Some questions about Corpsman duties

[Mike1986]

How long does corpsman school take? Does it happen during or after boot camp?
How in depth will my training be? Will I be trained to surgically remove bullets and stitch up wounds? Are corpsman above or equal to paramedics?
When Marines get sick with a cold or flu do I have to diagnose and prescribe medicine?
When kicking in doors and going house to house what order do corpsman enter?

Also what major differences do corpsman and Army medics have?

[8404]

How long does corpsman school take? Does it happen during or after boot camp?

It is 70 training days (not to be confused with calendar days) and it happens after RTC bootcamp!

When kicking in doors and going house to house what order do corpsman enter?

I would think discussing tactical placement of personnel within a combat squad, platoon, company or battalion would not be a good idea!

I'll leave the remaining questions to others more knowledgeable.

[dragmyster04]

70 training days/96 calendar days. This is not including NMT, which is basically a holding company that you go to right after bootcamp. Depending on the influx of new sailors, you might be there anywhere between 10 days and a month. For example, I was in NMT for 10 days, and classed up relatively quick, but my roommate was there for about 4 weeks before he classed. THe purpose of HM A school is to train sailors to perform as BASIC Hospital Corpsmen. What does that mean? That means that by the end of Corps School, which includes 10 academic weeks with 12 exams, 2 labs weeks, and 2 clinicals weeks, you should be able to save someone's life, give IV's, draw blood, medical documentation, and some other basic nursing duties. Don't have any misconceptions, Corps School is definitely not easy. The material we cover is basically a year of nursing school jam packed in 3 months. The amount of information is astounding. The "kicking in doors" part comes after HM A school, at Field Medical Training Battalion, or FMTB. This is where you will learn to operate with the Marine Corps. But don't even worry about that, because you have to worry about making it through bootcamp and then A-school first. If you mess up in bootcamp, you might be rolled back, or even kicked out. If you fail 3 tests in Corps School, you will be kicked out and sent to the fleet, or if you demonstrate that you've been trying, you might be rolled back to another class. Thus far, we've lost 5 people out of a class of 60, and we're only half way through the academic part. Other classes lost 20-30% of their students already. Take it one step at a time, study, and get in shape.

[dragmyster04]

Oh and don't think that just because you will be a Corpsman, you will automatically be sent with the Marines. THe way you pick orders in Corps School is based on GPA. The higher your test average, you get to pick orders before others. Some classes have almost entirely Marine orders, while others barely have any. The only thing you can really control at Corps School is how well you do academically. You pick your orders around test 10, which will be in a couple weeks for me. But you'll figure all of this out as you go, because the Navy sure as hell isn't gonna tell you anything. At least for me, that's how it's been. We've already have our FMF brief, and I'm 4th in my class, so I know that if they have Division orders, that's where I'm headed. However, if MLG is the only thing open for Marines, I'll roll with them, because Green Side is the way to be as a Corpsman.

[8404]

Thanks drag for an outstanding response and congratulations on your success!

[Mike1986]

Very interesting, I feel pretty anxious to get started. Seems like school will take forever but I'm sure they keep you busy enough that time flies by.

[dragmyster04]

Oh yeah, school pretty much blows by. When you do go to bootcamp, and get here, it will seem ridiculously relaxed compared to bootcamp. But when you get phase 2 and leave base after 3 months of only wearing a uniform, trust me, even Corps School is gonna seem like prison compared to the civilian world. Civvies got it made man lol. Do me a favor and don't do anything stupid, like get caught drinking underage, alcohol poisoning, or OD'ing on benadryl or nyquil. Every single week we have people go to Captain's Mast, because as soon as people get that taste of freedom, it's on like donkey kong. I'm a little older than the average NHCS student, and I've been to college and I've done all the drinking and partying and stuff, and it was crazy for me the first couple times I went out, because I haven't done anything in a while. I can only imagine what some 18-19 year old kid would do if presented with alcohol, drugs, and girls. The temptations can be very strong, and it's usually the younger kids who get in trouble. BTW, when are you going to bootcamp? You might not get to come to NHCS GL. They are integrating the medic training for all the military branches, packing up shop and moving it all down to Texas. I think, but I'm not sure, that this will be completed by next year.