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!
I knew mail would be crazy, but 5 weeks is ridiculous. The USPS does delivery confirmation on all boxes now from what I understand, so if they have a number it may get to them quicker. I may try calling. I tried looking up a number to the mail room, but no luck.
I did an informal poll of my seasoned (5 yrs-+) corpsman parents since yesterday (we've become lifelong friends b/c of N4M, by the way!) - out of 18, only one sent more than one box to A school. Their then-SAs went to the NEX and got what they needed. When they had free time, they studied or hung out and made friends - eating, shopping, whatever - btw sharing cabs is a part of that, too, and cost is split so don't fret over that either. Some comments:
- A dad: Nope, didn't send anything in A school. He'd get whatever he needed at the NEX.
- IDC mom: Nope, he bought what he needed and did NOT want all the extra stuff to deal with. These mom need to understand that.
HM2 mom: I didn't send anything either, not until he was in Italy and even then, just sent what he needed and couldn't get over there, and of course when he was deployed but that's a different deal altogether :0)
What I glean from them and from you guys here is...send the necessities if asked for at the outset. USPS priority is cheapest and two day delivery. If it's valuable, insure and get delivery confirmation, and put their phone # on the label. After that, add money to the bank account if you want, and let 'em be the adults they've become :)
Dm, Trish and all you kind moms, think they know that dinners, taking them shopping or just giving rides is a bigger treat for us than them? It's amazing how much pride our hearts can contain without popping every button ;)
My son as well has asked us to only send what he asks for. When our package has not gotten there then, he has gone out a purchased a few things to get him by. He talked with us tonight about how he kind of likes being a minimalist and joking about how his roommate has 12 pairs of shoes that he could count among other things and starting to wonder what he is going to do with it all at the end of A School. It is such a short time that they are there. Our son also talked about how he has spent much of today focused on studying while others are playing video games. We / he are glad that he does not have much to distract him at this point in time so he can be more focused. I
Question - I know I have seen somewhere that there is a posting of graduation dates as time goes along. My son tells us his orders say May 16th but that is subject to change. I am trying to plan another commitment I am responsible for (5K / 10K race I am coordinating) around what we think his graduation date is going to be. any advice on how to estimate when that will be? The 16th that he mentioned is a Thursday. Are the graduations typically on a Thursday? Like PIR was typically on a Friday? Thanks.....Kathy
Hi Kathy, I don't have the link, they have an FB page Basic Medical Technician Program , they post schedule there, so far I saw just up to Feb 28. Like the page and you'll see every update they make.
Marcy - I am trying to ascertain what the letters are behind the classes. My son told me that he is in Class 085B while others that he travelled with and arrived with him have been placed in Class 085C. My son told me that A & B (Alpha & Bravo) Classes are typically for the Air Force, but there was room so they moved some of the Navy students into B. Can you or anyone else enlighten me?
When I went to Corps school (ages ago), we had the same letters behind our class numbers. They hadn't integrated the Navy with Air Force training at that time, but it just meant that there were lots of sailors starting at the same time - too many for one single class. Some months, there may only be a 092A, if there are just enough students to form one class, but if loads of students show up for Corps school at the same time, there will be a B, or even C class also. Our sailor son is currently in a A class with 70% Air Force. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it, it's just when you arrive, and how many students they have waiting to start classes already. Hope that helps.
Oh, and it also means that typically the classes are staggered by one week. So if A class started Jan 1st, B class would start a week later and then C class a week after B class.
When my son went to A school he was in a B class they had so many people and included the Aifiece so they created a C class but A. B , and C all draduated on the same day. Not different weeks. A B and C were because there were a lot of graduates
I've tried to get an answer regarding March graduations; so far the only answer is "Every Thursday" - so at this point you'll have to rely on your SA's info for the upcoming graduation schedule.
Does anyone have the class schedules for each step of learning that our HMs are learning? I understand that the first 4 weeks are EMT, correct? I would like to try to keep up with what my HM will be learning. If anyone can assist, I would appreciate it very much. Thank you!
Welcome, Mom in the O.C.! Like Katze says, it's quite a ride! Katze, time flies, wow a year already?? You're an old hand at this A school stuff :) So glad you're here to pass on what you know!
PatsFan, yes the first four - five weeks are EMT, then Nursing/Corpsman knowledge, ending with a week of clinicals.
