N E info on a Hospital Corpsman??

[Bcimino]

Hey

 

 

My name is Brittany and am currently considering joining the Navy but before I do would like a little more information ... I feel like I have a good recruiter and am for the most part happy talking to him but he isn't always the easiest person to get ahold of so any help would be greatly appreciated

 

As of now i'm interested in possibly becoming a hospital corpsman !

 

1. Does anyone know how long you would have to enlist for to do so?

2. I'm a Medical asst working on my R.N. would that help me at all ? Even if i dont finish my R.N. ?

3. What jobs you would qualify for after the military ?

4. I've also read that you can be attached to a Marine Unit ? Does this apply to women as well ?

5. I've also heard that it is your chioce / and that it is not your choice.. Which is true??

6. Are women required to cut their hair in boot camp?

[Jennifer]

1. Most enlistments are 4 yrs AD and 4 yrs Inactive Reserves for a total of 8 yrs
2. Probably not. It will just depend on your score on the ASVAB and if you qualify for Corpsman
3. This website has information on jobs that a person may qualify for base on the rate they are in the Navy
https://www.cool.navy.mil/
4. I am pretty sure all the FMF corpsman are males.
5. When you take the ASVAB, you will go into talk to a classifier who will present your job choices to you based on the breakdown of your scores and medical screening and what is available. I.e. You may qualify for a certain job, but if there are no seats available for the school, then you won't be offered it. You do not have to sign for anything and can come back to MEPS until you get the job you want - this can take time.
6. Yes, hair has to be cut to where it does not touch the collar.

[Bcimino]

Thank you that was very helpful

[Jennifer]

I did forget to note that if you already have college courses, it can help you go in at a higher paygrade, depending on how many hours you have.

[AJ]

Hey,

It's 5yrs active. 3 yrs IRR. I just got out in 06. I worked with the same people I was stationed with when I was active duty on Camp Lejeune. I'm a hygienist now (Navy paid for that while I was active duty).
Your RN certification isn't going to help you get what you want. It'll help you probably get E-3. You might want to wait and go Officer with a degree. Just something to think about.

Honestly, you don't qualify for hardly anything. If you go the dental route, you can become a dental assistant no problem. I was a DT (dental technician) in the Navy. I got out when they merged the HM and DT ratings. So, I got out as an HM2. I had no problem getting a DOD contract.

You can be a green side (FMF). I was blue side. I was on a ship for 3yrs then Rota, Spain for 2. I was all the way blue side. There are a lot of females that are Fleet Marine Force Corpsman. It pretty much just means you are stationed on a Marine Corps Base and you work at the hospital. No big deal. You do go to a secondary school though. It's more geared towards "combat" medicine. You will not be a line corpsman. That is only for males. You don't really get a choice of where you'll be stationed initially. It's just the nature of the game. Hopefully you score well enough on your ASVAB to even be considered to be a Corpsman.
BTW,... when you go to MEPS and pick your rate, make sure that rate is available right after bootcamp NOT 6 weeks after bootcamp is over. Otherwise,.. you'll be screwed. You'll end up being put on a ship as a deck seaman and well, your Corps school will end up being a distant dream. haha

Yeppers you have to cut your lovely long hair. It has to be above your collar. I suggest cutting it before you go to bootcamp. If your hair grows fast,... cut it really short. Once bootcamp is over,.. you can grow it out.

[Bcimino]

Thank you guys this was very helpful

[Bcimino]

ok thank you :)

[AJ]

Oh ok. That was something I was unaware of. I work with Corpsman everyday and they told me that it was 5yrs. It might be 6yrs for a specialized school. That would make more sense. All in all, the Corpsman rate is a pretty awesome rate to get into. Just study a lot, don't get into too much trouble ;), and you'll have the best time of your life Brittany.

[debbiem]

Hi! I might be able to help I use to be a Hospital Corpsman, Operating Room Technician in the Navy. I will try to answer all your questions n hopefully it might help.
1. Enlistment is for 4 yrs. Unless you make a deal for the Navy to but through Nursing School then u might have some reserve yrs. But the agreement must be made prior to u signing any enlistment or delayed entry papers.
2. No, it will just give you a head start. You might possible obtain one rank when bootcamp. But again this needs to be agreed upon prior to you signing papers.
3. Sad news is you can challenge state exam for nursing assistant, it does help on your resume for experience.
4. Yes,the navy corpsman supply medical for marine field units. Women are no longer extempt.
5. Before you finish corps school you will be asked what are your 1st 3 choices of duties stations. There is no guarantee that you will be assigned to one of them. Once you are in the Navy the needs of the Navy come first.
6. Yes, unless your hair lies just above a shirt collar. I suggest you get it professional cut before you go in, otherwise, they just take the scissors and cut (and they don't even it out).

I suggest you choice a B school to go to after corps school. These fields are B school qualified Operating Rm Technician, Pharmacy Tech, Lab Tech, there might be a few more. These schools will give you additional college credit towards your nursing school. Depending on what state you live in when you get out, you might be able to challenge the states certification/licensing for these medical fields.

I hope this helps you out alot.

[babblemom71]

My son graduates bootcamp tomorrow and he is in for Medic Corpsman. Not sure if it's different for females but his contract says 4 years active and 1 year reserve.

[ronnib]

My son is in his first week of bc, he is enlisted as a Medic Corpsman. I was reading a reply just before you that suggested picking a B school to go to after corps school because it qualifieds them for Operating Rm Tech, Pharmacy Tech, Lab Tech and a few more she did not write. Is this true for the males too? What is the difference between an A school and a B school?

[Marcy ~ Corpsman Mom]

Ronnib, to become a corpsman you must attend A School (14 weeks of classwork and clinicals) after boot camp. That is followed by a C School if you elect to choose a specialty such as surgical technician, dental technician etc, to which you will be committed for the remainder of your initial service period (5 yrs). You may elect to remain a generalized designation called 0000 (quad-zero in corpsman parlance) and be sent where needed, but it's also likely you'll later attend Field Medical Training Battalion (FMTB, or Field Med) at Camp Lejeune or Camp Pendleton to receive the 8404 designation.
Good links for answers to your questions are this one on navy.mil http://www.npc.navy.mil/Enlisted/MedicalDental/NEC+Information.htm
and on NavyforMoms.com, Sailors in A School for Corpsmen http://www.navyformoms.com/group/sailorsinaschoolforcorpsmen
Later on when he completes Corps School, please join us corpsmen moms at http://www.navyformoms.com/group/corpsmanmomsanddads

[tasha.olon]

You said "if you elect to choose a specialty such as surgical technician, dental technician, etc,..." I enlisted as a HMDental Assistant. Do you mean to say that if i pass a school, I can choose to do dental technician instead of assistant? Or does that have requirements?