Army 68W Airborne VS Air Force PJ VS Navy FMF Corpsman

[thelowbar]

In my opinion, Just join as a 68w and get a feel for the army before you try to do anything else such as Airborne, SF, ect. It would be better for you getting experience and then going to such a unit. I had friends that graduated 68w AIT and went straight to Airborne and Ranger Indoctrination, now they work in an orderly room because they weren't up to par with the more seasoned medics in the 75th. You can train all day and night, but if you don't get real life experience you're not going to go anywhere.

 

[Boston.Tacmedic]

as for 18 series or PJ you have to go through all phases of SERE (survival evasion resistance and escape) training, which unless you don't mind LITERALLY being starved, beaten, locked in a pitch black room, eating bugs and such you will not make it and you will be reclassified to needs of the army or airforce. The "pipeline" as it is affectionately called starts off with SFAS for both (Special Forces Selection and Screening) which is about a month long, followed by Airborne, followed by HALO/HAHO for PJ (High Altitude Low Opening, and High Altitude High Opening) and then dive school, followed by a language course, then for army SF you go to 'Q' course, then upon completion of that you get your green / red beret then you start your 8 to 18 months of MOS training. Oh yeah, If you fail any part of this process you go needs of the military. Army it is currently 11B (infantryman), 88M (truck driver) and 42A (administrative clerk)

An airborne medic is basic, AIT, Airborne school then chance of you getting to an ABN unit are about 30 percent if that, (provided you pass) then you will rarely jump (I know this for a fact, I got my wings on my chest lol)

I know close to nothing for Navy so I won't touch there.

You can always choose your MOS in any branch so long as you get it in your contract, if they don't want to give it to you you walk out the door and they will more than likely call you back in 2 days offering it too you.

My experience is went to ABN right after AIT, tried out for SFAS passed and then failed Q course, got picked up by Civil Affairs, deployed 3 times as a medic.

Said perfectly my friend. Also with prior service as a wiskey or 18d medic your civilian job options sky rocket. I can count my time on ambulance in months not years due to all my prior training. There is a whole sub culture of operational medics like myself who work medicine in austere environments. Any choice you make will reward you in ways you can't imagine. Good on ya bro.

 

[Akulahawk]

I'll weigh in with this: (I'm not military, been around it for 21 years)

Whatever options you're looking at, check with state PA Licensing, RN license boards and LVN/LPN license boards to see what military training they'll accept as equivalent. Then seek that training. When you get out of the military, you'll have behind you a TON of training, a TON of experience you'd never get outside the military, and you'll have career options that should allow you to step right out of a military uniform and right into a medical one.

That is, of course, should you choose to stick with medicine. An old acquaintance of mine still is with the CANG's 129th Rescue Wing. He loved being a medic... but he decided to be a door gunner for a while. I haven't checked in on him in a while, but he may still be an active EMT...

Check those options... now and down the road!

 

[TheWorker1981]

PJ vs Corpsman

Nick,

If you are serious about getting into the medical field in the military and having great credentials that transfer well into the civilian world you cannot go wrong by becoming a PJ. I have two buddies right now that are going through the training. One of which will be graduating and getting the coveted Maroon Beret in April. Becoming a PJ is about a two year process. After which you are a Nationally Registered Paramedic and the government paid for the whole thing. Your first step is a ten week indoctrination which about 80% dont make it through. My one friend said his class started with around 90-100 guys and only about 20 made it. However, if you pass this course you have probably made it throught he hardest part. A great resource is www.specialtactics.com or www.pararescue.com. A good way to go about becoming a PJ is going through the Air National Guard and going through on of the rescue squadrons in Florida, Kentucky, New York, California or Oregon. Make sure you can swim like crazy!!
As for corpsman I have a buddy who does that and loves it but the problem comes when you get attached to a Marine Unit and have to put up with conventional unit BS. I was a Marine for four years, it was great but lots of the corpsman that were attached to us were frustrated by having to deal with the "Marine side of things." Overall advice, look into any Special Operations even SEALs and try and get a medical rating from there. But PJs are your best bet!!

 

[Super Delegate]

Totally agree.

As a former Navy Helicopter Rescue Swimmer, I can tell you I strongly considered crossing to the Air Force. I personally think PJ's have the best job in the military. The training is intense though, you had better be ready because it is very true that if you do not pass the schools they will most likely put you where they need you.

All I can tell you is: swim, run, swim, run, swim, run until you are the best person that you know of at both of those exercises.

Another consideration, however a little less intense, is being a Rescue Swimmer with a CSAR capable squadron. You'll go through SERE school, swimmer school, aircrew school, get weapons qualifications. It really is a sweet job in more ways than a few.

Good Luck!

 

[Afflixion]

What level of SERE school will you attend? will you go through SERE-C? Will they send you to paramedic school?

 

[usafmedic45]

After which you are a Nationally Registered Paramedic and the government paid for the whole thing.

