I got a question about becoming a Corpsman or 68W

[James3shin]

So I'm about to finish one of my undergrad degrees (Chemistry), with another (Neurophys, basically Biology) in the works with a minor (education). I'm looking to go to grad school eventually, and become a Organic Chemistry Professor. I used to be premed and was at the doorway of taking MCATs and applying to schools, but realized I'm not in it for the right reasons (money, power, respect). I was altruistic at one point and I still want to serve/help people, but not as an MD. I think I want to join the USMC and become a Corpsman, or join the Army and become a 68W, but I have not a clue how things work. I've gone to Marines.com and the site was bloated with flash crap and no direct info. Same with the army website. I know ATOT has some enlisted members and maybe you guys could point me in the right direction.

 

[BigJ]

Buddy of mine was a Navy Corpsman embedded with Marines in Iraq for 2 years.

Go talk to a local Navy recruiter.

 

[FoBoT]

the marines don't have corpsmen, they are sailors, in the Navy

you need to join the Navy to become a Corpsman and then you can do tours of duty with marine units

http://www.navy.com/careers/enlisted/medical/

Wherever the Marines go, so do Navy Hospital Corpsmen. Here, a Hospital Corpsman removes metal fragments from the eyebrow of a U.S. Marine who was injured when an Improvised Explosive Device detonated under his vehicle during Operation Mountain Storm in Afghanistan.

 

[21bUSA]

All I can say is do your homework. Be sure its what you want! You are better off becoming an Officer, or if you want go enlisted but I prefer you dont due to you college background.

 

[MedicBob]

Go for the Gold. Officer with the background. What about RN or PA?

Avoid the enlisted side as there is alot of places where you never touch a patient. USN provides corpsmen for the USMC after additional training. Be forwarned though, Corpsmen are held to the same standards as Marines including PT, weapons, dress, etc.

 

[James3shin]

Originally posted by: MedicBob
Go for the Gold. Officer with the background. What about RN or PA?

Avoid the enlisted side as there is alot of places where you never touch a patient. USN provides corpsmen for the USMC after additional training. Be forwarned though, Corpsmen are held to the same standards as Marines including PT, weapons, dress, etc.

That's just my cup of tea. Given the choice between Army and Navy, I like the Marines/Navy . I'm really not looking to be a RN or PA, I don't mind being on the frontline. I need to decide if I'm going to forego my second degree and minor, and jump right into the Navy or if I'm going to go into the reserves.

 

[Kwaipie]

Keep in mind that there is exactly zero guarantee you'll go where you want. Needs of the Navy trump your desire. If the marine corp corpsman is your goal, be prepared to be disappointed.

Good luck though, few jobs more rewarding than a combat medic.

 

[MedicBob]

Originally posted by: James3shin

Originally posted by: MedicBob
Go for the Gold. Officer with the background. What about RN or PA?

Avoid the enlisted side as there is alot of places where you never touch a patient. USN provides corpsmen for the USMC after additional training. Be forwarned though, Corpsmen are held to the same standards as Marines including PT, weapons, dress, etc.

That's just my cup of tea. Given the choice between Army and Navy, I like the Marines/Navy . I'm really not looking to be a RN or PA, I don't mind being on the frontline. I need to decide if I'm going to forego my second degree and minor, and jump right into the Navy or if I'm going to go into the reserves.

It isn't the front lines I am talking about. MEDDAC would be pure hell as a 91/68 series enlisted. You would be a CNA and not alot more. You could get lucky and serve with a combat unit, but you still might get stuck in a Level II or Level III facility. Think of a MASH but you are the one doing all the scut work and not treating patients.

Officer is your best bet. It would be up to you for what branch of officer in the USA. In the USN plan on spending some time on a ship either way.

I spent 8 years USMC, 1 year USNR, and 9 years USA, Nation Guard. I have 10 years in the medical field and enjoyed it very much, but I also avoided the larger medical units. I spent my time as a Medic/Corpman with infantry units only.

Whatever you decide get all the options from enlisted and officer recruiters. Good luck and have fun, I did.

