8432 Preventive Medicine Tech

[Snailor]

I'm an E-5 trying to cross-rate to HM and am seriously looking into the 8432 NEC.I've been in theNavy a while, and have worked shore stations, air squadronss,and am currently stationed on an LHD and haveworked withthe Marines.

I am interested in hearing what those who hold this NEC and work in it are "actually" doing. It's one thing to read a description of an NEC and a whole other to know the practical application of that NEC.

What are the likely stations (ships, squadrons, hospitals, green side/blue side, etc) and your job responsibilities.

Do you like it? How do you interact with the rest of the medical department (how do you fit in?) What's the work load, patient load, collateral duty assignments and anything else you can fill me in on. :DInfo, Info, INFO ... LOL!!!

OH... and how long (and where) is the C-school??

Thanks so much for any and all input!! :cool:

[Da-Chief]

Greetings,
PM CrazyCajun, he is the co-author of this place with me but is also a PMT, he can answer all PMT questions for ya..

later

HMC

[Tino]

I've been a PMT for 14 years and I love it! You can go on all different platforms as a PMT. Currently I'm in 2D MAW with Crazycajun. I have the unfortunate pleasure of seeing him everyday. ha ha. The school is six months long and is in Sunny San Diego CA.I talked to the HM 0000 detailer a year ago and he was pushing people to Independent Duty Corpsman or Prev Med.If you are not much of a patient care person but would like to be in the medical field, prev med maybe for you. Whilethe clinical side of things is cool, the thing I like is that you do not have to stay indoors to work. Personally if I do not get to go outside to do inspections or other prev med work I feel like a caged bird trapped inside. Depending where you are you may get involved in entomology, industrial hygiene, occupational health, public/environmental health. Sometimes you may not be able to to do any of those and get stuck doing one thing. A lot of times you are called upon for answers by doctors or Commanding Officers dealing with issues because you are viewed as subject matter expert in the public/environmental health field. Crazycajun can probably attest to that.Seek his input because we've been thru different career paths as PMT's. He's been a PMT about a year longer than me...Also when you get out, you do notnecessarily need a degree or additional training to get a job. (unlike IDC) Where do we fit in? We don't. Just kidding. If you are at a hospital, sometimes the prev med department is separate, I mean not even in the hospital. That's the way it was in Yokosuka Japan, Guantanamo Bay Cuba and here in Cherry Point. The drawback is that some people do not know who you are or what you do and that can effect you during eval time. As for collateral duties, you may get them whether you like it or not because others think it "falls under prev med" All in all, if you want to make the Navy a career as an HM, a bugchaser is a great choice.

[Snailor]

Tino, thanks so much for your input!!

So far PMT is sounding like just my thing. I am more of a meticulous, long-term project kind of person. I like to look at trends, and see what I can do to improve things. I'm currently a Storekeeper, and I excell at inventory control because (among other things)I am good at spotting (and solving) problems by doing research and tracing down items with the minimum of clues, and I think that skill will transfer well. I am not, however, a SK by choice. This was a Navy push 100% (long story... broken service, a desire to come back, limited choices... etc, etc....).

I have worked as an EMT (albeit MANY years ago) and was competent, but it just really isn't my cup of tea. I'm not a Fire Cracker, I'm not that Hare in the race;I'm more the Turtle (or Snail, as it is :P).Nice and steady and reliable. I REALLY want to work in the medical field, but I am old enough to know where my strengths/weaknesses and likes/dislikes are. I love "customer service" and interaction with people, and I could do patient care or emergency care if I have to, if that's where the Navy is determined to put me, but I am at a time in my career where I feel it's time for ME to make choices **I** want, know what I mean? So I'm looking at PMT or lab work (or possibly pharmacy). I am looking atwhat I want and like, what the Navy needs, and employability after retirement. PMT (so far) looks to be a great fit in all three of those spots.

