USMC help

[thebloodsonthewall]

I don't know if you are looking at the correct information or not but the army has 68w's. That's a combat medic. We have one in every platoon and they go out on missions with us everyday. The only downside is some of them are stuck in the aid station. Pretty much the doctors office on the FOB.

[jkcerda]

I don't know if you are looking at the correct information or not but the army has 68w's. That's a combat medic. We have one in every platoon and they go out on missions with us everyday. The only downside is some of them are stuck in the aid station. Pretty much the doctors office on the FOB.

there are a few things I need to get cleared up

[Desert_Rat]

Don't forget he can even go green get to wear several, but not all of the USMC uniforms. Don't ever screw with the docs attached to a line unit. They are treated as one of us.

^^THIS^^

[Sgt5811]

Nobody ever joined the Marine Corps for the education. Navy corpsmen go through field medical service school at Camp Pendleton after their "bootcamp"/daycare program. Everything Corpsmen need to know, they learn when they get to the green side. Nothing like a little motrin to cure a gunshot wound or broken bone!

[Sgt5811]

Oh yeah, IV's are for hangovers and food/alcohol poisoning!

[F-2_Challenger]

Nothing like a little motrin to cure a gunshot wound or broken bone!

Don't forget about the moleskin and water.

[secondwind]

What exactly is it that your son wants? Like most have said the Navy supplies corpsman to nearly all USMC units from force recon and anglico to headquarters companies and field service support groups. If its the title, camraderie, adventure, and sense of belonging he seeks he can certainly find it within the corpsman ranks with the Marines. He would sign as an enlisted person, following discharge he could challenge state boards for LVN or LPN in many states which would put him within a year and a half shy from licensure as an RN if he enrolls in a bridge program. If he signs up as an RN it is as a commissioned officer and for most the majority of his service will be in field hospitals or military hospitals in a specialty area. Another route is as a medic in the Army or PJ in the Air Force, both of these offer possibilities with combat units if excitement is what he seeks. To the best of my knowledge as an advanced army medic he would have the opportunities to work at a very high scope of practice in many areas surpassing those of a RN, in the field performing needle decompression, crich's, cutdowns, stuff usually only Emergency docs and paramedics can do. Best of luck to him, hope he finds what he seeks.

[Anchors]

http://www.navy.com/navy/careers/healthcare.html

http://www.navy.com/navy/careers/healthcare/nurse.html

ouch, seems he needs to have graduated as a RN already

Navy Nurse Corps are different from Corpsmen.
You don't need to be in a nursing program for Corpsmen.
The recruiters told me that there is only a 50/50 change of getting Corpsmen right off the bat right now though. I don't know if they were serious, but I guess there's a lot of them.

[steelrain82]

Or he can be a corpsman who stays blue side,(navy only) and works in the clinics or on ships. Never goes with the marines at all

[dexterbase]

Ok. I was an FMF corpsman from 1998-2005. Hopefully I can provide a little bit of input.

Currently contracts for Hospital Corpsmen are hard to come by but not impossible. Its true that its a 5 year contract. This time obligation is in effect even if you do not actually make it as a corpsman. If you don't pass Basic Hospital Corps School you get re-classified into a "needs of the Navy" job. That may not be a great job or even something you have any interest in doing but since you signed up for 5 years you get to do that job for 5 years.

The way to get that contract is to do well on your ASVAB and have a clean history so you're a desirable candidate for enlistment. THEN tell your recruiter that there is only one job in the entire NAVY that you're interested in and there's no need for him to try and talk you into another job.

STICK TO YOUR GUNS. The recruiter will tell you that there's no open jobs for Corpsmen but there's other jobs you should look at. Tell him no. You want to be in the medical field so if he can't help you its off to the ARMY recruiter. Don't let him call your bluff. Tell him you'll join the Army unless he finds a way to enlist you as a Corpsman.

Believe me if he needs you and you're a solid candidate he will be able to find you a slot.

I used this tactic and my little brother who just reported into Corps School last week also used this tactic. It works but you have to straight up tell him you'll join another branch.

As far as being a Hospital Corpsman... in my opinion its the best job in the Marine Corps. A Marine typically gets locked into an MOS and they do that for their entire enlistment.

