[Action] Medic lacks Physiology

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Agemegos

Do medics study anatomy and physiology in such detail? I thought that basic MOS training for a medic took only about fourteen weeks, whereas basic medical training takes about six years.

Originally Posted by Anders

Good point. I was thinking of doctors. But surely they must spend 200 hours on it?

Originally Posted by Agemegos

Doctors, probably, considering that what GURPS calls "Physiology" seems to include the complementary subject of anatomy. Medics, no. Medics' entire training (before specialising) is probably less than six hundred hours, and they have to learn to actually do stuff, not just understand one branch of biology.

Medics in GURPS Action! is 'anyone who can do medical stuff' and whether that ability is due to a lengthy education as a doctor, a short course as a medic or even just experience as a shady underworld butcher is ultimately a special effect.

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by Icelander

Medics in GURPS Action! is 'anyone who can do medical stuff' and whether that ability is due to a lengthy education as a doctor, a short course as a medic or even just experience as a shady underworld butcher is ultimately a special effect.

Right.

In British professional argot, a "medic" is a doctor whose postgraduate training (equivalent to postdoctoral speciality training training in the US system) was in one of the specialisations governed by the RCP rather than the RCS, and is contrasted with a surgeon. Medics are called "doctor" even if they lack a doctoral degree, and wear long ties, whereas surgeons are called "mister" even if they have a doctorate, and wear bow ties*.

But that's not the terminology GURPS uses.

In American parlance a "medic" is anyone, usually a combat medical technician, emergency medical technical, combat medic, corpsman, or paramedic (but sometimes an emergency physician or medical student in emergency medicine), who is trained and employed to provide critical care especially to the injured such that they will survive to reach definitive treatment.

In Action! it is as Icelander says, a matter of special effect and not of substance whether the character capable of treating combat injuries is an Army CMT with fourteen weeks training or a fully-qualified graduate of veterinary school.
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* I gave my nephew a bow tie when he was awarded his FRACS, but he didn't understand. Americanisation is destroying our culture.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Anders

The Medic in Action 1 (p. 13) lacks Physiology. In our reality, of course, doctors spend long hours learning anatomy and physiology. Is this an erratum or a concession to action-movie reality?

Or an acknowledgement that it never should have been a separate skill from Physician in the first place.

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Or an acknowledgement that it never should have been a separate skill from Physician in the first place.

Well, a medical researcher contending for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has a very different skill from a leading physician (internist), and GURPS probably wanted to observe that. But yes, there are probably too many skills in the overlap of surgery, diagnosis, physician, physiology, biology, midwifery, pharmacy, psychiatry, psychology, professional skill, veterinary, and savoir faire.