The modern-day interpretation of the U.S. Army doctrine requires medics to carry one primary weapon and, if possible, a secondary weapon. The U.S. Navy deploys FMF Hospital Corpsman attached to U.S. Marine Corps units as part of the Fleet Marine Force.
How do I become an FMF corpsman?
- Join the Navy.
- Survive boot camp.
- Graduate A school at Fort Sam.
- Get assigned to an FMF class at Camp LeJeune or Camp Pendleton.
- Survive 8 weeks of FMTB training.
- Get assigned to a USMC unit.
The Duties of the Hospital Corpsman
If you are considering becoming a medic in the Navy, you will be trained and required to perform most of these tasks: Maintaining treatment records and reports. Caring for sick and injured. Deploy on a ship, submarines, aircraft commands.Working Conditions. Most Navy corpsmen do not see combat up close. Typically, they serve in a hospital or clinical setting, aboard ships or submarines or out in the field during a deployment or exercise.
As a Hospital Corpsman, you could be assigned to a Navy medical treatment facility, like an on-base hospital or clinic. You could also work on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the ocean, or a submarine in the depths of the sea.
A hospital corpsman (HM /ˈk?ːrm?n/ [or corpsman]) is an enlisted medical specialist of the United States Navy, who may also serve in a U.S. Marine Corps unit. The corresponding rating within the United States Coast Guard is health services technician (HS).
Navy Corpsmen are held in the highest respect. They are outdoors in all the wet, cold or hot weather the Marines are in and walk and carry the same gear as they do and when the Marines get injured they risk their lives to save them.
For many years Marines and their fellow medical personnel Navy Corpsmen have always fought together. The "docs" who receive their training from Marines can be as deadly as the Marines who trained them. To earn this unofficial title of "Devil Doc," a Corpsman must show that he is as dangerous as his fellow warfighters.
Benefits of Corpsman Role
Being a Marine or Navy corpsman provides those with an interest in the field of healthcare an opportunity to simultaneously serve their country through military service, while also getting hands-on medical training and experience .Navy regulations allows Navy Corpsman attached to Marine units as a medic to wear a Marine uniform as long as they conform to Marine Corps health and grooming standards, also a lot of the time if something is allowed in the military it will happen.
In the U.S. Navy, enlisted medical personnel are known as corpsmen, not medics. The colloquial form of address for a hospital corpsman is "Doc". In the U.S. Marine Corps, this term is generally used as a sign of respect.
Navy SEALs have respect for Marines just as Marines have respect for SEALs, they have to work with each other on certain deployments and specific missions. There is an understanding in the military that all units have their mission requirements and their jobs to do. Is there rivalry, of course there is.
Blue side corpsmen are assigned to Navy units. If you are assigned to a Navy hospital then you may not travel all that much. There are a lot of ships in the Navy and they need corpsmen, so all in all you'll do a lot of traveling.
Supposedly, there are no non-combatants in the Marine Corps, and since medical personnel and the clergy are technically non-combatants, they are provided by the US Navy. The reason I say supposedly is because “The President's Own”, the United States Marine Band, do not perform combat missions.
US Navy Hospital Corpsman, and other ratings, who have orders to the Marines, or the US Navy CB's (Construction Battalions) attend a five week course of instruction called “Field Medical Service School” (FMSS) however, it is not Marine Corps Boot Camp.
Pro: excellent way to earn money for college education for actually pursuing a medical/nursing/allied health career. Pro: opportunity to advance in training and education and let the military pay for it. One very unique field in Navy medicine is the Independent Duty Corpsman.
Not a big difference, the only difference is the force that they serve; an Army medic is from army and a corpsman is from US NAVY.
Hospital Corpsman Salaries
Corpsmen typically enter the Navy at paygrade E-1, earning year 2013 basic pay of $1,516 monthly. All military service members are paid at the same basic rate for each rank level.Being in the military isn't something that was easy, you have to have the proper mindset to be able to handle it. But it's worth it. It has its downfalls and sacrifices more than most jobs but the benefits and security are worth it. If you're willing to put in the work it could make for a great career.
Hospital Corpsman perform duties as assistants in the prevention and treatment of disease and injury and assist health care professionals in providing medical care to Navy and Marine Corps personnel of the operational forces, shore activities and other authorized beneficiaries.
HM Jobs
- HM - Advanced X-Ray Technician.
- HM - Aerospace Medical Technician.
- HM - Aerospace Physiology Technician.
- HM - Behavioral Health Technician.
- HM - Biomedical Equipment Technician.
- HM - Cardiovascular Technician.
- HM - Deep Sea Diving Independent Duty Corpsman.
- HM - Dental Assistant.
ASVAB Scores and Navy Jobs
| RATING | NAVY RATING TITLE | MINIMUM ASVAB SUBTEST SCORES |
|---|
| HM/5YO | Hospital Corpsman | VE+MK+GS=156 |
| HM/SG | Hospital Corpsman | VE+MK+GS=156 |
| HT | Hull Maintenance Technician | VE+AR+MK+AS=205 or VE+AR+MK+MC=205 |
| IC | Interior Communications Electrician | AR+MK+EI+GS=213 |
Aviation Boatswain's Mate. The Aviation Boatswain's Mate has an E-9 Navy rating making it the best-paid job in the Navy. The E-9 starting pay is $5,308.20 per month. The Aviation Boatswain's Mate (AB) conducts quick and safe launch and recovery functions for a Naval aircraft that is both at sea and on shore.
What is the difference between hospital corpsmen and military nurses? The primary difference is that Hospital Corpsmen are enlisted military personnel and military nurses are officers. Hospital Corpsmen perform various roles within the military's medical field.
Corpsman can apply to become Officers but are no longer Corpsman. They are the Medical Staff Corps Officer they apply/accepted for. Also: If you are a Corpsman and you earn your FMF pin (enlisted - silver pin). You can then wear your FMF pin that you received while enlisted.
Many corpsmen are EMTs, but not all. The training structure for Navy Corpsmen (any enlisted person working in the medical field) is very different from the training structure for Air Force and Army medics (enlisted medical personnel that directly care for patients). In the Army, a medic is a medic.
At least 13 Corpsmen have been killed in Afghanistan, and 29 in the Iraq war. But the highest honor, still, is to be called "Doc" by a Marine, said Navy Senior Chief Clarence Conner, the Command Master Chief for the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
According to U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery Historian Andre Sobocinski, more than 10,000 Navy hospital corpsmen served with Marines during Vietnam. Of those, 645 were killed in action and more than 3,300 wounded.
M.O.S. / Rate
A Hospital Corpsman holds a rate of "0000" or "quad zero" after graduating "A" school. They then can go on to a "C" school to receive more specialized training like "8404" Field Medical Service Technician, where the sailor will usually find him or herself stationed with the Marines.