Every single place you find Marines you will also find Corpsmen. As a Corpsman you can work on a ship if you want. You can be in an infantry unit. You can go to the airwing. You can even take a rotation to a hospital if you want to relax (and get annoyed at the lack of bearing and discipline... but that's another topic)

Personally during my enlistment I had so many different assignments:
*Medical BN.
*Trained with 5th Force Recon
*Ran an EMT school
*Ran an ambulance
*Deployed for Operation Stabilize in ESt Timor
*Went on a couple deployments to Australia to cover Tandem Thrust
*Fast roped onto the flight deck of ships
*Worked with EOD and blew up so much stuff I got tired of it.
*Hung out in Thailand
*Spent six months in Southern Spain drinking beer at the beach and working in the Fleet Hospital we deployed there.
*Went to Iraq and ran PSD missions for the Division commander (Gen. Mattis) and Assistant Division Commander (Gen. Kelly)
*Dismounted foot patrols/mortar hunting missions.
*Treated almost daily casualties in rocket and mortar attacks on the FOB.
*Got in some nasty firefights on the roads.

But the most special thing was hearing my Marines call me "Doc" for the first time. Man there's absolutely no feeling like being accepted into a family of Warriors like that.

But that is earned.

Before you get there you go to Bootcamp in Great Lakes then Basic Hospital Corps School (currently in Great Lakes but soon all Corpsmen will be trained in Texas).

If you're going on to FMF units you then go to Field Med in either Camp Pendleton or Camp Lejune. This is the closest thing to Bootcamp a corpsman will actually get. There you will learn how to live within the Marine culture. You'll learn basic trauma medicine and field sanitation skills that will be used downrange.

There are so many different directions your career can take as a Corpsman. If you like Trauma you'll be served all you can eat. If you like ships you'll have your pick of whatever type you want to serve on. If you want to be an O.R. Tech then they'll pay for your school... the possibilities are basically endless.

I joined up with guys who ended up spending their entire enlistment sitting around being bored and complaining but my enlistment was like a recruiting commercial you see on TV. Nonstop adventures in all shapes and sizes. The difference was I put my hand up and volunteered for opportunities when they came up. Your enlistment will be what you make of it.

Let me make one thing clear though. If you plan on being an FMF Corpsman you need to be sure you're up to the job.

Make no mistake: if you get orders to a Marine unit your *** is basically joining the Marines. Your uniform may say Navy on it but in the middle of a firefight where you're taking RPG's and machine gun fire.. and you're returning fire between applying tourniquets and battle dressings... son you are in the Marine Corps.

If you're not willing to do everything that Marines do please do the Grunts a favor and don't sign up. Its not fair to them to have a Corpsman in their platoon who isn't 100% willing to follow them to hell and back.

But like I said there's absolutely no better job in the Navy or Marine Corps. I wish I could go back...

[stitch_paradox]

^^^ What Dexterbase said.

I'm a corpsman and I just finished Field Med school in Camp Pendleton. If your son wants to be a corpsman he needs to let his recruiter and detailer know that he wants the corpsman rate. I advice him to study hard for the ASVAB test because its really hard to get in the military right now with the job you want due to tough competition among other applicants. My recruiter was discouraging me with the corpsman rate, they where saying I might not get it or that I will be sent to the Marines. I told them that's what I want and if the Navy doesn't want me I'll join another branch of service.
The minimum initial sign up for the corpsman rate is 5 years, because the first year will be dedicated to school and training, specially if your son gets "C" school. Now for going green side (with the Marines) it all depends on what the big Navy needs. In "A" school, there where classes before me, that all the male students where sent green side. In my class there wasn't any green side billets, going to Field Med school was purely voluntary, and of course I volunteered.
Now,for the training it self. It was the best training I ever had! It is was I call the real "boot camp" (Contemporary Navy Bootcamp was a joke!). I learned alot about the Marines, their customs, their tradition, their discipline, their training, and their pride. I've always have respect for the Marines and the FMF corpsman, but I have more respect for them now. FMF corpsman is not a walk in the park. Your heart should be 100% there, or else you wont function the way you should be functioning.