Medic
Medic is a general term for a person involved in medicine, especially emergency or first-response medicine, such as an emergency medical technician, paramedic, or a military member trained in battlefield medicine. Also the term is used toward a Nurse in pre-hospital care and/or emergency departments. It may also refer to a medical student or, in limited settings, a physician. In the UK, the term 'medic' amongst doctors indicates that someone has followed a 'medical' career path accredited by the MRCP such as cardiology or endocrinology. This is in contrast to a surgical branch of specialisation in postgraduate professional training.
Types
Medic may be specifically used to refer to people in the following roles:
- Combat Medical Technician, a soldier with a specialist military trade within the Royal Army Medical Corps of the British Army.
- Corpsman, a sailor who is trained for providing medical care to members of the US Armed Forces, first aid, combat casualty care/trauma care on the battlefield. (This name is only used by the Navy and Marine Corps for the Hospital Corpsman who serve in either a Navy or Marine billet; other branches use the term medic.)
- Emergency medical technician: The procedures and skills allowed at this level are generally non-invasive such as bleeding control, positive pressure ventilation with a bag valve mask, supplemental oxygen administration, and splinting (including full spinal immobilization). In some locations, the EMT-B is trained to reduce joint dislocations - they are allowed one attempt - to reduce the risk of compartmentalization. Splinting a femur fracture may involve use of a traction splint, which will reduce the fracture. Some medications (for example, epinephrine for anaphylactic shock (severe allergic reaction) administered through an auto injection device such as an EpiPen) can only be administered or "assisted" to a patient with a prior prescription. Training requirements and treatment protocols vary from area to area.
- Emergency physician, a medical doctor (M.D. or D.O.) who has specialized post graduate training in emergency diagnostics and treatment.
- First Aider, a person who is specifically trained to give initial care or treatment to a casualty on scene before more advanced personnel arrives. Organizations such as St. John Ambulance, St. Andrew’s Ambulance Association and the British Red Cross have many trained volunteer first aiders who are often referred to as medics.
See also