[Snailor]

Here's the rest of that post above. Not sure why it wouldn't do it all at once, but it kept truncating it. Too long????
**Nice and steady and reliable. I REALLY want to work in the medical field, but I am old enough to know where my strengths/weaknesses and likes/dislikes are. I love "customer service" and interaction with people, and I could do patient care or emergency care if I have to, if that's where the Navy is determined to put me, but I am at a time in my career where I feel it's time for ME to make choices **I** want, know what I mean? So I'm looking at PMT or lab work (or possibly pharmacy). I am looking atwhat I want and like, what the Navy needs, and employability after retirement. PMT (so far) looks to be a great fit in all three of those spots.

[Da-Chief]

SK2,

I read your entire post above. And it is quite forumulated. Understand in our rate though it works like this.

1. Sailor

2. Your A Corpsman

3. Your a Tech

It goes in that order. What HMC really did not get into above and it is becuase our jobs as CPO's are much different then it would be for you as a HM2. You still could be thrust in a position with a Marine Unit where you would have to work a lot faster then the turtle. We don't have the slow and steady pace in our rate. We are methodical but we are fast innature and those who are slow and steady usually end up with a boot up their ass or lower evals etc.. I just want you to understand you will not be in a desk job at all and will have to multitask in a way you have never done before. You will never have a set schedule as someone will keep piling things on it for you whether you want it or not.

It is what I like to call "CONTROLLED CHAOS" as long as you can control it.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

Good luck, I just want you to have both eyes open prior to signing on the dotted line.

HMC

[Snailor]

LOL!! I didn't mean it in a literal sense, Chief (the moving slowly). It's just an analogy that I use. I'm a very methodical, even tempered person, which makes my multi-tasking quite effective. I rarely have a "set schedule", so that's really not a problem. As I've said, I've been a sailor for some years now, and am used to the extreme multi-tasking, chaotic schedules and *wishing* that I had more time at my desk, as I'm usually all over the ship (currently) or the base (when I was in a squadron) doing my job(s). I'd be bored if all I had on my plate was one project!



Maybe I ought to mention that the "FULL" version of my online name in other forums/boards is SnailorOfChaos :D

[crazycajun]

Snailor,

Sorry, it's taken mea while to get back. I agree with Tino, even though he only tolerates me....LOL

I got in to PrevMed because, I didn't really care to do sick-call and I don't always like doing the same thing on a daily bases. I've been on the USS Ranger and the USS Long Beach as my first duty stations after PMT school, I truly enjoyed my time there and I also learned a great deal about being a PMT. Every time the ship was inspected, PrevMed was also usually inspected because our job is wrapped in almost every aspect of the ship. From inspecting the galleys, dealing with heat stress down in engineering, to taking water samples and testing for potability, teaching patients how now to catch diseases, etc. My standard thing for saying to my MOs and IDC's "It's my job to put you out of work!" Just the old saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure!"

My time at a NavHosp was pretty much the same, inspections, teaching, and traveling to other clinics to assist them with there PrevMed Progs.

Tino, took my saying sorta, "A PMT in the office, isn't doing their job!"

With the Marine Corps, our jobs are a little different. While in garrison you may not be doing all the PrevMed things with the exception of ensuring the Marines and Sailors are ready to deploy, then once deployed you're back in to doing the other PrevMed things. Though again, you are also there as the Expert and are looked upon to have the answers for the CO when the PrevMed questions start rolling in about countries you are traveling to.

To me, it's the Best Job the Navy has. I to also agree with Da'chief when he says that you are a Sailor, Corpsman then Technician.

If you need more info please let us know.

[Snailor]

crazycajun,

No problem on the time getting back to me. We all have jobs to do and lives to live, and if you're anything like me, finding "extra" time is difficult, at best. ;)

Thank you for your honesty. It sounds like you really love your job, and that's great. I see so little of that in the Navy. I wish good attitudes were more prevalent!