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Careers: Military--Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines, Coast Guard/Medical Disqualified
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Question
I wanted to try for an Army ROTC Scholarship for Nursing but I have a feeling that I will be medically disqualified. I am currently 16 years old, so I have about 1 year to figure these things out.
I have had:
1) Small inguinal hernia surgery when I was 8 years old. No problems since.
2) Sinusitis from a cold when I was 13 or 14 years old. Had to have surgery to drain my sinuses. No problems since.
3) I used to get "moderate" (not severe) headaches from ages 8 - 12. Mom insisted on a MRI - "Normal". Only took Tylenol or Advil. Haven't had this type of headache for approx. 4 years.
4) Just 4 months ago, I tore a tendon and stretched a couple more tendons in my right ankle. Had athroscopy surgery and corrected it. Didn't really need therapy afterwards. No pain or loss of range of motion. Actually, I'm already currently doing gymnastics and other sports/activites.
So, what do you think? Will I be PDQ from the get go?
Thanks.
Lea
Hi Lea,
Conditions which are disqualifying for Military service can be read on my site at: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/a/intmedstandards.htm
I don't see anything in your medical history that will be a definate disqualifier, but you have had a lot of significant medical problems in your life (more than the average young person). At a very minimum, you can expect your medical records to be examined in detail.
All you can really do is to graduate high school, getting the highest GPA you can possibly get (the higher your GPA, the better your chances for an ROTC Scholarship), then apply, go through the physical, and see what happens.
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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