I wouldn't live on base. They take all of your BAH, and you can live off base for much cheaper. Your wife has to go to finance and ask how to get reimbursed for your move. Once you arrive she will need to update her page 2. I would suggest living outside loop 410 or loop 1604. Her drive will be farther, but much nicer area. We live near Lackland AFB and it takes my husband 20 minutes to get to school.
jph, surg tech scrub caps are bouffant style - a wide head band and 'blousier' than tie-back scrub caps. They cover the hair, are hygienic around patients. There are tons of websites like this http://www.funscrubhats.com/2010/02/bouffant-scrub-hats.html
They required a copy of our lease agreement in order to change the page 2. She would have to update that in order to get a change in her BAH status.
As far as the housing on base... I'm not sure how it works, but you can probably contact the housing office. There is probably a wait list for on base housing. I have heard the wait time on Lackland is 12 months. And from what I can see the only nicer housing on base is for E7 and above (at least at ft sam)
My son in law is going through this now. His BAH was supposed to be kicked in first of February. He has to stay in temporary barracks right now since it didn't kick in and he isn't taking a chance renting a condo until it starts. Supposedly it will kick in this coming check. Have your son check the LES when it is issued right before payday to see if it kicked in. BAH should not stop when you go from one base to another because it is assumed you will be finding or found a place. Some bases give you 10 days leave to settle in.
If you have a corpsman headed to or is a graduate of lab tech C school, the January edition of Navy and Marine Corps Medicine News has an article, "Inside the USS Stennis Medical Lab."
The winter edition of Navy Medicine has several corpsman profiles, and a great photo gallery, "Corpsmen Around the Fleet."
And finally, the Navy Medicine Almanac 2013 has a terrific overview of the Hospital Corps, pages 42 - 47, including interesting facts and a list of HM Navy Enlisted Classifications (NECs) and their school locations.
Did you know...
The HM rating has 25,481 on active duty. Of these,
- over 6,500 hospital corpsmen are supporting Fleet Marine Force
- more than 5,000 corpsmen are serving on ships, submarines, with SEABEES, and other sea duty platforms
- more than 700 hospital corpsmen are serving as Individual Augmentees
- 2,700-plus are in training at any given time.
The rating is manned at 97%.
There are 38 occupational specialties within the HM rating, requiring additional training via C schools.
I posted this on a new discussion on the HM page but did not get any responses -thought someone on here might at least know some details of what I am asking - Does anyone have a general idea of how leave works after A School and before they start their next adventure! Is there a standard amount of leave they get depending on where they are going after A School, or as in other things, it all depends on how fast they need them at the next location? At what point, once they have received their orders of where they are going after A School, will they know how much leave they will have? We are trying to plan a wedding around that time if possible for our soon to be Sailor to attend and be a part of -his father and my(step moms) wedding. Just curious if anyone had any insight to this. Thanks!
That is kind of what I thought but I have been talking to different moms that have children in other programs and a lot of them have said that they are get 10-12 day leaves and it seems a lot of them -but that is not the idea I was getting from the corpsman situation. Does your son know anyone who has been told they will get leave between them or are all the people he is with all the same -no leave?
I dont want to say differently but my sailor put in for leave when she got her orders to MD. She had the choice of going right to MD or taken leave for XX days and then flying to MD from FLA. So what I am saying is it all depends on how their regulations are at the time of graduation. You just dont know. Your sailor should be able to get all taht inforamation at the time he picks his orders.
I agree with Rhonda. Its up to the Navy. I have seen people leave the same day to go home on leave or go to their next duty station. I have also seen people allowed their leave for 10+ days but they are put in holding for several days before they can go home.
There really is no normal. Your sailor will find out a day or two before graduation.
all of the confusion is what I am afraid of -wondering if we should just wait to see where he is stationed next and go to him there maybe or maybe towards the end of his schooling, in phase 3, go to him for the weekend and do the wedding then. This not knowing makes things very very hard to plan anything -hahaha! Any other advice you have for me, please let me know. How about a nice place on water of some sort to get married in San Antonio?? haha
There is marriage island at the Riverwalk downtown. It is supposed to be good luck to get married there. I have also heard the Japanese Tea Gardens is a really cool place to tie the knot as well.
I would wait til he is in phase 3 and come visit for a few days. As long as he doesnt have duty he can hang out at night and can stay out the whole weekend. He should know what days he has duty. I think its every 9 days in A school. So look at a calendar and count it out. Good luck!