LOL I don't think signing a four to six year chunk of your life is really a fair trade for a class that runs about three grand in the civilian world and pays only slightly better (or in some cases worse) than being a Taco Bell manager. Not that I don't respect the hell out of PJs but pursuing that path to simply come out as a paramedic is a bit like going to medical school to better your chances of getting a job as a drug rep.

A good way to go about becoming a PJ is going through the Air National Guard and going through on of the rescue squadrons in Florida, Kentucky, New York, California or Oregon.

Your chances are about the same as if you go active duty AF with a "guaranteed" slot in the indoc class. Either way you're about as likely to wind up doing some other job instead of being the PJ you envisioned being when you went in.

 

[RGRTavs]

... What about the Navy Seal medics? According to my friend who is in the Marine Reconnaissance, those guys are pretty good medics.

They are but their medics aren't primarily focused and trained as medics. Also since Seals are under JSOC, they operate and have the army specops medics as part of their "task force/order" on many missions except the ones that are DevGru specific. All medics under the JSOC umbrella are first rate and are certified under one of the SOMC(special operations medic course)courses or it's derivatives as well as civilian EMT and paramedic training.

LOL I don't think signing a four to six year chunk of your life is really a fair trade for a class that runs about three grand in the civilian world and pays only slightly better (or in some cases worse) than being a Taco Bell manager. Not that I don't respect the hell out of PJs but pursuing that path to simply come out as a paramedic is a bit like going to medical school to better your chances of getting a job as a drug rep.

Exactly, unless you know being a PJ is exactly what you want, I would honestly tell you to forget it. These guys have one of the hardest pipelines around. 3% success aint no joke, and that's at least 70% individuals who've been training and preparing for this selection for twelve or more months.
Things to consider:
-you better like water as much as a fish
-you better not be afraid of heights
-you better be able to run
-you better be ready to be in a state of training for about two years, there's some schools/tasks you may recycle but most are critical, fail one and you're dropped
-you better be ready stay on a high deployment cycle
-you better know what SERE C-High Risk is because you're doing it

PJs are upper echelon special ops and as a medic in the team, your medicals skills are secondary and in addition to your PJ training.

Your chances are about the same as if you go active duty AF with a "guaranteed" slot in the indoc class. Either way you're about as likely to wind up doing some other job instead of being the PJ you envisioned being when you went in.

^Yeap.
Same thing for 18D, in which you are just shy of a doctor as far as battle field medicine goes. While selection for the other "cool guy" units is based on a standard package other than a focus on medicine(ie not a requisite for earning a trident, etc.), SF medics have to pass the 18D course; all medical. Research the ever evolving final exam, talk about multi system trauma.


If you want to be a medic, I believe a sure shot would be the Army, you can get it in writing, have a broad selection of duty stations, no wazu hoops to jump through and pretty basic military life which you can escalate into more advance medicine by later going to a special ops unit outright or working in a support battalion for SF...after you've gotten your feet wet.

I've work with corps men marines working with MARSOC and Seals. These dudes are pretty bad *** too, but I don't know anything about their entry process. In my experiences they were very professional and competent.

 

[82nd medic]

They are but their medics aren't primarily focused and trained as medics. Also since Seals are under JSOC, they operate and have the army specops medics as part of their "task force/order" on many missions except the ones that are DevGru specific. All medics under the JSOC umbrella are first rate and are certified under one of the SOMC(special operations medic course)courses or it's derivatives as well as civilian EMT and paramedic training.

Exactly, unless you know being a PJ is exactly what you want, I would honestly tell you to forget it. These guys have one of the hardest pipelines around. 3% success aint no joke, and that's at least 70% individuals who've been training and preparing for this selection for twelve or more months.
Things to consider:
-you better like water as much as a fish
-you better not be afraid of heights
-you better be able to run
-you better be ready to be in a state of training for about two years, there's some schools/tasks you may recycle but most are critical, fail one and you're dropped
-you better be ready stay on a high deployment cycle
-you better know what SERE C-High Risk is because you're doing it

PJs are upper echelon special ops and as a medic in the team, your medicals skills are secondary and in addition to your PJ training.




^Yeap.
Same thing for 18D, in which you are just shy of a doctor as far as battle field medicine goes. While selection for the other "cool guy" units is based on a standard package other than a focus on medicine(ie not a requisite for earning a trident, etc.), SF medics have to pass the 18D course; all medical. Research the ever evolving final exam, talk about multi system trauma.


If you want to be a medic, I believe a sure shot would be the Army, you can get it in writing, have a broad selection of duty stations, no wazu hoops to jump through and pretty basic military life which you can escalate into more advance medicine by later going to a special ops unit outright or working in a support battalion for SF...after you've gotten your feet wet.

I've work with corps men marines working with MARSOC and Seals. These dudes are pretty bad *** too, but I don't know anything about their entry process. In my experiences they were very professional and competent.

