This site is for mothers of kids in the U.S. Navy and for Moms who have questions about Navy life for their kids.

FIRST TIME HERE?

FOLLOW THESE STEPS TO GET STARTED:

Choose your Username.  For the privacy and safety of you and/or your sailor, NO LAST NAMES ARE ALLOWED, even if your last name differs from that of your sailor (please make sure your URL address does not include your last name either).  Also, please do not include your email address in your user name. Go to "Settings" above to set your Username.  While there, complete your Profile so you can post and share photos and videos of your Sailor and share stories with other moms!

Make sure to read our Community Guidelines and this Navy Operations Security (OPSEC) checklist - loose lips sink ships!

Join groups!  Browse for groups for your PIR date, your sailor's occupational specialty, "A" school, assigned ship, homeport city, your own city or state, and a myriad of other interests. Jump in and introduce yourself!  Start making friends that can last a lifetime.

Link to Navy Speak - Navy Terms & Acronyms: Navy Speak

All Hands Magazine's full length documentary "Making a Sailor": This video follows four recruits through Boot Camp in the spring of 2018 who were assigned to DIV 229, an integrated division, which had PIR on 05/25/2018. 

Boot Camp: Making a Sailor (Full Length Documentary - 2018)

Boot Camp: Behind the Scenes at RTC

...and visit Navy.com - America's Navy and Navy.mil also Navy Live - The Official Blog of the Navy to learn more.

OPSEC - Navy Operations Security

Always keep Navy Operations Security in mind.  In the Navy, it's essential to remember that "loose lips sink ships."  OPSEC is everyone's responsibility. 

DON'T post critical information including future destinations or ports of call; future operations, exercises or missions; deployment or homecoming dates.  

DO be smart, use your head, always think OPSEC when using texts, email, phone, and social media, and watch this video: "Importance of Navy OPSEC."

Follow this link for OPSEC Guidelines:

OPSEC GUIDELINES

Events

**UPDATE 4/26/2022** Effective with the May 6, 2022 PIR 4 guests will be allowed.  Still must be fully vaccinated to attend.

**UPDATE as of 11/10/2022 PIR vaccination is no longer required.

**UPDATE 7/29/2021** You now must be fully vaccinated in order to attend PIR:

In light of observed changes and impact of the Coronavirus Delta Variant and out of an abundance of caution for our recruits, Sailors, staff, and guests, Recruit Training Command is restricting Pass-in-Review (recruit graduation) to ONLY fully immunized guests (14-days post final COVID vaccination dose).  

FOLLOW THIS LINK FOR UP TO DATE INFO:

RTC Graduation

**UPDATE 8/25/2022 - MASK MANDATE IS LIFTED.  Vaccinations still required.

**UPDATE 11/10/22 PIR - Vaccinations no longer required.

RESUMING LIVE PIR - 8/13/2021

Please note! Changes to this guide happened in October 2017. Tickets are now issued for all guests, and all guests must have a ticket to enter base. A separate parking pass is no longer needed to drive on to base for parking.

Please see changes to attending PIR in the PAGES column. The PAGES are located under the member icons on the right side.

Format Downloads:

Navy Speak

Click here to learn common Navy terms and acronyms!  (Hint:  When you can speak an entire sentence using only acronyms and one verb, you're truly a Navy mom.)

N4M Merchandise


Shirts, caps, mugs and more can be found at CafePress.

Please note: Profits generated in the production of this merchandise are not being awarded to the Navy or any of its suppliers. Any profit made is retained by CafePress.

Navy.com Para Familias

Visite esta página para explorar en su idioma las oportunidades de educación y carreras para sus hijos en el Navy. Navy.com

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HM (Hospital Corps) "A" School in San Antonio

Information

HM (Hospital Corps) "A" School in San Antonio

Sailors becoming Hospital Corpsmen at A School in San Antonio, TX - best rating in the Navy!  The Hospital Corps is the Navy's only enlisted Corps and the most decorated in the Navy.  Families, friends and loved ones, join in!  

WELCOME!! 

Location: San Antonio, TX
Members: 795
Latest Activity: Sep 19, 2023


WELCOME!

Please say Hi and introduce yourself in the Comments section.

ALL the info at these links is relevant to your corpsman.

About the HM Rate,  HM Rating Card/navy.mil, Overview from navylive.dodlive.com, and Navy Medicine Almanac 2015 p. 28-29.

PROGRAM DURATION:  The actual time that a Sailor physically spends at the HM school in Fort Sam Houston, TX is 96 days.  The Sailor is in the seat, learning, Mondays through Fridays for 70 actual instructional days.  The course covers emergency medical technician training, nursing skills, knowledge specific to the Navy Hospital Corps, and clinicals.

