brigmed half-main here. i am here to argue my case. (straightens my tie)
so, as i have learned, there is a LOT of stuff in-game for brigmeds. we have a uniform, in both skirt and pants form. we have a hardsuit. we have a locker, that comes with mindshields, combat kits, and other uniform bits. we have bedsheets. most security areas, even, have a rather small medical bay that goes mostly unused because they'd rather go to medical to get fixed up, even if the in-house bay is closer and has better stock. this doesn't account for the multiple (and i mean Multiple) instances of security being in poor health but refusing to let in medical staff because they're busy and can't get to the door, or people are crowding the entrance and will slip inside...
enter the official brigmedic role. spawns in the medical bay of security, has both medical and security radios. doesn't necessarily need access to perma, as perma isn't oft used, and can be conditionally given by HoS if a prisoner is sentenced. their role would be grouped with security rather than medical, so that they can be found easier on manifests.
brigmed is an incredibly fun role that i value deeply! i enjoy playing it! it makes rounds as a medic so much more enjoyable and i often go out of my way to seek it out... but the issue is the paperwork portion of it. i need a stamp from HoS, which means i have to FIND HoS, and if i join even four minutes into a round it's like forcing a cat into a bathtub. sometimes doing something as simple as getting a stamp on paper can take thirty minutes to even an hour (as i am sometimes told to run side-quest errands like getting mindshields from cargo first, which then requires cargo to cooperate, which is an entirely different can of worms). i have almost never been told "no", though. security, almost always, wants a specialized medic because it is a Necessary Role. i feel like the foundation is there for it to be easily implemented, but it's just not.
the only thing that might need any level of rework is what the medical sector of sec looks like. some security bays don't have a designated spot (so it can either be added in post, or be a station-specific role like reporter or psych?), and some Do but they aren't fully equipped with things needed to do the job. i don't think it needs to be Medical 2.0, per se, but a basic set of emergency kits (like combat, advanced, burn, and brute), a medvend, a surgical bag, and an operating table OR medical bed would be incredibly helpful. some medical wards are incredibly well-supplied (i've seen some that have a med bed, a surgical table, AND a morgue!!!) but that is something i would consider a luxury bay; in the same way not all security sectors are built equal, i don't think all med wards need to be. however, an issue with being a brigmedic is having to locate the section (if there even is one) and then run and grab stock from medbay, which has already been ravaged by then...
as for the amount of hours needed for the role, i PERSONALLY think the experience hours can be a combined medical doctor and security officer (so above cadet and intern) would apply well, as it would require basic fundamentals in both and wouldn't require the specialized needs of chemist (as there is never a chemistry area in a brigmed area and i frankly don't think it's needed?) and there won't be any sentencing done (which is usually handled by higher-ranking secoffs).
this is incredibly ramble-y, and i hope i made sense? i can clarify points as needed! i just think it's a genuine shame that a role is so ready for application, but isn't actually put into the game yet. it would be more than helpful to security, and the less i have to run back and forth between security and medical and the more specialized help they can get, the better!
