Howdy texasmedic,
I served in the Army National Guard for 6 years, starting off as a combat medic, eventually working my way up to a flight medic. I was never an EMT on the civilian side, as I joined the military to specifically become a medic. Recognizing that I very much enjoyed being a medic in the military, I decided to go back to school and get a paramedic degree. I have since held the title of paramedic in almost every capacity that you can think of, excluding fire. In regard to the contrast of military vs civilian training, as one could imagine, military training is more trauma and tactically focused than it is medically or low acuity. As we all know, trauma is easy. Furthermore, the initial training that is received follows NREMT-B standards and soldiers take the NREMT test. Then, follows the military portion/application (at least in the Army). By the time it's all completed, a normal 68W (aka combat medic) is about the level of an EMT-I. They are nowhere near the knowledge or skill set of a paramedic. Caveats to the aforementioned can include that if a medic was deployed, it is completely dependent on what their deployment was like in combination with what their providers would allow them to do in concerns to their obtained experience level. Additionally, depending on the provider once again, some medics may have gotten a little more knowledge and experience based upon their duty station. Also, if a soldier is to pursue further training and progress, such as aviation or special forces, that completely changes their experience level, as it is a requirement for those positions to obtain their paramedic. All of that make dollars? Feel free to ask further questions.
