Navy Corpsman and ROTC

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harqur

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Jun 20, 2015
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Hey,

I have had a long history of taking medical classes, and with the influence of my parents, I have decided that I want to do something both medical and army/navy/air force. Please do not think that I am here just asking for help blindly, but I have done lots of research on this and it is a little confusing - if anyone has any information please help me.

I know that there is an army medic and a navy hospital corpsman. I did the side by side comparison between the 2 and I decided that corpsman was better. I looked up how I become a Navy corpsman and I saw that there was a boot camp for like 9 weeks and then some classes on human anatomy and stuff. And thats it. You're a corpsman. This is great and all, but this really only qualifies as an "assistant" to the more certified medical personnel. I would prefer to have a college degree at least and then do something army/navy/airforce medical related. I know that I want to have an amazing experience, and that corpsman are able to be deployed with seals (correct if wrong). I just want to have that same experience, but maybe at a little higher level with more college training if you understand what im saying. My parents would look down upon me if I didnt even go to college and took up this job, although admirable, with the short education and low status type thing.

This is where my ROTC questions come into place. I am also trying out for ROTC, so can this help with my desires?
 
Harqur, I was a Navy Hospital Corpsman for 10 years a very long time ago. The path for me was 10 weeks of boot camp in Florida where you transitioned from civilian to military life. You got in shape, learned to march and learned the ways of the Navy. After that, I transferred to Great Lakes Hospital Corps School for another 10 or so weeks (can't remember) where we learned how to be a Corpsman. We learned patient care, emergency care, basic things you need to function as a Corpsman. After that, I was transferred to the Naval Hospital Long Beach to begin my career. There are, or at least there were, two types of schools: "A" school and "C" school. "A" school trained you as a basic Hopsital Corpsman and "C" school allowed you to specialize in more advanced training such as cardiology, radiology, urology, respiratory therapy etc. I am not sure what or if "C" schools are offered now, but any recruiter can tell you, or perhaps you can go onto the Navy webpage and find out. They also used to have a program for Independent Duty Corpsman that was even more training and you were allowed to run your own types of clinics. I am not sure if they still offer that.

I enlisted first in the Navy as a Corpsman and loved my job for the most part, but there were some I had that had nothing really to do with medical. I did my best and gave 110% at those jobs because I had a plan and I wanted more. I went to school at night whenever I could and then applied for the MECP (Medical Enlisted Commissioning Program). I did not get selected until the third year I applied. At my 10 year mark I went to nursing school on the Navy's dime and was commissioned in the Nurse Corps with a 4 year payback. I later earned a Masters as an FNP via DUINS (Duty Under Instruction) where the Navy paid my salary and tuition in exchange for a 2 year obligation and retired after 20 years. It was not a direct route, but it got me to my goal. The Navy was very good to me and it was an honor to serve.

If you go ROTC you will be competing for something other than Corpsman, i.e. nurse, doctor, dentist. You do not need a degree to become a Corpsman, but it certainly will help you with advancement. Although you can do some much needed, very exciting and challenging things as a Corpsman, you are limited in your scope of practice, that is why I became a nurse. And, as you make rank your duties will steer away from patient care and more toward management and leadership of lower enlisted ranks. You have that at the officer level as well, but IMO you can work with patients much longer depending on which professional degree you pursue. With that considered, you have to ask yourself how much you want to do, how much school do you want to put under your belt and what responsibilities would like to have.

I have done both, enlisted and officer. Each has their own pros and cons and I certainly enjoyed each one. If I were to do it all over again, I would have pursued a nursing degree right out of high school and then joined the military as an officer. At the time, I really needed a job and could not afford the college, so I enlisted. It took me longer to get a degree, but in the end, it worked for me. Hope this helps.
 
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Nothing "low status" about being an enlisted member of the Armed Forces....today's all volunteer force is vastly different than the conscription army we had until the 1970s....

that said, the jobs are different. An Army medic or a Navy Corpsman are more like EMTs or Medical Assistants on the civilian side....

Both the Army and the Navy (and the Air Force) have commissioned officers that serve as Nurses, Certified Nurse Practioners, and Doctors to include specialists....

ROTC is one way to get there, but the number of folks selected for Medical Corps out of ROTC are pretty small....it does happen, but both Army (I think) and Navy (I know) have "Direct" commissioning programs....in other words, the Navy goes to Medical Schools and offers upcoming graduates commissions in the Navy Medical Corps.

All ROTC programs are intended to produce "line" officers...by that, I mean folks that will drive ships, fly airplanes, lead troops...for many of the "specialty" technical areas (like doctors and lawyers), the Services just seek out those who have already completed the formal education requirements.