Program Overview:  METC/Basic Medical Technician Corpsman Program

Liberty Phases at A School:  Liberty Phases 

Before posting a Discussion with a question, please ask it in the Comments section, and look through the Discussions - you may find what you need, plus a lot more.  This is a good one: Info for those new (or not so new) to Hospital Corps A School.  For some questions, your best bet may be to call the quarterdeck or campus support center at METC.

There is a graduation ceremony, and families and loved ones are invited to attend.  If you go, here are Hotel recommendations for San Antonio/Ft Sam Houston from corpsman moms, and this pdf with Directions to Ft Sam Houston/Walters Gate/Anderson Hall.  Anderson Hall (MIF 4) is on Cpl Johnson Road between Garden and Womack, and there is a parking lot on Cpl Johnson Rd across the street.

Navy Medicine Training Support Center, San Antonio, TX -  see tabs "Visitor Info" and "Student Life."  For your sailor heading to A School:  "NMTSC Welcome Aboard."

The METC Online website for Medical Education Training Campus at San Antonio has a live-chat function.  Campus Support Center phone number:  210-808-6382 (210-808-METC).  Click here for the METC brochure and a brief overview.  

This METC Program Catalog includes course descriptions for Basic Medical Technician/Corpsman A school (page 10) and C schools (see Index).  Video - "METC sailors marching to chow hall" 

METC on Facebook:  Medical Education Training Campus on Facebook

GRADUATION SCHEDULE:  your sailor is your best source for date, time and any changes.  Basic Medical Technician Corpsman Program on Facebook is NOT an official page, but they do post some photos of graduations.

Read this to find out What is Field Medical Training Battalion (FMTB)?  (They have a great graduation ceremony for families to attend, too!)  Most corpsmen attend FMTB sooner (straight from A School) or later.  It does NOT mean that they will necessarily be assigned to a Marine Corps unit.

VIDEO:  What to expect at Fleet Medical Battalion-East.   https://www.dvidshub.net/video/455508/fmtb-east-command-video#.VvdFmMdH0_V

Field Medical Training Battalion East at Camp Lejeune, NC official website  then -> Students -> Course Description

and Camp Lejeune Moms on N4M.

Females go to FMTB-East only.  Otherwise, it's up to the needs of the Navy as to which location a Corpsman is sent to.

FMTB West Camp Pendleton CA official site, and Camp Pendleton Moms on N4M.  Video:  "What's FMTB-W REALLY Like"

Corpsmen serve in a variety of settings.  "Blueside" corpsmen serve in hospitals and clinics and on ships.  "Greenside" corpsmen are with forward-deployed Marine units and where one can earn the hard-won and highly valued Fleet Marine Force (FMF) qualification.  There is nothing like the love that Marines have for their "Doc."  Seriously.  

Hospital Corpsman Navy Enlisted Classifications (NECs) - There are 38 - thirty-eight! - specialties within the HM rating, from Search & Rescue (8401) to Dental Lab Tech/Maxillofacial (8765).  Here is a list of HM NECs and C school locations.

Rating/Rate in ascending order

HR:  Hospitalman Recruit (E-1); HA:  Hospitalman Apprentice (E-2); HN:  Hospitalman (E-3); HM3:  Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class (E-4);  HM2:  Hosp. Corpsman 2nd Class (E-5); HM1:  Hospital Corpsman 1st Class (E-6); HMC:  Chief Hospital Corpsman (E-7); HMCS:  Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman (E-8); HMCM: Master Chief Hospital Corpsman (E-9).   

How to read a Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) (your sailor accesses his/her LES by logging in at https://mypay.dfas.mil)     

IMPORTANT:  Read and follow these Operational Security (OPSEC) guidelines.  N4M is an open website that can be read by non-members; and not all members are necessarily what they seem.  Be smart and keep yourself and all our sailors safe.  Keep YOUR safety in mind too.   It's human nature to trust and want to share, but don't provide personal information to others.  Great and lasting friendships are made on NavyforMoms.com, but use common sense and caution before proceeding. Online chat safety tips

Once your sailor graduates from A School, more NavyforMoms.com groups include Corpsman Moms & DadsCorpsman MomsCorpsman Wives, GFs, Moms; and FMF Corpsman Moms plus the FMTB groups listed above.

