should i be a corpsman?

[danpbarry]

I'm going to be joining the Navy in a few months and am torn between two fields to enter. I really want to be a corpsman, but I'm 30 years old and have two kids (One is only 6 months old.) I don't want to move them all over the place while I'm training. Is this a wise move to become a Corpsman?

Also - I was wondering what the training is like. Where it is, how long it is, how hard it is, etc...

Thanks in advance.

Dan

[Navy Nerd]

Well bro, let me tell you. I have been in firefighting and EMS for 20years, and I have been a Paramedic the last 12. I joined the Reserves last year because I wanted to be a Deivil Doc. I am not with the marines YET, but will be by the end of this year, and let me tell you there is nothing like it. I am a very humble person, but all those years as a medic took there toll. I can count on one hand the times someone actually said thankyou for doing what I love.....taking care of people. Even though I am a people person and love what I do, I have always felt very underappreciated. EMS is hardly ever recognized unless someone screws up. It's always about th Police and Firefighters. No disrespect.....did both and have many good friends, but again, nobody cares about medics.

Now, in the Navy, that is totally different. CORPSMAN RULE!!!! You can pretty much do a lot of things and you are not limited like a lot of billets are. I am so proud to be a corpsman because of the history, the camaraderie, but most of all because I finally feel appreciated for what I am good at. Just talking with the Marines that I will be serving with here sends chills through me. They can't wait for me to come aboard and they are very protective of there Doc's. I can't give you my own experiences yet like some of these guys on this site can, but trust me, this is the way to go.

After you go to boot camp you will then attend Corps school there in Great Lakes. 13 or 14 weeks I think. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong. After that I'm not sure if you have to go to FMSS school or if that is optional. Da Chief or someone can tell you better than me. Good luck and I hope that helps a little.

Semper Fi

Navy Nerd

[crazycajun]

danpbarry,

Brother, let me tell you something. Being a Corpsman is the best job the Navy has to offer. I've been an HM since 1987 and retirement couldis soon around the corner for me. I've served at clinics, onboard ships, hopitals and I've been with the Marines for the past nine years. I went to Field Medical Service School (FMSS) at the ripe ol'age of 30, I did just fine though learning how to run 3 miles after spending my first 10 years on the blue side was the worst part. Though I still made it. I would not change one thing about being with the Marine Corps, it has been my toughest challange thus far and I've enjoyed every minute.

To be called "Doc" by a Marine is ultimate title. Because it represents the respect the Marines have for your job.Being an "FMF Doc" is the ultimate title.

Training: Boot Camp - Gets you mentally and physically ready for the Navy, HM "A" School - 14 weeks of training being taugh everything from anatomy to working the wards, FMSS - will train you for combat injuries and the structure of the Marine Corps and basics of being a Marine. Because you are requried to do what they do and then some.

Hope this helps you!!

Semper Fi,

crazycajun

[Doc Chi]

I agree to the above posts being a corpsman is the best job in the Navy! I love it and plan to reenlist soon. I have been "greenside" for the last 6 years and have served in line companys all of those years. I am on my 3rd deployment returning home from Iraq and there is no greater feeling tobe called "Doc" by your fellow Marines.

Many talk about "C" Schools and going to hospitals but this is where its at for me. The Corpsman rate offers so much in the way of different career paths you can go blue or green or go spec ops. etc. Its not a job its a way of life.

[DocRoy]

Affirmative, Crazy... It's an honor, as well as a humbling experience being called "Doc". As a former FMF Corpsman (Beruit Vet. '82-'83), I look back on my tour with the Big Green Machine with great pride.

The path the Navy laid out for me (either by design or by coincidence)after I enlisted with a guaranteed A school at Naval School of Health Sciences in San Diego, CA was probably not typical in comparison to today's military climate but, one that I found to be advantageous prior to my arrival at Field Medical Service School, Camp Johnson, NC (Down the road from Main Side Camp Lejuene). Upon completion of Corps School, I got orders to Naval Hospital, Pensacola, FL back in '80. I spent 18 awesome months there pulling duty in the E.R. and the Anesthesia Dept. While there, I learned how to suture to perfection, read EKG's, draw blood for lab work, start I.V.'s, start arterial lines pre-op, intubate, splint sprains or broken bones, administer meds via I.M. and sub-Q injection, along with a number of other specialized skills. Within 9 months being stationed there, I became nationally certified E.M.T. (Ambulance) and A.H.A. certified CPR instructor. I was working on my Advanced Cardiac Life Support certification when my orders came down from NMPC to report to FMSS, Camp Lejuene in Feb, '82. I found that the training and experience I received serving at Naval Hospital, Pensacola had proven invaluable once completing FMSS and subsequent assignment to 3rd BN/8th MAR, 24th Marine Amphibious Unit. Having already been I.V. certified, Suture certified, CPR instructor certified prior to my arrival at my new command, it afforded me more opportunity to get to know my Marines while other Corpsman were attending training classes. I can only speak for myself, but I believe the 18 months hospital training and experience I had prior to being assigned to a 2nd Marine Division unit was much more comprehensive (field conditions, not withstanding). Nevertheless, there was much to learn with respect to performing under battlefield conditions. Still, I felt I had one up on those HMs that were ordered directly to an FMF unit straight out of "A" and "C" school. Feel free to chime in if you concur or differ in your opinion.

