Army ROTC: Is there anything...medical...I can do?

[MarkL]

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Please excuse my ?newbie? knowledge on this field.

Dear all,
I am a first year undergraduate and a first year Army ROTC (MSI) cadet. I am enthusiastic about pursuing a medical career in the military and was wondering if anyone knows if I could take any Army courses or take on additional responsibilities in my squad to facilitate this interest. (Is it even possible for ROTC cadets to take Army courses?) While I am not a nursing student, I am trained in the pre-hospital field with some of the knowledge of some of the skills Combat Life Savers need to know: fracture management, airway management and IV skills: I have credentials in Advanced Cardiac Life Support and as a medical first responder.

I appreciate any help or suggestions anyone can provide.

Regards,
Mark

 

[Homunculus]

Originally posted by MarkL
Please excuse my ?newbie? knowledge on this field.

Dear all,
I am a first year undergraduate and a first year Army ROTC (MSI) cadet. I am enthusiastic about pursuing a medical career in the military and was wondering if anyone knows if I could take any Army courses or take on additional responsibilities in my squad to facilitate this interest. (Is it even possible for ROTC cadets to take Army courses?) While I am not a nursing student, I am trained in the pre-hospital field with some of the knowledge of some of the skills Combat Life Savers need to know: fracture management, airway management and IV skills: I have credentials in Advanced Cardiac Life Support and as a medical first responder.

I appreciate any help or suggestions anyone can provide.

Regards,
Mark

I did 4 years of Army ROTC before entering medical school, and from what I remember there really isn't much "medical" stuff you can do, save for the occasional 9-line medevac. ROTC's primary concern is supplying officers-- not doctors. As a cadet you *do* get the opportunity to go to Airborne and Air Assault school, but they're not really medically related. The only medical training you *may* be able to get is the expert field medical badge, but i seriously doubt you'd be able to test for it. my advice would be to get as much medical experience and exposure as possible in the civilian world, and leave ROTC for ROTC. Do well at advanced camp, win a few battalion awards, and you'll look good for the HPSP board once you're accepted to medical school 🙂

hope that helps a bit

 

[MarkL]

That is some good advice- thanks. 🙂 I guess I just will focus on volunteering with the American Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services program.

 

[T.A.M]

About the EFMB- even if you earn the badge, you can't wear it unless you have an MOS designated as a medical specialty. This excludes ROTC cadets, but not HPSP students

 

[edmadison]

Originally posted by T.A.M
About the EFMB- even if you earn the badge, you can't wear it unless you have an MOS designated as a medical specialty. This excludes ROTC cadets, but not HPSP students

Really? I now a couple of former service guys who are now HPSP and who wear their EFMBs. I ddin't know they were wrong all this time.

Ed

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Really? I now a couple of former service guys who are now HPSP and who wear their EFMBs. I ddin't know they were wrong all this time.

The point was that ROTC guys cannot wear the EFMB, but HPSP folks can, since they are accessioned as medical service corps officers.

Another tidbit for the original poster: many of my classmates worked on getting EMT qualified prior to applying to med school. This may be a good possibility for you if your school runs any kind of EMS service. Tulane has (or at least, used to have) a program that allowed students to train as EMTs, and then ride along in the rig and respond to calls, both on campus and in surrounding neighborhoods. Being EMT qualified (with real world experience) probably looks good for any one pursuing a medical career, but may pay extra dividends for some one entering military medicine, given our mission.

Hope this helps.
CA

 

[T.A.M]

Here's something you can do after Advanced Camp- do a CTLT rotation with a medical unit. If you haven't heard about CTLT yet, ask your cadre members. You won't work with doctors in a hospital or clinic, but with a field unit. After three weeks, you'll probably know more about field medical units than most HPSP students.

Last couple of qualifying remarks about the EFMB- if at the time you earn the badge you have a medical MOS, you can wear the badge for the rest of your career, no matter if you change to a non-medical MOS. This is similar to the rules for the EIB. Obviously, any HPSP student who earned the badge is authorized to wear it, since they have a medical MOS. An ROTC cadet with prior service as a medic can wear it. But, a cadet without prior service can not.