Hi everyone! I have never posted on this thread before, but I do occasionally drop by to read all the comments. My son is currently in A school in SA and will graduate around the beginning of April. We will not be able to make it to graduation, but we do want to send him a nice gift. My question is: does anyone have a suggestion on what we can give him as a graduation gift? Perhaps something he can use in his field as a corpsman. His goal is to attend C school for x-ray tech but at this point anything can change. Any suggestion would be appreciated.Thanks!
Allheart.com has a variety of stethoscopes, and they can be personalized. Forgive me for not recalling the name of the nurse/mom who recommended this one (speak up please!) - she said she likes it as well or better than her more expensive Littman! :) Allheart.com Stealth Black Edition Cardiology Stethoscope $29.98 pl...
(Belated) congratulations to Huggy on your sailor's graduation last week! ProudUSNCorpsmanMom, yours too I think? And both off to RI? How exciting! To all the recent grads -
SailorsMomShip12Div023
Feb 9, 2013
Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom
I did an informal poll of my seasoned (5 yrs-+) corpsman parents since yesterday (we've become lifelong friends b/c of N4M, by the way!) - out of 18, only one sent more than one box to A school. Their then-SAs went to the NEX and got what they needed. When they had free time, they studied or hung out and made friends - eating, shopping, whatever - btw sharing cabs is a part of that, too, and cost is split so don't fret over that either. Some comments:
- A dad: Nope, didn't send anything in A school. He'd get whatever he needed at the NEX.
- IDC mom: Nope, he bought what he needed and did NOT want all the extra stuff to deal with. These mom need to understand that.
HM2 mom: I didn't send anything either, not until he was in Italy and even then, just sent what he needed and couldn't get over there, and of course when he was deployed but that's a different deal altogether :0)
What I glean from them and from you guys here is...send the necessities if asked for at the outset. USPS priority is cheapest and two day delivery. If it's valuable, insure and get delivery confirmation, and put their phone # on the label. After that, add money to the bank account if you want, and let 'em be the adults they've become :)
Dm, Trish and all you kind moms, think they know that dinners, taking them shopping or just giving rides is a bigger treat for us than them? It's amazing how much pride our hearts can contain without popping every button ;)
Feb 9, 2013
3athlete
My son as well has asked us to only send what he asks for. When our package has not gotten there then, he has gone out a purchased a few things to get him by. He talked with us tonight about how he kind of likes being a minimalist and joking about how his roommate has 12 pairs of shoes that he could count among other things and starting to wonder what he is going to do with it all at the end of A School. It is such a short time that they are there. Our son also talked about how he has spent much of today focused on studying while others are playing video games. We / he are glad that he does not have much to distract him at this point in time so he can be more focused. I
Feb 9, 2013
3athlete
Question - I know I have seen somewhere that there is a posting of graduation dates as time goes along. My son tells us his orders say May 16th but that is subject to change. I am trying to plan another commitment I am responsible for (5K / 10K race I am coordinating) around what we think his graduation date is going to be. any advice on how to estimate when that will be? The 16th that he mentioned is a Thursday. Are the graduations typically on a Thursday? Like PIR was typically on a Friday? Thanks.....Kathy
Feb 10, 2013
ProudUSNCorpsmanMom
Feb 10, 2013
Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom
The link to Basic Medical Technician Corpsman Program on Facebook is up top.
Feb 10, 2013
PatsFan923 HM Mom
Marcy - I am trying to ascertain what the letters are behind the classes. My son told me that he is in Class 085B while others that he travelled with and arrived with him have been placed in Class 085C. My son told me that A & B (Alpha & Bravo) Classes are typically for the Air Force, but there was room so they moved some of the Navy students into B. Can you or anyone else enlighten me?
Feb 12, 2013
Trish from Texas
When I went to Corps school (ages ago), we had the same letters behind our class numbers. They hadn't integrated the Navy with Air Force training at that time, but it just meant that there were lots of sailors starting at the same time - too many for one single class. Some months, there may only be a 092A, if there are just enough students to form one class, but if loads of students show up for Corps school at the same time, there will be a B, or even C class also. Our sailor son is currently in a A class with 70% Air Force. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it, it's just when you arrive, and how many students they have waiting to start classes already. Hope that helps.
Feb 12, 2013
Trish from Texas
Oh, and it also means that typically the classes are staggered by one week. So if A class started Jan 1st, B class would start a week later and then C class a week after B class.
