The Expert Field Medical Badge is a United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 decoration first created on June 18, 1965. This badge is the non-combat equivalent of the Combat Medical Badge

Combat Medical Badge

The Combat Medical Badge is an award of the United States Army which was first created in January 1945. The badge is awarded to any member of the Army Medical Department, at the rank of Colonel or below, who are assigned or attached to a medical unit which provides medical support to a ground...

 and is awarded to medical personnel of the US Military who successfully complete a set of qualification tests including both written and performance portions. It is authorized for wear by United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 medical personnel that meet the same requirements.

Army regulations prohibit the wearing of both decorations simultaneously by personnel awarded the Expert Field Medical Badge and the Combat Medical Badge. In such cases, the Combat Medical Badge has precedence according to Army Regulation 670-1.

The infantry equivalent of the Expert Field Medical Badge is the Expert Infantryman Badge

Expert Infantryman Badge

The Expert Infantryman Badge, or EIB, is a military badge of the United States Army. Although similar in name and appearance to the Combat Infantryman Badge , it is a completely different award: while the CIB is awarded for participation in ground combat, the EIB is presented for completion of a...

.

The pass rate for FY 2008 was 15.3%, making the EFMB one of the most difficult and prestigious Army skill badges to earn. https://www.cs.amedd.army.mil/details.aspx?dt=179

Current Requirements (2008 to present)

Comprehensive Written Test: 60 multiple choice questions; 75% to pass.
Army Physical Fitness Test: Pass to standard.
M16 or M4 Weapons Qualification: Pass to standard within last 12 months.
Land Navigation: Day and night land navigation courses.
Forced Road March: 12-mile road march with a standard fighting load to be completed in three hours.
Current CPR certification
Tactical Combat Casualty Care Tasks

• Perform a TCCC patient assessment
• Triage casualties
• Control bleeding using a tourniquet, hemostatic device, and dressings
• Initiate a saline lock and IV
• Initiate treatment for hypovolemic shock & prevent hypothermia
• Insert nasopharyngeal airway
• Treat a penetrating chest wound
• Perform needle chest decompression
• Treat an open abdominal wound
• Treat a casualty with an open head injury
• Immobilize a suspected fracture of the arm
• Treat eye lacerations/contusions/extrusions

Medical and Casualty Evacuation Tasks

• Evacuate a casualty using a SKED litter and litter carries
• Evacuate casualties using one- or two-person carries or drags
• Extricate a casualty from a vehicle
• Establish a helicopter landing point
• Load casualties onto a helicopter, ground evacuation platform, and two nonstandard vehicles

Warrior Skills Tasks

• Protect self from chem/bio contamination with protective mask
• Decontaminate self with chemical decon kits
• Protect self from CBRN injury or contamination with JSLIST gear
• Store protective mask
• Protect self from bio/chem contamination when removing JSLIST
• Perform self-aid for mild nerve agent poisoning
• Correct malfunction of M16 or M4
• Disassemble, assemble, and perform functions check of an M9 pistol and an M16 (or M4) rifle
• Move under direct fire, react to indirect fire, and react to an UXO or possible IED
• Move over, through, and around obstacles

Communications Tasks (5 Tasks)

• Assemble and operate SINCGARS or SINCGARS (ASIP) w/o ANCD
• Load FH/COMSEC data and conduct radio check using SINCGARS / SINCGARS (ASIP)
• Prepare and Transmit a MEDEVAC request (All 9 lines) (No longer a Mandatory GO)
• Submit an NBC 1 Report
• Submit an Explosive Hazard Spot Report

Previous Requirements (before 2008)

Comprehensive Written Test: 100 multiple choice questions; 75% to pass.
Army Physical Fitness Test: Pass to standard.
M16 Weapons Qualification: Pass to standard within last 12 months.
Land Navigation: Day and night land navigation courses.
Forced Road March: 12-mile road march with a standard fighting load to be completed in three hours.
Litter Obstacle Course: Done as a 4-man team with candidates graded individually.
Lane testing: Tasks graded individually but lanes are pass/fail.

• Communications: Competency with field radios and radio techniques. "Prepare and transmit a MEDEVAC request" must be one of the three of four tasks passed in order to receive an overall "GO" for the lane.
• Survival: Demonstrate knowledge of survival skills in an NBC environment and combat situations including use of the M16 series rifle.
• Emergency Medical Treatment: Demonstrate treatment of various wounds similar to those in a combat situation.
• Evacuation of Sick and Wounded: Demonstrate evacuation techniques utilizing vehicles and manual carries.
• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR): Demonstrate proficiency in CPR using the one-person method.

In summary, current requirements differ from previous requirements with the addition of the M9 Pistol for survival tasks, CPR card certification in lieu of demonstrating CPR proficiency, and the reorganization of the lanes into a combat scenario. http://ameddcs.army.mil/filedownload.aspx?docid=55