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Careers: Military--Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines, Coast Guard/Becoming a medic
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Question
Im still in High School but want to be a physician or field medic in the military.
How should I do this? Would going to college be best? and if so, what scholorships are there?
Also, what medic field would you recomend?
-Camouflage:-)
Hi Camouflage,
If you want to be a physician (whether in the military or civilian life), you have to graduate college, then you have to graduate from medical school. There's no way around this.
However, once you graduate from college, the military services have programs (such as the Uniformed Services University for Medical Services that will actually pay your your medical school, in exchange for a commitment to military service as a medical doctor. However, such programs are *very* competitive (ie, there are a whole lot more people applying than there are available slots), so you would have to have a *very high* GPA in college, under a pre-med program to be considered.
"Field Medics," on the other hand, are enlisted personnel. You can get this job in the military, with just a high school education. "Field Medics" are *not* doctors. Rather, they are more like EMTs, often trained to perform basic/emergency medical services under field or combat conditions. This is *not* the same, however, as being a doctor. The closest civilian equivalent is being a civilian EMT (Ambulance person).
Hope this helps!
Rod Powers
Http://usmilitary.about.com
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Answers by Expert:
Rod Powers
Expertise
Rod Powers is considered one of the premire experts about U.S. Military career information on the planet. He has more than 30,000 articles about U.S. Military career information on the About.com U.S. Military Careers Information website at: http://usmilitary.about.com. Additionally, he is the author of "ASVAB for Dummies," "ASVAB AFQT for Dummies," (available in Dec 2009), and "Veteran Benefits for Dummies," all published by Wiley Publishing. He is also the author of "Barrons' Guide to Officer Candidate School Tests," published by Barron's Educational Series.
Experience
Rod Powers is a retired Air Force first sergeant, with 23 years of active duty service, 11 of those years as an Air Force First Sergeant. He has helped thousands of military members, recruits, and military applicants since he took over the About.com U.S Military Careers Information site in 1999. He has a reputation for "telling it like it is," so questions may not be answered based on "what you want to hear," but will be answered based of the bast available information, concerning the service/situation.
Education/Credentials
Rod is a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Noncommissioned Officers Academy, the Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, and the Air Force First Sergeant Academy. He also holds an Associates Degree in Personnel Administration from the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF).
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