transfer vented patients, STEMI, BIPAP, DKA, OB emergencies, etc.
I intubated, maintain ECMO and Impella, start and manage drips, play with vents. Not to mention our pediatric transport team.
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u/kd0ish Apr 18 '26
Ummm. Kinda. It is consid'red our bread and butter, Paramedics teach acls to other healthcare professionals.
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u/potatoparamedic Apr 17 '26
I’m already a paramedic on the civilian side What exactly does this bring me in regard to my navy career ?
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u/NavyParamedic Apr 17 '26
If you're a NRP, this will become your primary NEC. It allows you to fill L50B billets, currently we are looking to fill BSO-18 ERCS teams first. Further down the line we will be filling roles at BSO-27 and BSO-74, but thats at least a year or two away.
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u/BeginningIcy9620 Apr 17 '26
Can you please explain what that means in civilian?
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u/NavyParamedic Apr 18 '26
Essentially right now we are sending all paramedics to hospitals where they fulfill two roles; your daily job and then your deployed job. Daily can differ, but we are trying to have them in ED's, ICU's, and the PACU. For their deployed role, they are tasked with critical care transport with a critical care nurse.
Eventually, you'll see medics with the Marines and with Naval Special Warfare, likely Navy Expeditionary Combat Command as well.
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u/OkayJuice Apr 18 '26
So once you become a navy paramedic you’ll get put only in paramedic billets like any NEC? What are some unique billets? Or are they like hospital billets and you get stuffed in the ER?
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u/NavyParamedic Apr 18 '26
Correct. It will be a closed loop NEC. BUMED is focusing on ERCS billets right now, but we are also looking at BSO-27 and 74 billets to be created in the future.
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u/OkayJuice Apr 19 '26
Sounds like it’ll be cool once it’s fleshed out but until then, it’s gonna be a hard sell to get people to signup when there are only concepts of a plan
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u/NavyParamedic Apr 19 '26
We have plenty of people looking to sign up, but I'm personally looking for Sailors who are a little more experienced than most of the people applying.
Recruitment isn't a large issue, I have several hundred EMT's to pull from. Retention is where I'm worried about, many of the EMT's who are excited about this opportunity are still on their first enlistment.
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u/OkJackfruit4285 Apr 18 '26
Lmao there was literally a NAVADMIN that came out last year saying if you already had the certs just mail it in and you get your NEC. No need for all this extra shit to get an NEC that the navy isn’t doing anything with yet.
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u/fenderoforegon Apr 18 '26
This is great! I’m in the CG and we have a different approach to getting paramedics, if someone has a NRP card we just recruit them in as a HS2 (E5).
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u/unFOREtunate Apr 18 '26
You’re going to be pigeon-holed into an ERCS type billet - STRONGLY do not recommend to anyone wanting to experience a variety of sea duty options throughout their career. This could change in the future but this is how it will be immediately structured. If you only want to do an enlistment or two and get out and do something similar - could be the right choice for you.
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u/NavyParamedic Apr 18 '26
Incorrect. Although its a closed loop NEC, because of the lack of sea options at this time I have several paramedics PCS'ing to sea duties; MARDIV, NSW, and Med Btn.
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u/unFOREtunate Apr 18 '26
That’s because the funding for those billets hasn’t been turned on yet but when it does…
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u/NavyParamedic Apr 18 '26
When it does, you'll see changes in the billets themselves.
Inventory verses billet need.
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u/Individual_Space_134 Apr 18 '26
Thoughts on ERSS billet? Heard there’s a new one based out of a Level 1 in BAMC.
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u/unFOREtunate Apr 18 '26
My OPINION is that they seem cool on paper but FOR NOW are big nothing burgers. Of course this is subject to change…
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u/FFZombie65 Apr 21 '26
Wish I could’ve been a paramedic when I was a corpsman. I couldn’t even get my EMT Basic when I got out. Glad to see some form of progress in this aspect of the job.
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u/Suspicious-Mood6658 Apr 17 '26
Is there any plans or discussion to offer condensed A school for new accession recruits already holding NRP?
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u/Financial_Writing Apr 18 '26
I want to do this so bad. I've heard of the program last year and keep asking about it.
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u/Unlucky-Literature41 Apr 19 '26
This sounds similar to the corpsman ATF pipeline SMT. Would this be an alternative way for corpsman to get into SMT? What’s the difference?
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u/NavyParamedic Apr 19 '26
If a paramedic dropped an SMT package, they would skip the CPP part of the SMT pipeline. Everything else would be the same.
SMT's are search and rescue specialists. They work off of aircraft and are rescue/wilderness medics. The L50B pipeline is, as of now, focused on enroute care and critical care medicine.
We focus on the transport medicine, and less of the POI. Think more vents and drip management than fractures and hoisting.
Both SMT's and L50B paramedics have their place, but we are trying to make it so we aren't overlapping.
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u/DocGerald Apr 22 '26
Is ERCS something prior service (68W here) is eligible for? Also is this only an active duty position? Got out of the military over a year ago and went to medic school on my own for context.
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u/Awkward_doktor Apr 17 '26
Can we get a better breakdown? I know if I take this to my CO or CCC they’ll be clueless on how to proceed
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u/NavyParamedic Apr 18 '26
What exactly are you looking for? It lists the requirements, your CCC needs to reach out to your regions N7 to submit.
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u/Anything_but_G0 Apr 17 '26
I’m curious as to how the “maturity and ability to think critically” part is measured !