Red Sunburst Certification for Corpsmen

[alex_greene]

As far as my research indicates, Marine forces do not have a dedicated medical unit, unlike the Army and Navy.

Corpsmen in Traveller can gain Medic skill if they choose the Support assignment and/or have a high enough Education that they can roll on the Advanced Education table: but if the Marines of Traveller are to be modelled after the USMC or Royal Marines, if a Corpsman on furlough or ex-Marine who'd served as a Corpsman were to stop and treat even so much as a little boy's barked shin, he would be liable for arrest for practicing medicine without a license.

With all due respect to anyone here who's served in the RL military, this sucks.

In the future, in any chargen sessions I run as a referee, one automatic mustering out benefit for any Marine leaving the Service with Medic 0 or higher will be Red Sunburst Certification - a red stylised sunburst on a white background, the design based on the Red Cross / Red Crescent flag from Terra. This certificate would legally allow a former Corpsman, or one in active service but currently off duty among civilians, to practice field medicine among a civilian population, at least as far as being able to perform First Aid and/or emergency surgery.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

As far as my research indicates, Marine forces do not have a dedicated medical unit, unlike the Army and Navy.

It is an old bureaucratic accident that USMC medics are formally paid by the Navy? The Royal Marines has a specialist track for Medical Assistant, http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/careers/royal-marines/royal-marines-specialisations
It is certainly not a general rule that marine forces lack integrated basic functions like that.

... if a Corpsman on furlough or ex-Marine who'd served as a Corpsman were to stop and treat even so much as a little boy's barked shin, he would be liable for arrest for practicing medicine without a license.

In some extremely repressive jurisdictions, perhaps...
The 3I is a very devolved confederation, the Imperium does not generally rule planets, as far as I understand. Some systems will accept Imperial medical certifications, some will not. I would imagine very few jurisdictions would arrest you for applying first aid.

I can imagine that you would require an Imperial certification to serve as a medic on a starship, but I would not hassle any player with such trivia.

Sorry if I sound negative, but I find your basic premise peculiar.

 

[-Daniel-]

Sadly in the US it has happened but I like the idea Alex offers and in my game I think I will expand the certification to cover any medic 0 or 1 or non-doctor. This would also then be a great benefit for anyone who wishes to work as a ship medic or steward.