 

[James3shin]

Originally posted by: MedicBob

Originally posted by: James3shin

Originally posted by: MedicBob
Go for the Gold. Officer with the background. What about RN or PA?

Avoid the enlisted side as there is alot of places where you never touch a patient. USN provides corpsmen for the USMC after additional training. Be forwarned though, Corpsmen are held to the same standards as Marines including PT, weapons, dress, etc.

That's just my cup of tea. Given the choice between Army and Navy, I like the Marines/Navy . I'm really not looking to be a RN or PA, I don't mind being on the frontline. I need to decide if I'm going to forego my second degree and minor, and jump right into the Navy or if I'm going to go into the reserves.

It isn't the front lines I am talking about. MEDDAC would be pure hell as a 91/68 series enlisted. You would be a CNA and not alot more. You could get lucky and serve with a combat unit, but you still might get stuck in a Level II or Level III facility. Think of a MASH but you are the one doing all the scut work and not treating patients.

Officer is your best bet. It would be up to you for what branch of officer in the USA. In the USN plan on spending some time on a ship either way.

I spent 8 years USMC, 1 year USNR, and 9 years USA, Nation Guard. I have 10 years in the medical field and enjoyed it very much, but I also avoided the larger medical units. I spent my time as a Medic/Corpman with infantry units only.

Whatever you decide get all the options from enlisted and officer recruiters. Good luck and have fun, I did.

I don't want to be stuck in a Hospital or on a boat. I'm looking to help the Marines, how would I secure that spot?

 

[DainBramaged]

Originally posted by: James3shin

Originally posted by: MedicBob

Originally posted by: James3shin

Originally posted by: MedicBob
Go for the Gold. Officer with the background. What about RN or PA?

Avoid the enlisted side as there is alot of places where you never touch a patient. USN provides corpsmen for the USMC after additional training. Be forwarned though, Corpsmen are held to the same standards as Marines including PT, weapons, dress, etc.

That's just my cup of tea. Given the choice between Army and Navy, I like the Marines/Navy . I'm really not looking to be a RN or PA, I don't mind being on the frontline. I need to decide if I'm going to forego my second degree and minor, and jump right into the Navy or if I'm going to go into the reserves.

It isn't the front lines I am talking about. MEDDAC would be pure hell as a 91/68 series enlisted. You would be a CNA and not alot more. You could get lucky and serve with a combat unit, but you still might get stuck in a Level II or Level III facility. Think of a MASH but you are the one doing all the scut work and not treating patients.

Officer is your best bet. It would be up to you for what branch of officer in the USA. In the USN plan on spending some time on a ship either way.

I spent 8 years USMC, 1 year USNR, and 9 years USA, Nation Guard. I have 10 years in the medical field and enjoyed it very much, but I also avoided the larger medical units. I spent my time as a Medic/Corpman with infantry units only.

Whatever you decide get all the options from enlisted and officer recruiters. Good luck and have fun, I did.

I don't want to be stuck in a Hospital or on a boat. I'm looking to help the Marines, how would I secure that spot?

Best thing to do with that is to go talk to the Navy recruiter. Also, try to find forums that have Navy people on it and ask around. That's what I did before I signed up for the Marines (three days ago.)

 

[ScottMac]

I was a Corpsman (HospitalCorpsman is the "official" title) I got out as an HM2/E5.

A unit Corpsman goes through "8404" - Field Med School, and nearly everyone in my Corps School Class went through it (most to Cp LeJeune, Jacksonville N.C.)

There are other field affiliations: For example, the Navy/MC version of a MASH is "Med Bat." In peace time you spend a lot of time polishing instruments and painting rocks, set up the tent, take down and pack the tent, do "bug out" drills ...

In theater, you can be in a near front-line evac unit, or well behind the line at a field hospital. There is / are (I believe) one or more hospital ships deployed ... a floating hospital.

As a unit Corpsman, you are with the Grunts, doing whatever the grunts of your unit are doing. If you are in a transportation group, you ride ... if you are with Recon, you sneak around ... and if you're in a rifle company, you're "up front and having fun".