Feb 12, 2013
PatsFan923 HM Mom
Thank you Trish! The B and C classes both start tomorrow . . .
Feb 12, 2013
Katze90210 (3/113)
Feb 12, 2013
Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom
I've tried to get an answer regarding March graduations; so far the only answer is "Every Thursday" - so at this point you'll have to rely on your SA's info for the upcoming graduation schedule.
Feb 13, 2013
hansumsgirl93
Feb 13, 2013
Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom
Thanks hansumgirl93! I started a Discussion above for March graduations so your info won't get lost :)
Feb 13, 2013
PatsFan923 HM Mom
Does anyone have the class schedules for each step of learning that our HMs are learning? I understand that the first 4 weeks are EMT, correct? I would like to try to keep up with what my HM will be learning. If anyone can assist, I would appreciate it very much. Thank you!
Feb 13, 2013
Katze90210 (3/113)
Feb 13, 2013
Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom
Welcome, Mom in the O.C.! Like Katze says, it's quite a ride! Katze, time flies, wow a year already?? You're an old hand at this A school stuff :) So glad you're here to pass on what you know!
PatsFan, yes the first four - five weeks are EMT, then Nursing/Corpsman knowledge, ending with a week of clinicals.
Feb 14, 2013
PatsFan923 HM Mom
The link to FMBT for Camp Pendelton, CA does not work. Does anyone have an updated link that can be posted?
Feb 14, 2013
PatsFan923 HM Mom
FMTB, sorry . . . . typing too quickly!
Feb 14, 2013
Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom
Here you go - and fixing the link above :) http://www.tecom.marines.mil/fmtbw/Students/FMST.aspx
Feb 14, 2013
Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom
Feb 14, 2013
Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom
Congratulations, good for her! Now you can start shopping for cool scrub caps :)
Feb 15, 2013
Britt<3Corpsman Wife
Feb 15, 2013
Britt<3Corpsman Wife
Feb 15, 2013
Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom
jph, surg tech scrub caps are bouffant style - a wide head band and 'blousier' than tie-back scrub caps. They cover the hair, are hygienic around patients. There are tons of websites like this http://www.funscrubhats.com/2010/02/bouffant-scrub-hats.html
Feb 15, 2013
Britt<3Corpsman Wife
As far as the housing on base... I'm not sure how it works, but you can probably contact the housing office. There is probably a wait list for on base housing. I have heard the wait time on Lackland is 12 months. And from what I can see the only nicer housing on base is for E7 and above (at least at ft sam)
Feb 15, 2013
lizinnj
My son in law is going through this now. His BAH was supposed to be kicked in first of February. He has to stay in temporary barracks right now since it didn't kick in and he isn't taking a chance renting a condo until it starts. Supposedly it will kick in this coming check. Have your son check the LES when it is issued right before payday to see if it kicked in. BAH should not stop when you go from one base to another because it is assumed you will be finding or found a place. Some bases give you 10 days leave to settle in.
Feb 16, 2013
Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom
For the newbies - I've added a link above for when you're really bored lol - How to read a Leave and Earnings Statement (LES)
Feb 17, 2013
Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom
If you have a corpsman headed to or is a graduate of lab tech C school, the January edition of Navy and Marine Corps Medicine News has an article, "Inside the USS Stennis Medical Lab."
The winter edition of Navy Medicine has several corpsman profiles, and a great photo gallery, "Corpsmen Around the Fleet."
And finally, the Navy Medicine Almanac 2013 has a terrific overview of the Hospital Corps, pages 42 - 47, including interesting facts and a list of HM Navy Enlisted Classifications (NECs) and their school locations.
Did you know...
The HM rating has 25,481 on active duty. Of these,
- over 6,500 hospital corpsmen are supporting Fleet Marine Force
- more than 5,000 corpsmen are serving on ships, submarines, with SEABEES, and other sea duty platforms
- more than 700 hospital corpsmen are serving as Individual Augmentees
- 2,700-plus are in training at any given time.
The rating is manned at 97%.
There are 38 occupational specialties within the HM rating, requiring additional training via C schools.
Feb 18, 2013
PatsFan923 HM Mom
While they are in A School, how should their mail be addressed to them? Are they now HMSRs, HMSAs and HMSNs?
Feb 20, 2013
louielou
My son said his is SN.
