Sometimes They Still Call Me Doc
I’ve lost track of how many people have called me Doc. It’s not a small number. And it’s still growing. Working at the VA is an interesting thing. It’s kept me connected to the military community. But that is a double edged sword at times. The memories stay fresh. I loved my time in the army. I especially loved being a medic. It was something that came with a responsibility I haven’t had since. That responsibility came with the aforementioned title, “Doc”. Some soldiers give it freely to match the title, others make you earn it. But they all expect the best out of you. That best includes a decent bag of tricks. Being able to keep someone breathing, and stop their bleeding is the basic responsibility of a medic in a field unit. IVs, IOs, tourniquets, pressure bandages, crics, occlusive dressings, needle decompression, pain management, and more. It’s a lot of skills. It’s a dynamic set augmented by rotations in clinics, and other training and classes. It’s a skill set I stri