Doc Roy

1980-84

[MAWDoc]

Dan,

This is a little redundant and repetitive from other posts, but being a CorpsmanIS truly a way of life. You will be in the most diversely assigned group in theNavy. Anywhere in the world, in every duty type and assignment type, with Marines, Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen, there are Corpsmen. With SeaBees,aircraft squadrons, air stations,all Naval ships, subs and stations, recruiting, hospitals, clinics,Marine Divisions, Wings and Logistics Groups, headquarters and line companies, schoolhouses and Boot Camp pushing recruits as Division Commanders, Marine Force Reconnaissance, Navy SEALs, diving and parachuting, with EOD. In places like Iraq, Afghanistan and Cuba, and in places likeThailand, Greece, Cairo,or Hawaii.

In no other rate is this the case. Nowhere, in no other service.

A harsh reality in today's Hospital Corps is that you WILL spend time away from your family. Period. That's not much different from most other rates, but is especially pronounced with corpsmen because of the demand for medical support in multiple locations. Whether in Iraq, Afghanistan, in the FMF, Brown orBlue Navy, or as an IA from a Naval Hospital to any number of "choice";)locations around the globe.

As far as the physical stuff you mentioned, if you are inaverage physical condition now, and have the discipline to remain in theimproved condition you will be in after boot camp, you should have no problems with either boot camp or FMSS. That being said, everything you can do now to prepare for the physical demands (if you're not accustomed to running 2-3 miles without stoppingat a 8-10mph pace) will only make the transition easier.

I went through FMSS at 19 years old almost14 years ago, and know that I can still hang with the young men & women if I went back through today...albeit slower than I did at 19!

In regards to moving all over the place during your training, my advice to you is this:

Go home after boot camp and spend 5-10 days of leave with your family, return to Great Lakes Corps School(alone, aka Geographical Bachelor) for 14 weeks, return home and if you go to a permanent duty station at this point, plan on moving the family.Talk with your sponsor atyour next commandabout deployment possibilities, housing, area conditions,etc. before uprooting the family only to get there and say goodbye to them. While this does happen, it is probably not the best scenario for a new Navy wife, and I would recommend her staying closer to the family/friends support network in this instance.

If you are going to FMSS afterCorps School, you will already have orders to your permanent duty station. If this isFMF, move your family at thispoint to the area. (Pendleton or Lejeune as appropriate.) Otherwise, waituntil you get to your command (Naval Hospital Pensacola, ie).

Alot to digest now, but look back or print for future reference. I'm sure the other doc's herehave additional points to consider in this regard. I wish you the best in your Navy career and in the service of your country. No matter which path you decide is right for you in career field,you've already chosen "the right path."

Semper Fi,

HMC(FMF)

[Da-Chief]

Please take MAWDOC's info to heart. A few things I can tweak as I work at the school house.

1. After boot Camp you will not be allowed leave. Most likely you will be in our hands in a few days at Corps School.

2. Like Chief said, Don't move your family until you are absolutely sure where you are going. The best way to do this is to have "ORDERS" in hand upon grad from HM "A" School. (You usually get your orders, HARD COPY, After about test 10-11). Some (few) are put on hold until the orders come down the pike. Keep you chin up as we have students complain daily about having to stay a bit on hold, but I can assure you as many can here, that Great Lakes on hold is a lot easier then pumping around in other local's we visit! :shock:.

3. Boot Camp these days are not hard. If you were to ask students after they have their first PT with us how they feel, you usually hear the word "BRUTAL". They generally come to us out of shape or barely able to do 1.5 miles. This is not the students fault, is just the way it is at boot camp. No one double times anywhere, they have made the ships (Barracks) so everything is on one spot, Classrooms, berthing, and galley. This way you can spend more time learning. (Ahem...)

4. Listen to your advisors starting with Corps-school and then FMSS if you go. The time for training is now not when you are getting on the 5-ton to move out.

And last but not least..

Don't take anything personally. Sometimes you will be frustrated. Learn to deal with frustration, but above all "LEARN".

My motto:

Semper Gumby, Always flexible.

Out.

Da-Chief..

[DevilDoc]

It looks like most everyone has some sound advice for you. I went to Field Med School in 2004. I am a female and I was 29 years old. Sooo, that being said, if I can do it, so can you. The hardest part was running 3-5 miles, which is a normal day there. 3-5mile run 3 times per week. I was running to much before going there, even though in the past I had been running. You get intoshape quickly there. Of course there are the long humps with close to 80-100 pound packs, give or take, depending on the gear you are humping. Pendleton is a bit worse, because it is pretty hilly, as opposed to Lejeune, that is flatter ground.

For me, I thought boot camp was a joke. I was working out pretty much five days a week before going, so the physical part was laughable. Ifyou are in good shape ahead of time, you will be fine. I actually gained weight there from lack of physical activity, which was quite disappointing.

If you are active duty, spacing all of this out is not really possible. If you are a Reservist, you can handle things differently. Taking one thing at a time and going home between.

In all honesty, being a corpsman is truly the best job in the Navy, especially if you are with the Marines. I love it myself. But, if you are on active duty and you go with the Marines, there is a huge chance that you will be away from your family a great deal. But then again there is also a good chance that you won't get sent anywhere. It's a toss up. No way to know in advance. My advice is that you should talk to your wife, because your decision affects her and your children. Be sure you have a strong family and marriage, before tossing in deployments and absentism. Just some thoughts from a married gal, who is also an FMF Corpsman! Hope that is all helpful to you. Good luck in your decision!

Devil Doc