Bookmark this for the future!  Navy Credentialing Opportunites Online (Navy COOL) for HM

METC brochure, click to enlarge:

5/17 Video: Intro to Medical Education Training Campus San Antonio 

NAVY MEDICINE

Discussion Forum

Death in the family

Started by Worldtravel4ever. Last reply by Worldtravel4ever Jul 31, 2019. 5 Replies

My mother just passed away today, and of course I have to let our sailor know. I am worried though because I just don’t want to derail my sailor in A school. I notified the Red Cross and am waiting to hear back from my sailor. Has anyone had…Continue

A School Graduation in San Antonio

Started by wfhcs. Last reply by mern May 30, 2019. 3 Replies

My son graduates on June 5th from A School. I am trying to verify the time of the graduation so I can book a flight in and out that day.  He understood it to be at 10am or 12pm.  I was trying to see if it is a set time.  Thanks again,Continue

Photographs from Graduation

Started by m3mmarianne May 16, 2019. 0 Replies

Does anyone have access to the photos from graduation yesterday or know where we can search?  Thank you in advance.Continue

Intro

Started by AmyBeth1991. Last reply by NavyMoeder May 4, 2019. 4 Replies

I think I sent everyone a message,  when I thought I was posting. Please forgive me. I didn't see this until after. I have a son at HM school who will graduate next month. Any advice appreciated.  I will be flying to San Antonio.  My husband is a…Continue

Comment Wall

Comment

You need to be a member of HM (Hospital Corps) "A" School in San Antonio to add comments!

Comment by TickledTink on June 2, 2011 at 1:49pm
Marcella- well I've heard that actually being FMF (which is the guys who go to war zones w/ the Marines) is really hard to get in to and more guys want to do it than they have spots for.  The 80% stat you heard is probably also including Marine bases, since the Marines do not have their own medical personnel at all.  For example, I heard 29 Palms is one place that HMs go to work at the hospital clinics there (one of my friend's hubby is a psych HM and he works there) and 29 Palms is a Marine base
Comment by mamawalrus on June 2, 2011 at 1:02pm
Luv,,,you mentioned SR's,,are you referring to those in boot?  Do you know on duty stations if they get to somewhat have a say so like if it is on a ship, stateside or overseas?  I know C school is by GPS and what not,,,but just curious on non C school.
Comment by Mamafish on June 2, 2011 at 7:38am

After I read all of this, and hearing from my son who told me that Marines buy 80% of HM contracts, all I can say is ...jinkies....     We can only pray, and well, you all know how the US military operates...plan for one thing, and then plan B,C...and so on. 

Comment by TickledTink on June 2, 2011 at 3:18am
My hubby doesn't want green side since we are having a baby.  He was interested in radiology or maybe pharmacy.  There's so much conflicting info out there it IS so hard to plan.  The baby is due late November and he *should* be done with A school around Octoberish?  I don't know yet if we will have to PCS or get to stay here, if I will be delivering here or there, if he'll be able to be there or not.  So many important things up in the air, but I just have to deal with it because it comes with the territory. :-/
Comment by mamawalrus on June 2, 2011 at 1:16am

My thoughts exactly TickledTink....i sure would not want a nurse working on me just by reading and testing from a book!  I wish they would give the Sailors some more info to on this and not leave them so in the dark...Grad dates keep changing and I think that stresses them out more. They need to worry on study and not on these other things that are being so hush hush,,,are they not adults now so why not just tell them so they can plan for their families, wives, husbands or kids can plan around it.  Sorry... had to vent. lol lol

 

Luv,,yes you explained it better then I could....my question is.. if they do not want to spealize in anything of C school.. then what are they doing? Working in a clinic somewhere?  Mine want green side super bad

Comment by TickledTink on June 1, 2011 at 11:10pm
Wait, so why did they think it was such a good idea to have Navy HM train here instead of GL then if they can't do clinicals because there's not enough space at the hospitals?  Ugh.  Isn't that kind of an important part of the training, especially since they have to be able to do something in the meantime while they wait for a C school opening?
Comment by beacon56 on June 1, 2011 at 5:04pm
thanks for the info LUVnMiiSailor!!!
Comment by beacon56 on June 1, 2011 at 4:53pm
i thought C school was for a little more training for more specialized jobs.  my son wants to specialize in surgical tech... i may be wrong, if anyone knows more about C school, any input would be appreciated.
Comment by mamawalrus on June 1, 2011 at 4:49pm

so rumor is that FMTB has a waiting list so they all will have a C school?  Anyone hear that?  I thought C schools were more for those who are at the top of the class and what if they dont want a C school...???

My son wants to get attached to a Marine unit,,(FMF?) but I hear there are no openings right now for that specifically.

Comment by velvetlace on June 1, 2011 at 2:25pm

HI, Stingy---   I have heard a date of 8/30., but I do not think this is a for sure date.  

Mary

 
 
 

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