What to do to become a flight medic in the army

Dlampe

Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2015
Messages
15
Very confused about the path I should take once I get out of high school. Being told to go into an ROTC program in college. Very confused about what to do after that. Am I going to have to go to BCT training right out of college, or am I going to go straight into combat? And after that, what happens?
 
Flight medics are an enlisted position that does not require college. If that is what you want to do then ROTC would not be the way to go. Flight nurse or flight surgeon requires the additional schooling.
 
What would be the way to go for a flight medic then? Would I go straight to BCT or can I go to West Point?
 
What would be the way to go for a flight medic then? Would I go straight to BCT or can I go to West Point?

You need to do some personal research. If you want to be a flight medic, go see your local recruiter and enlist. Going to West Point will not end with you as a flight medic, it is a commissioning source.
 
Dlampe - it's good to ask questions, but nothing beats serious research on your own, especially on the official Service sites.
Start at the beginning - learn about role differences between officer and enlisted service, what career paths they can take, and what sources/paths produce officers and enlisted. USMA is a four year immersion program that produces officers with college degrees and officer commissions. ROTC at a college or university is another path to commissioned officer service, non-immersion. As mentioned by kp2001, flight medics are enlisted service members, no college required, no commission required. Your nearest Armed Forces Recruiting Center can give you all kinds of information, as can the online research.

People on here are very willing to help - but it's a partnership, where you do the heavy lifting on research yourself.

It's good you want to serve - the more you learn, the more educated a decision you will make.
 
Cross-posted with Bull. Same general thoughts.
 
Cross-posted with Bull. Same general thoughts.
I have been researching online all the time but some of the information that is on the Internet is confusing or incorrect. And some sites tell me different information than others on the same topic.
 
Life is like that. Might be time to organize your questions and talk to someone f2f.
 
I'm just so nervous to talk to a recruiter because I just don't know what to say. Will they be up to answering all of my questions? Will they lead me in the right direction?
 
Yes they will answer all your questions. They want you to enlist. You need to decide if you want to be an officer or enlisted first. If your goal is officer then the recruiter is not the best place to go. First establish what path, officer or enlisted, is right for you. Research and then ask us some specific questions. We are more than happy to help.
 
I think recruiters talk to people with "teen" at the end of their ages quite often. Over to you to put a foot on the path to adulthood. Learn to be a critical listener.
 
The only thing I am very worried about is that I want and need to go to college. That has always been one of my goals. But at the same time I really want to be an army medic or flight medic. I am just very stuck and Google and other websites are not helping me with the questions I have, but if I go to a recruiter I'm scared that the will not tell me anything but that I should enlist right away.
 
Nobody needs or has to go to college.

Do you want to be a medic or to do something in the medical field?

You can go to college and then enlist as a medic. Or vice versa
 
Well I was thinking that a medic was in the medical field! Is it not? And if I decided to go to college and then enlist as a medic, how many more years of schooling after college would I need?
 
My goodness, you really need to do your homework. First I suggest you learn the different levels of employment within the medical field. You need to understand how much education is required for each position and what the responsibilities are for each position.

After you have this basic information, you need to get informed of the pros and cons of enlistment verses commissioning as an officer. Talk to former enlisted and get their take on officers and enlisted personnel.

Then you need to make an informed decision about what you want. INFORMED DECISION. After you have decided what you want, then go talk to the people who can help you make it happen. This is your life. Don't let anyone talk you in to something you don't want.

I will tell you this. If you don't pass your medic training, you are going to end up in a job you didn't want. You better study like you want this job. Many don't pass because they make poor decisions about how to manage their time in training.

It's time for you to get to work.
 
My goodness, you really need to do your homework. First I suggest you learn the different levels of employment within the medical field. You need to understand how much education is required for each position and what the responsibilities are for each position.

After you have this basic information, you need to get informed of the pros and cons of enlistment verses commissioning as an officer. Talk to former enlisted and get their take on officers and enlisted personnel.

Then you need to make an informed decision about what you want. INFORMED DECISION. After you have decided what you want, then go talk to the people who can help you make it happen. This is your life. Don't let anyone talk you in to something you don't want.

I will tell you this. If you don't pass your medic training, you are going to end up in a job you didn't want. You better study like you want this job. Many don't pass because they make poor decisions about how to manage their time in training.

It's time for you to get to work.

Could you maybe message me personally and talk to me about this? I am only limited to so many characters and it is hard for me to type exactly what I am thinking! I'm sorry
 
I think this guy has been on here before long ago in another galaxy
 
MOS-68WF3 or F2 even

You need BCT, 68W school (Fort Sam Houston) and some time as a unit medic (line medic). Whether you become a combat medic is determined if you deploy or not.
Flight medic or paramedic schooling grants another identifier and is later on in the process. There is even a course called SOCM for medics interested in SF or the Ranger Regiment. All in all the process can take a few years.

Being a medic has nothing to do with West Point. Officer vs enlisted. Two different worlds.

Enlisted-Medics and healthcare (rads, PT etc) techs
Officer-Nurses, physicians, PAs etc.
 
Back
Top