Again, that's not 100%. There are some that get selected out of the Academies and ROTC to go to law school/medical school/vet school.....but they are a very small minority....maybe 1 or 2% nation wide (I'm guestimating here based on my experience while on active duty).
 
BTW, being a Corpsman is not low status, just a different way of doing something you love. They are an absolute necessary job in the Navy and many times are the first life saving defense in a time of war. They are highly respected.
 
I can't speak to the ROTC portion of your question but my DD is AD USAF and an EMT in Europe. Her path to Aerospace Medical Tech. was as follows. AF boot camp in San Antonio, medical training at Joint Base San Antonio , this is where AF and Navy train their medics. AF medics are certified as EMTs' and are on the national registry as such but I do not believe Navy does this. AF has a program for enlisted personnel that entails the airman being the primary cargiver in remote areas. That means they may be pulling teeth to setting bones and placing stiches... There are of course sub specialities as well like x-ray, OB, ect. Per DD AF Med tech do much more than their Navy counterparts and have many more responsibilities. DD was attached to an emergency room for a few months and has now transitioned to being stationed at a fire station and loves it!! Good luck
 
FalconsRock said:
BTW, being a Corpsman is not low status, just a different way of doing something you love. They are an absolute necessary job in the Navy and many times are the first life saving defense in a time of war. They are highly respected.
Click to expand...

I can't stress that point enough. The bond between a Corpsman and a Marine unit is especially strong. They are highly respected and treated with a respect that Marines don't give to anyone else outside the USMC.

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/sto...-statue-dedicated-at-camp-pendleton/20464575/
 
I understand completely your parents wanting you to get a degree first. You never know what the future may hold, is what I told my DS when we had this discussion. Get it while the getting's good. However, with my limited understanding of the military way of things, I am under the impression that officers don't get the same opportunity as enlisted. I wonder if an officer would be out there in the field with the troops or with the seals or if that is left up to the enlisted. Something to think about.

From the forums, sounds like it is quite competitive to get an officers spot as an RN, at least with ROTC. No idea on the other paths. Have you checked into the degree Physician's Assistant? Much more intense than it sounds. But that can be difficult to earn and takes more education than a nursing degree. Beyond a military career, both of these would be excellent in the civilian world. Many exciting opportunities, such as flight or travel nurse/PA.
 
Officers who are filling billets such as Platoon Commander, Company Commander, etc are always in the field with their Marine or Sailors. If you fight as a unit you train as a unit. Now if you are the assistant Operations officer, maybe not so much. If you are doing a battalion level exercise sure you will be in the field with them. Now the field at that level might be the Operations Center and not doing Platoon defense or offensive operations. Officers get different opportunities than enlisted, its not better or worse, its different.

Corpsman are great. I have seen them do amazing things on the battlefield. But if this is the path that interests you, enlisting is the way to go. Field Corpsman go to different training at Camp Pendelton than Corpsman who go to ships, hospitals, etc. There also other specialties in the Navy for radiology techs, dental techs, etc. As a Corpsman you can go to a lot of different places and do a variety of jobs either with the Navy or Marine Corps. If you are pursing a SA or ROTC, your options for the medical world are smaller; nurse and doctor really. There are tons of threads on here regarding being a doctor, recommend you read those. The Army offers Medical Service Corps which does include a variety of specialties including health admin type jobs (be something similar to helping run hospitals).
 
Harqur, check this out for AF...

Independent Duty
Medical Technician
(IDMT) Program


Course Description:
The Independent Duty Medical Technician (IDMT) Program provides mandatory training for members of the 4N0X1 career field prior to being assigned to remote or isolated duty stations; provide medical support to a non-medical field unit; or provide medical support to other government agencies and joint service missions as directed by DoD.

Course instruction includes:obtaining medical histories, examining, assessing, treating and documenting patient care encounters in the absence of a physician. Includes training in emergency medical, dental, and surgical procedures to stabilize patient condition until evacuation to definitive care can occur.

Provides general knowledge and procedural skill in medical administration. Monitoring medical aspects of special interest programs and health promotions. Provides instruction on advanced medication administration and dispensary operation IAW AFI 44-103, and low complexity laboratory procedures. Also, addresses procedures for conducting occupational health services, preventive medicine, field hygiene, and food/water safety inspections in lieu of public health and bioenvironmental health personnel.
Special Information:
Upon completion, graduates are registered in the National Provider Index, awarded CCAF hours and assigned the "C" shred for AFSC 4N0X1.

Graduates meet all NREMT-B refresher/recertification training requirements, and earn national certification in Prehospital Trauma Life Support and Advance Cardiac Life Support. The instructional design of this course is group-paced.
 
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