SEALs dont fall under JSOC. they fall under NAVSOC. only SFOD-D, DEVGRU, and 24th STS fall under JSOC. also its ALL medical personel who fall under USSOCOM (not JSOC) that attend the SOCM course (as well as IDC corpsmen and force recon corpsmen). no PJ doesnt have a 3% pass rate. it has an 80-90% attrition rate (10-20% pass rate) which is the same exact pass rate for 18Ds and SEAL corpsmen.

heres what you have to remember: as a line medic you're scope of practice is as large as your PA is comfortable with. In the civilian world though, you ONLY are certified as an EMT-B. that't it: nothing more. if you want to get your paramedic through the military, you have to attend the SOCM (special operations combat medic) course.. meaning you have to be either:
*a 68W in ranger regiment
*a 68W in active duty CA/PSYOP
*an 18D
*a SEAL corpsmen
*a Corpsmen with MARSOC
*a Corpsmen for force recon
*an IDC
*or a PJ

those are your only options for paramedic.

if you dont mind getting just EMT-B as far as the civie world is concerned, then its really up to you. the army is the only one that will garuntee medic in writing and the only one where you can be a medic for paratroopers. the navy though gives you more oppertunities for fun travel. also keep in mind that either way you have NO say where you end up: there is no way to garuntee FMF and theres no way to garuntee you'll go to the line opposed to mopping the floors of hospitals for your enlistment.

 

[usafmedic45]

no PJ doesnt have a 3% pass rate. it has an 80-90% attrition rate (10-20% pass rate) which is the same exact pass rate for 18Ds and SEAL corpsmen.

5-10% for full "pipeline" completion is what I have been repeatedly told by my friends who are PJs. The 80-90% washout is just for the indoc. They continue to lose people, albeit at a much lower rate, through the specialty training. One of my buddies earned made it through to the very end and within a few days of being done with the pipeline, he fractured his ankle during a fast rope and that's all she wrote.

*a 68W in active duty CA/PSYOP

When did that happen? I was attached to a PSYOP unit (long story; perfect example of how you go where the military tells you to go....I wound up with an entirely different branch) towards the the end of my enlistment and none of the guys were paramedics so far as I recall and don't recall the PSYOP guys being eligible for the SOCM course. So far as I am aware from my friends still with that particular unit, that's still the case (or as one of the SFCs I know put it a few years back "You have to be willing to blow someone to get a class spot for something that sporty"). Then again, it's been quite a while since I actually checked on the specifics.

 

[mc400]

68w and Corpsman is basically the same. You can get a braoader scope opf training in the navy but greenside corpsmen and 68w's in combat units are the same thing. One just is the :censored::censored::censored::censored: with the army grunts other with Marines grunts.

do you want to ride around on ships or ride around on planes/helo's etc.

PJ is a different animal than either of the above mentioned. You can go army or navy and still get any of the training PJ's get by going SF or Force recon.

 

[Rip Shears]

You won't receive the same level of high-angle rescue training the PJs get as a MARSOC Corpsman, nor will you operate at the same level (in most cases). The PJs are more specialized and have been part of SOCOM for much longer than MARSOC (formerly known as Force Recon). Don't get me wrong, I've known some phenomenal medics in both services. On the downside, the PJs tend to be a bit more "Hollywood," whereas the MARSOC guys are down-and-dirty. SF guys go through a longer medical pipeline than PJs, along with intensive language training. Good guys in there, too. Then there's the SEALs, but you'd better learn to swim. Really, really well.

 

[82nd medic]

usafmedic: im sure it varries class to class and year to year, everything i've read by PJs and other SOF personel is 80-90% though.

CAPOC medics have been eligeable for the W1 (SOCM) course since CAPOC became a part of USASOC, in fact w1 is a requirement to attend the w5 course (CA medic). up until not all that long ago though w1 only gave them EMT-I, not EMT-P, so that might have been the difference.

 

[usafmedic45]

usafmedic: im sure it varries class to class and year to year, everything i've read by PJs and other SOF personel is 80-90% though

Yeah, I've always thought that simply citing the indoc course failure rate is a bit shortsighted.

 

[PMD1989]

So I know the future might be a bit unclear when we talk about secure placement in to the MOS we want but as a side note what would the army, navy or air force offer to a Firefighter/Paramedic with ACLS,PALS,PHTLS and soon to be TCCC certified, do they take your experience and certs in to consideration, or it all depends on the ASVAB?

 

[Chewy20]

So I know the future might be a bit unclear when we talk about secure placement in to the MOS we want but as a side note what would the army, navy or air force offer to a Firefighter/Paramedic with ACLS,PALS,PHTLS and soon to be TCCC certified, do they take your experience and certs in to consideration, or it all depends on the ASVAB?

Means nothing, except if you want Army (only branch I have exp with) you can skip a portion of AIT. ASVAB, available jobs and your medical history is what it comes down too. If you are expecting to be a fire fighter in the military I would think about something else. Jobs are pretty much non-existent and most bases are going to civilian trucks anyways.