I've decided to begin an experiment in writing to document the remainder of my deployment in Afghanistan. In accordance with OPSEC(Operational Security) and HIPPA laws(medical privacy) I will of course leave out names. That satisfied, let's begin.
To start, I am a Medic in the Army National Guard currently deployed in southern Afghanistan; Kandahar Air Field to be precise. I work in the TMC(Troop Medical Clinic) providing basic care to soldiers of all branches and civilians alike. I arrived mid-April after training for six weeks in Camp Shelby Mississippi.
We operate with two teams each covering different schedules. My team covers Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday (0730AM-0800AM the following morning) as well as Sunday nights (1700-0800 Monday). Since there are six of us, we rotate the 24 hour shifts in groups of two because of the lack of constant patient flow at night.
This isn't a bad schedule by any means due to the "every other day" routine. After an overnight, the next day is generally spent trying to rest but not mess up the sleeping pattern needed to operate the following work day. Also, the majority of these "off days" get filled with details(work projects such as going through medical sets or dealing with maintenance of some sort). Also, every Sunday we have a morning class on something medical. This week it was abdominal exams and gastrointestinal issues for example.
Today was a simple enough day; got up this morning and had breakfast before class. Had my Sergeant pull me aside after and force me to speak with our behavioral health officer due to my grandmother's terminal diagnosis on Friday(Leukemia evolved into lymphoma, no fix). So after I convinced him I was fine and would very much prefer to continue working as usual I was free to go back to the MODS to relax. Below is a set of shots of my sleeping area. Neat no?
Since I had to work the overnight I decided against anything too exciting (read: gym) and lounged. Played XBox a bit (Finished off Dragon Age's last achievements and began work on ME3) to kill some time and got my stuff together for the overnight.
Overnight was surprisingly bland(which is a good thing). Had zero people come in so I sat at the front desk with my laptop and watched DVD's all night while my partner did his own thing then went to bed around 0230. I let him sleep because I can function without it; he becomes a total dick lol.
We have a simple list of things to do on the overnight to make up for the lack of patients however and after doing it 20+ times it gets rather boring. Need to sweep the entire building(it's only a single floor of course but it's quite sizeable), mop it, clean the latrines(bathrooms), check the patient rooms to be sure they are in order, wipe down the waiting room with bleach wipes and restock the water fridge up front. Seeing as I ALWAYS end up doing the mopping, water fridge and wipe downs I've gotten quite proficient in it. Glad my medical skills are put to use!
Since I decided to begin this on a day with no patients there isn't much exciting to write but I figured I needed to start somewhere. On an average day I will see a handful of patients(there are five other medics and a physical therapist so it gets split up somewhat evenly). Ailments here vary widely but so far things I've seen include: broken bones, sprains/strains, dehydration, gastrointestinal problems causing diarrhea/vomiting, and a disturbing amount of STD's ranging from herpes to chlamydia. I also have given dozens of vaccinations(Anthrax, Hepatitis A and B, Typhoid, and PPD Shots to test for Tuberculosis), blood draws and IV(intravenous) fluids. My proudest stick was a dehydrated Romanian woman; double difficult!
I have to say; though I am not treating gunshot wounds, amputations and fragment wounds I am absolutely thrilled to be here. My job is to treat the sick and the injured and I definitely do that. My write-ups and treatments allow my patients the resources they need to recover and get back to work to support the mission. Am I little upset I'm not doing trauma? Somewhat, but I am also glad I do not have to deal with the emotional struggle of seeing my brothers and sisters in arms suffering and dying.
I have tomorrow(Today?) off so it will be another dry blog in the late evening but hey, why not share the WHOLE life of a soldier right?
To start, I am a Medic in the Army National Guard currently deployed in southern Afghanistan; Kandahar Air Field to be precise. I work in the TMC(Troop Medical Clinic) providing basic care to soldiers of all branches and civilians alike. I arrived mid-April after training for six weeks in Camp Shelby Mississippi.
We operate with two teams each covering different schedules. My team covers Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday (0730AM-0800AM the following morning) as well as Sunday nights (1700-0800 Monday). Since there are six of us, we rotate the 24 hour shifts in groups of two because of the lack of constant patient flow at night.
This isn't a bad schedule by any means due to the "every other day" routine. After an overnight, the next day is generally spent trying to rest but not mess up the sleeping pattern needed to operate the following work day. Also, the majority of these "off days" get filled with details(work projects such as going through medical sets or dealing with maintenance of some sort). Also, every Sunday we have a morning class on something medical. This week it was abdominal exams and gastrointestinal issues for example.
Today was a simple enough day; got up this morning and had breakfast before class. Had my Sergeant pull me aside after and force me to speak with our behavioral health officer due to my grandmother's terminal diagnosis on Friday(Leukemia evolved into lymphoma, no fix). So after I convinced him I was fine and would very much prefer to continue working as usual I was free to go back to the MODS to relax. Below is a set of shots of my sleeping area. Neat no?
Since I had to work the overnight I decided against anything too exciting (read: gym) and lounged. Played XBox a bit (Finished off Dragon Age's last achievements and began work on ME3) to kill some time and got my stuff together for the overnight.
Overnight was surprisingly bland(which is a good thing). Had zero people come in so I sat at the front desk with my laptop and watched DVD's all night while my partner did his own thing then went to bed around 0230. I let him sleep because I can function without it; he becomes a total dick lol.
We have a simple list of things to do on the overnight to make up for the lack of patients however and after doing it 20+ times it gets rather boring. Need to sweep the entire building(it's only a single floor of course but it's quite sizeable), mop it, clean the latrines(bathrooms), check the patient rooms to be sure they are in order, wipe down the waiting room with bleach wipes and restock the water fridge up front. Seeing as I ALWAYS end up doing the mopping, water fridge and wipe downs I've gotten quite proficient in it. Glad my medical skills are put to use!
Since I decided to begin this on a day with no patients there isn't much exciting to write but I figured I needed to start somewhere. On an average day I will see a handful of patients(there are five other medics and a physical therapist so it gets split up somewhat evenly). Ailments here vary widely but so far things I've seen include: broken bones, sprains/strains, dehydration, gastrointestinal problems causing diarrhea/vomiting, and a disturbing amount of STD's ranging from herpes to chlamydia. I also have given dozens of vaccinations(Anthrax, Hepatitis A and B, Typhoid, and PPD Shots to test for Tuberculosis), blood draws and IV(intravenous) fluids. My proudest stick was a dehydrated Romanian woman; double difficult!
I have to say; though I am not treating gunshot wounds, amputations and fragment wounds I am absolutely thrilled to be here. My job is to treat the sick and the injured and I definitely do that. My write-ups and treatments allow my patients the resources they need to recover and get back to work to support the mission. Am I little upset I'm not doing trauma? Somewhat, but I am also glad I do not have to deal with the emotional struggle of seeing my brothers and sisters in arms suffering and dying.
I have tomorrow(Today?) off so it will be another dry blog in the late evening but hey, why not share the WHOLE life of a soldier right?