As a group, Corpsman will be doing any job you'd see at any hospital .... there are Corpsmen drivers, Corpsman Adminssion Unit clerks, Corpsmen that work the ER ... even Corpsmen "Vertical Transport Operation Specialists" (Elevator Operators, usually fvck-ups).

As a "C" school (Advanced Training) thre are the usual variety of specializations: Lab Tech, Histo Tech, Cyto Techs, Pharmacy, PT/OT, Peds, OR Tech, Mortuary Tech .... again, any type of specialized Technician work you'd see any any other Civilian hospital. Many of those specialties are also "out front" at a Med Batt / Field Hospital. ... you still need Lab, OR, Ortho, Psych folks ... even if you're out in the field.

Some of the cooler jobs include MedEvacs (Ride the 'copters with patients) ... I was with EOD (Explosive Ordanance Disposal - Group Two, Ft. Story, VA Beach) as TAD (temporarily assigned) for two stints of 13 weeks each. We spent the time sweeping the Intra-Coastal Waterway that passes through Cp. LeJeune collecting unexploded rounds so the Army Corps of Engineer dredges wouldn't suck 'em up when they scooped out the waterway. Twice a day, we blew up the rounds collected .... blowing things up was a good time.

I also pent time as a "Beach Corpsman" working with three others running the Dispensary at Onslow Beach. Uniform of the day was a swinsuit and Tech jacket, pith helmets were optional. We held sick-call for 27 Marine Lifeguards, and took care of injuries (cuts, jellyfish stings) for the beach visitors - Base personnel and their dependents. We also covered that edge of the base for accidents (we did a helo crash at the nearby TLZ, and a Marine that hung himself on his rifle strap doing a rope slide out of a Huey)

I also spent time in Dispensary Services at LeJeune filling in for Unit Corpsmen that were on leave, or to fill temporary vacancies. So, I did time at the rifle range, the Brig, Motorpool/transportation, HQ Batt, and some misc rifle companies. I also filled in at the Physical Exam Center ... I participated in Leon Spinks physical on his way to the Olympics.

The last two years, I worked in Clinical Investigation and Research Service (the Navy does research too!) doing mostly photography ... Photomacrography and Electronmicroscopy, and some work in the Animal Lab. Our main projects were "Pre-disposing Factors for Glamarulo-nephritis" and some studies for stimulating the auto-immune system to fight (mostly) lung cancers. We also did some work extracting enzymes from boa constrictor lungs to see if they could be used to reduce / prevent neonatal collapsed lungs.

SO, hopefully the concept you are getting is that there's more to front-line medical than severe trauma, and even at or near the line, there is a broad spectrum of jobs for you to consider. Even within the narrower "Emergency Health Care Delivery" field, there are a variety of disciplines to pursue.

See your Recruiter, take the tests, trust about 50% of whatever he tells you. Then go home, think real hard about it ... it ain't as portrayed on TV or the movies (although Private Ryan came about as close as anything).

If you have an AMVETS or VFW post or similar, go there and talk to poeple, hopefully Field Medical people. Visit a VA hospital and talk to the staff folks there ... many are ex-military ... maybe do some volunteer time to get a feel for it.

I don't regret any of my time. Thinking back, I'd probably do it all over again.

OH! And the usual program is "Chose your Rate, or Choose your Base" (Within the limits of the DreamSheet). When I was in, if you signed up for a program (like Corpsman), and later you were found to somehow not qualify, you could get out. They usually tried to pursuade you to move to another rate ... but you could get out clean if they couldn't deliver.

If you're leaning towards the Army, you'd be looking for a 91 Alpha, Bravo, Charlie (A-school, B-school, C-school) MOS (Military Occupational Specialty). I wasn't in the Army, but friends that were said that in the Army Medical Department, you are first an Infantryman, then a Medic ... unless you were a CO, you could be assigned to just about anything, including pure Infantry duty.

Good Luck

Scott
SR (1975) - HM2 (1979), no pushbuttons.