Feb 20, 2013
Huggy
Son graduates A school tomorrow.
Feb 21, 2013
ProudUSNCorpsmanMom
Is it possible that after graduation they will fly out on the same day? Anyone?
Feb 21, 2013
Mindy Navy Mom (Ship 12, Div 086
I posted this on a new discussion on the HM page but did not get any responses -thought someone on here might at least know some details of what I am asking - Does anyone have a general idea of how leave works after A School and before they start their next adventure! Is there a standard amount of leave they get depending on where they are going after A School, or as in other things, it all depends on how fast they need them at the next location? At what point, once they have received their orders of where they are going after A School, will they know how much leave they will have? We are trying to plan a wedding around that time if possible for our soon to be Sailor to attend and be a part of -his father and my(step moms) wedding. Just curious if anyone had any insight to this. Thanks!
Feb 21, 2013
ProudUSNCorpsmanMom
I mean fly out to their new assignment/station.
Feb 21, 2013
Mindy Navy Mom (Ship 12, Div 086
That is kind of what I thought but I have been talking to different moms that have children in other programs and a lot of them have said that they are get 10-12 day leaves and it seems a lot of them -but that is not the idea I was getting from the corpsman situation. Does your son know anyone who has been told they will get leave between them or are all the people he is with all the same -no leave?
Feb 21, 2013
Robert/HM Mom
I dont want to say differently but my sailor put in for leave when she got her orders to MD. She had the choice of going right to MD or taken leave for XX days and then flying to MD from FLA. So what I am saying is it all depends on how their regulations are at the time of graduation. You just dont know. Your sailor should be able to get all taht inforamation at the time he picks his orders.
Feb 21, 2013
Britt<3Corpsman Wife
There really is no normal. Your sailor will find out a day or two before graduation.
Feb 21, 2013
Mindy Navy Mom (Ship 12, Div 086
all of the confusion is what I am afraid of -wondering if we should just wait to see where he is stationed next and go to him there maybe or maybe towards the end of his schooling, in phase 3, go to him for the weekend and do the wedding then. This not knowing makes things very very hard to plan anything -hahaha! Any other advice you have for me, please let me know. How about a nice place on water of some sort to get married in San Antonio?? haha
Feb 21, 2013
Britt<3Corpsman Wife
I would wait til he is in phase 3 and come visit for a few days. As long as he doesnt have duty he can hang out at night and can stay out the whole weekend. He should know what days he has duty. I think its every 9 days in A school. So look at a calendar and count it out. Good luck!
Feb 21, 2013
Mindy Navy Mom (Ship 12, Div 086
Thank you for that information -I will check those both out!!!
Feb 21, 2013
PatsFan923 HM Mom
Marcy, the January Edition of Navy and Marine Corps Medicine News link will not open. Thank you!
Feb 21, 2013
ProudUSNCorpsmanMom
Feb 21, 2013
Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom
Thanks! I posted a pdf of the graduation schedule above.
PatsFan, here's the link: Navy and Marine Corps Medicine January 2013
and here's February: Navy and Marine Corps Medicine February 2013
Feb 22, 2013
Kryss
Hi everyone! I have never posted on this thread before, but I do occasionally drop by to read all the comments. My son is currently in A school in SA and will graduate around the beginning of April. We will not be able to make it to graduation, but we do want to send him a nice gift. My question is: does anyone have a suggestion on what we can give him as a graduation gift? Perhaps something he can use in his field as a corpsman. His goal is to attend C school for x-ray tech but at this point anything can change. Any suggestion would be appreciated.Thanks!
Feb 24, 2013
Jana
Kryss--I got my son a nice stethoscope. I think I was also able to get his last name engraved on it
Feb 24, 2013
Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom
Allheart.com has a variety of stethoscopes, and they can be personalized. Forgive me for not recalling the name of the nurse/mom who recommended this one (speak up please!) - she said she likes it as well or better than her more expensive Littman! :) Allheart.com Stealth Black Edition Cardiology Stethoscope $29.98 pl...
Feb 24, 2013
Kryss
Thank you for the input! I well definitely check out the website.
Feb 24, 2013
Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom
(Belated) congratulations to Huggy on your sailor's graduation last week! ProudUSNCorpsmanMom, yours too I think? And both off to RI? How exciting! To all the recent grads -
Feb 24, 2013
ProudUSNCorpsmanMom
Feb 24, 2013