Lone Star Medics course: Medic 1 4/1 - 4/2 in Ft. Worth

[no4njnk]

So what is the point of a firearms class like a CHL or one of the weekend classes? Join the military and learn how to shoot, better yet join the special ops community and shoot millions of rounds...

Seeing as I have saved 2 lives with basic first aid knowledge from being certified (work gets an insurance discount if everyone is certified) and from hanging around the fire station growing up watching EMTs I would say the basics are worth it. Like others have mentioned if you are an outdoorsman, have kids that play sports, etc. then something like this at least gives you the basics. If $350 is too much go to the Red Cross or ask the fire stations close to you if they offer classes (several do, mostly aimed at child CPR). If the market is there for people to pay $350 for the class why don't you offer a better class? Seriously asking since I think a ton of people could get good use out of it.

[Chili]

2 day course. You guys know that the first aid (Pre CLS-combat life savers course) course given to new recruits in the Marines (circa 1994) was a single day course given to mentally and physically exhausted Marine recruits...retention of information may have been 50% after a few weeks.

Current CLS course taught by the Army is 40hrs. I have seen it broken down in country to 8hrs.

Courses like this are tools for your toolbox. Just like when your company makes you take CPR courses. Every bit of training makes you a little more knowledgeable and increases your chances or someone else's chance of surviving.

Lol, I was going to say the same thing.. I went to Army basic in 1993 and I think we spent one day on first aid. It was primarily just looking for wounds, immobilizing, and stopping bleeding (or sucking chest wound). Basically, keeping them from doing more damage to themselves or bleeding out before a real medic gets there.

The combat lifesavers course was much better, and right was a solid week (though in the units I was in it was usually broken up over several weeks).

At most this sounds like a good foundation and if someone wants to learn more they can proceed. But yeah, if most people out there have no clue how to even stop bleeding, or understand the difference between a pressure dressing and tourniquet, I certainly don't see this as a bad thing.

BTW, that list doesn't seem too overwhelming. A number of those are probably not much more than a 15 minute presentation.

[KBScobravert]

2 day course. You guys know that the first aid (Pre CLS-combat life savers course) course given to new recruits in the Marines (circa 1994) was a single day course given to mentally and physically exhausted Marine recruits...retention of information may have been 50% after a few weeks.

Current CLS course taught by the Army is 40hrs. I have seen it broken down in country to 8hrs.

Courses like this are tools for your toolbox. Just like when your company makes you take CPR courses. Every bit of training makes you a little more knowledgeable and increases your chances or someone else's chance of surviving.

[GE]

An AAR from the class, granted it's a few years old...

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?13975-AAR-Lone-Star-Medics-Medic-1-Nov-8-9-Fort-Worth-TX

[LS1Goat]

You're better than us, we get it, but you shouldn't shit on other people that at least have the wherewithal to not be a parasitic drain on society.

No, that's not the message that I was trying to convey. Please don't put words in my mouth.

What I am saying is that 2 days is a very short period of time to digest quite a lot of information. It would be a glossing over of a lot of layered topics. It's a lecture, not practical clinical knowledge. However, in saying that, I admit that some knowledge is better than none. I admire the interest into having some degree of BTLS training and the willingness to learn more. I did not mean to insult the OP or anyone else.

You just have to take pause on exactly you are going to learn in 2 days that normally takes months. That's just not how this stuff works. There would be a lot of compromises when condensing that much info into a 2 day period. It's a Reader's Digest version of pre-hospital management. Nothing about that sounds legit to me. Just my opinion.

[01yz2nv]

I know Caleb personally, and I can vouch for his class; I've been present during a few of his courses while doing photography work. It wasn't designed to be the end all be all, it was designed to give you a good overview on what you need to do for a traumatic injury. This will equip you to handle a bad situation until the pros arrive. If you compare this to a Marine Corps combat lifesavers course, where we stick each other with IVs and nasalpharyngelas after three days, you can really pack a lot into this course.

Then there's no need to go into the rest of those categories. He could narrow that list to Basic A&P, CPR/AED, Bandage and splinting, bleeding control. Ditch the rest of the filler that makes you feel like you're gonna learn a lot and cover those in more depth.

[Danny46]

I know Caleb personally, and I can vouch for his class; I've been present during a few of his courses while doing photography work. It wasn't designed to be the end all be all, it was designed to give you a good overview on what you need to do for a traumatic injury. This will equip you to handle a bad situation until the pros arrive. If you compare this to a Marine Corps combat lifesavers course, where we stick each other with IVs and nasalpharyngelas after three days, you can really pack a lot into this course.

[01yz2nv]

No doubt it could come in handy for sure. I just think they'll have to skim way to quick through all that material listed. Maybe even find a BTLS specific course where you will get more information, and more hands on in specific fields. Or even if that class was stretched out just a little bit further, hell anything is better than two days haha. If you decide to go forward with it, Id defiantly try and find as many reviews as you can about it. Just watching out for you, I don't want you to waste your money and get taken.

[phaux]

All you need to know:

civilian: O2 and transport

mili: tourniquet, high and tight

[GE]

I suppose I should take a small step back.

This isn't about getting someone certified as an EMT or anything of the sort. My primary reason was to get some sort of training for being out at the gun range.

