68w Advanced Field Craft Combat Medic Skills

The Combat Medic of today is the most technically advanced ever produced by the United States Army. Such an advanced technician requires an advanced teaching and learning system. 68W Advanced Field Craft is the first textbook designed to prepare the Combat Medic for today’s challenges in the field. The ability to save lives in war, conflicts, and humanitarian inventions requires a specific skill set. Today’s Combat Medic must be an expert in emergency medical care, force health protection, limited primary care, evacuation, and warrior skills. 68W Advanced Field Craft combines complete medical content with dynamic features to support instructors and to prepare Combat Medics for their missions.

This book is the third installment of the three volume series that covers the complete course of instruction for Army Medical Department medics (military occupational specialty: 68W), from sick call, through care under fire, to provider resilience. Other topics include handling casualties, documenting injuries and care provided, reducing the spread of infection, managing shock, caring for burn victims, maintaining airways, and addressing injuries to all parts of the body. Tactical Combat Casualty Care is explained in detail. Each chapter begins with a list of core concepts, defines key terms, and provides review questions throughout the text. Many chapters also illustrate specific procedures with step-by-step "skill drills."

A decade of intense combat in two theaters has taught us many lessons about what works and what does not in the effort to accomplish that all-important mission of saving lives in battle. A severely injured Soldier today has about twice the likelihood of surviving his wounds compared to Soldiers in wars as recent as Vietnam. That progress is the result of many things: better tactics and weapons, better body armor and helmets, better trained and fitter Soldiers. But, the introduction of tactical combat casualty care (TCCC) throughout the Army has certainly been an important part of that improvement. TCCC is fundamentally different from civilian care. It is the thoughtful integration of tactics and medicine, but to make it work takes a different set of skills and equipment, and every Soldier and leader needs to understand it and practice it. This handbook is the result of years of careful study of the care of wounded Soldiers, painstaking research by medics and physicians, and the ability of leaders at all levels to see and understand the lessons being learned and the willingness to make the changes in equipment, training, and doctrine needed to improve the performance of the Army Health System. It is the best guidance we have at the time of publication, but new information, new techniques, or new equipment will drive changes in the future. Be assured that these performance improvement efforts will continue as long as American Soldiers go in harm’s way.

The ability to save lives in war, conflicts, and humanitarian interventions requires sophisticated skills above and beyond first aid. Today's Combat Medic must be an expert in emergency care, force health protection, limited primary care, and warrior skills. The Combat Medic Field Reference provides easy access to essential information on triage, treatment, and US Army procedures. This handy pocket-sized reference features waterproof pages for making temporary or permanent notes.