Case in point. Several months ago, a group of us were shooting a class at ETTS down in Waxahachie. In the next tac bay over, they were doing a class. Long story short, they were shooting a 3 shot string with no time. As one of the guys was going to reholster, his pistol got snagged on the bungee draw string on his jacket and fired off a round causing an in/out down his leg. Luckily there were a lot of staff out there, and one of our instructors was an EMT with 01yz2nv's agency. Guy lived to fight another day.

At a lot of these ranges, first responders are probably 15-20 minutes away on a good day. I'd venture to say that 90% of the people out shooting have no sort of medical training and don't have any sort of IFAK or tourniquet. That's just bad juju. I'm not out to save the human race here. I just want to be able to offer some basic level of help should something catastrophic happen at the range. This class covers that and touches on some other stuff. They also give you their advice as to what to look for in the various med kits that are out there.

I've also started seeing a good number of firearms classes require you to have a IFAK or tourniquet *on* your person while shooting. Is this for everyone? Probably not. But I definitely think anyone who is doing any sort of shooting in a tac bay needs to have some sort of med training.

[01yz2nv]

Why didn't you take your $350 and apply it toward medical school for your MD?

If someone has no desire to "move forward" but just wants more knowledge to be prepared for random shit that might happen, why is that bad? We get it, some of you guys paid a lot of money to go through courses to get certified for shit.

If you arrived on scene somewhere and someone had taken a 3 story fall... would you rather everyone be standing around doing some facebook-live shit, or would you prefer that to have one person with the understanding that the patient should be immobilized, checked for an airway, etc? Would you rather 20 assholes gawk when you rolled up or 19 gawk and 1 guy have the sense to locate a massive bleed and at least apply pressure, if not a tourniquet?

You're better than us, we get it, but you shouldn't shit on other people that at least have the wherewithal to not be a parasitic drain on society.

I'm not saying it wouldn't be good for somebody to take a class like that to learn some basic knowledge, but not in two days. They would have to cram shit down your throat so fast you wouldnt know where to start. If really interested in something like that you could take an EMT basic class, there are several that are offered at night or on the weekends. The 2 day thing is what kills it for me, and they are talking about having careflight land (which is not uncommon for training classes) but I just don't see how they could cover all the info stated above in a manner that would be benificial and have a careflight come do a pub ed.

[Strychnine]

Take that $350 and apply it towards enrolling yourself in an actual EMT course. Take the state test. And see how you feel about moving forward.

Why didn't you take your $350 and apply it toward medical school for your MD?

If someone has no desire to "move forward" but just wants more knowledge to be prepared for random shit that might happen, why is that bad? We get it, some of you guys paid a lot of money to go through courses to get certified for shit.

If you arrived on scene somewhere and someone had taken a 3 story fall... would you rather everyone be standing around doing some facebook-live shit, or would you prefer that to have one person with the understanding that the patient should be immobilized, checked for an airway, etc? Would you rather 20 assholes gawk when you rolled up or 19 gawk and 1 guy have the sense to locate a massive bleed and at least apply pressure, if not a tourniquet?

You're better than us, we get it, but you shouldn't shit on other people that at least have the wherewithal to not be a parasitic drain on society.

[Cobraman]

2 days? That's the EMS equivalent of a police ride along. You're not going to gain or learn anything substantive in 2 days. Like stated above, a money grab.

Just to give you some perspective on why that would be a waste of money.

I have a AAS in Emergency Medical Management (Paramedicine) The EMT Basic portion was a full semester and the Paramedic portion consisted of two full semesters + summer courses in Medical Terminology and EMS Spanish. Weeks of clinical rotations. Two years of school in my case.

Take that $350 and apply it towards enrolling yourself in an actual EMT course. Take the state test. And see how you feel about moving forward.

Yep, everyone has time to take a full time EMT class LOL

[LS1Goat]

2 days? That's the EMS equivalent of a police ride along. You're not going to gain or learn anything substantive in 2 days. Like stated above, a money grab.

Just to give you some perspective on why that would be a waste of money.

I have a AAS in Emergency Medical Management (Paramedicine) The EMT Basic portion was a full semester and the Paramedic portion consisted of two full semesters + summer courses in Medical Terminology and EMS Spanish. Weeks of clinical rotations. Two years of school in my case.

Take that $350 and apply it towards enrolling yourself in an actual EMT course. Take the state test. And see how you feel about moving forward.

[Strychnine]

I'm sorry but I see this as a money grab. There's no way in hell you are gonna cover all that material in a form that you'll retain in 2 days. Not to mention withought a med bag you're really not going to be able to do anything anyways. I can see the cpr portion and basic trauma being useful. There is a reason medic school takes 6 months to 1yr +.

I disagree.

Judging by your response, I'd guess you're an EMT or something similar, so yeah, it's going to sound retarded. Some of the info may be remedial to someone with training, but for people without training a course like this could be an amazing thing.

5 or 6 years ago I took a wilderness medicine course through NOLS. It was geared toward people who would be away from trained first responders for an extended time (hours, or even days) - concentration on the essentials (Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure) with extra instruction on things like head/spine/musculoskeletal injury, shock, cold, altitude, wound treatment etc.

I grew up with parents in the medical field so I had a solid knowledge base going in, but some of the people didn't... but they have a hobby they enjoy, which is inherently dangerous, and the training made them more comfortable and more of a resource in the field.

As the saying goes, "When seconds count, [first responders] are only minutes away." If nothing else it makes them less of a liability. The more people that know these skills the better. No way around it.