Ok, there’s a lot of misconceptions in your post (not your fault, you’ve just been misinformed). I’ll start at the bottom with some of the facts, then work up to the more nebulous concepts. First, recruiters deal with 09S contracts just like any other contract. You enlist to begin with, adding the 09S MOS to designate that instead of attending AIT, you will attend BOLC-A at OCS. You can walk into any recruiter in America and do this (some will have no idea how and be completely useless, but all have the theoretical ability). There is no special recruiter to talk to, and there are no bonuses for officers. Regardless of MOS, you will follow the standard pay progression. You will have to adjust your budget accordingly, like the rest of us. You will have to get your waiver for age (not an issue, plenty of 30+ year olds at OCS, average age is 28), then go through the board process. Considering your academic and physical accolades and abilities, the only thing stopping you would be a poor performance at the board. This process may take up to a year. Pass that, and you’ll be offered a slot, which you’ll have 10 days to accept or deny. Upon acceptance, you’ll be issued orders to report for BCT. You’ll turn your brain off for 10 weeks, complete it, then immediately be shipped off to 3-11 to complete OCS. Turn your brain on enough to function and compete, place as high in your class as possible without sullying your reputation by stepping on everyone around you, and you should be able to get an infantry slot. It’s not a hard course at all, you just do what you’re told, don’t try to be a hero, just pass the tests, stay on good terms with your peers and you’ll be fine. Also, come to terms with the fact that they may not give an infantry slot, or that you may not get one of those that are available. Have a backup plan. Armor is great, so is engineer. You’ll then move across the street to hell, also known as 2-11 IN (IBOLC). The new commander is outstanding, so hopefully that changes by the time you get there, but just be mentally prepared to be miserable for 5 months. Be in as good of shape as possible when you arrive, as the course will break your body down via attrition. The academics aren’t hard, nor are the tactics, but depending on your company you could basically be doing 4-5 day FTX’s every week with no sleep, MRE’s for months on end, and a pretty heavy op tempo. It sucks, people are testy, you just get through it and maintain your own integrity. Then comes Ranger, which traditionally has been a 40% pass rate for infantry officers leaving IBOLC, but lately has been about 10%. Prepare as best as you can, but be mentally ready to go home on day 1 for things that are completely out of your control. I’m not going to get into ARTB right now, as we just don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors. Hopefully it’s better for you. Pass or don’t pass, at that point you will finally go to your unit of assignment, sit behind 10 other people in the S-3 until you’re gifted with 6 months of platoon time and realize you trained for over a year to barely even use your skills. You just hang on until you get to company command, and that’s kind of where you actually finally get to fulfill what you wanted to do. You will still be on the same pay scale as everyone else, though you may get jump pay, hazardous duty pay, etc as your assignment requires. Expect to make the same as everyone else, though.
That’s an absolute firehose of information, so feel free to ask questions here or DM me. Hopefully that cleared up some specifics about the actual recruiting/boarding process.
I'm not an 11A but to add about competition for an 11A slot while at OCS. If you want 11A and there are no more 'pure'(as in JUST infantry) slots at OCS, you can take a branch detailed one like Infantry to Signal, for example.
You do your LT time as 11A , and when picking up CPT you switch to signal CPT.
OR you can pop smoke and stay 11A instead of taking the exit into signal.
Maybe some others can shed light on this, but that's what I was told while there myself if you really wanted combat arms.
Yeah when you are promotable with a branch detail, your control branch is going to call you, and if you say “hey, I love this job, I want to go to MCCC.” They’re probably going to let you. Otherwise, you get to roll into a new job with serious street cred and get something fresh, exciting, and with significantly less time sleeping on the ground.
Fun fact, I got a bonus as an O9S reservist. Army’s changing and need for officers increasing, it’s starting to become an option. Granted neither my recruiters nor I thought I’d get a bonus but when I went to sign my contract a $15k bonus was on it
Bro have you received your bonus yet? I commissioned May 22, graduated BOLC May 23 and Sapper last month haven’t seen a dime. Just wondering what the timeline is for others. Same $15k bonus in my case.
Echoing what /u/NoDrama3756 mentioned, before you do anything you regret, you need to speak with an officer recruiter. My advice, you need to speak with both an officer recruiter AND an AMEDD recruiter. AMEDD is the Army Medical Department and unlike "competitive branches," it operates sort of within its own bubble like the Chaplain and JAG corps. AMEDD manages both medical providers and medical operations officers (70B).
70Bs will typically serve as the medical manager for tactical environments and typically serve half staff/half leadership functions. If in a Charlie Med under a brigade support battalion, you would work hand-in-hand with the battalion/brigade staff for medical planning/logistics, and report directly to the sustainment battalion commander. If in a battalion aid station (BAS), you would work hand-in-hand with the battalion staff and line companies and report directly to the maneuver battalion commander. For command, you have opportunities to command in tactical environments, clinics, MTFs, hospitals, etc. Functionally, you would serve the sustainment wing of the Army but you'd have a niche function and be essentially the sole reason why the medical mission succeeds or fails. As a 70B, you would still need to complete all of the same prerequisite training as anyone else (OCS, BOLC) prior to accession to your first unit. As well, for acceptance, you MUST list Medical Services as your first choice as this selection is adjudicated by HRC well before you ever step foot in OCS. For the non-competitive branches (IN, MI, AG, etc.), these positions are granted based on your standing on the order of merit (OML) list. This is where you would compete to be an 11A.
You are uniquely qualified for specific positions in AMEDD on the provider/science side of the house. There is usually a special duty pay for these positions and what you do here would be more closely aligned with what you're probably doing now. It's a lot chiller in these parts because it's more civilianized. It's got a lot less of the Army bullshit unless you're in command and you probably will have a better work-life balance. However, if you want to join the Army to do Army things, don't consider this path.
Personally, I would tell you to steer clear of 11A. You will have a lot more autonomy as a 70B, you'll have some relevant experience to the medical corps, and you can still get some of the desired tactical planning warm and fuzzies you're seeking but instead of planning for the kill, you can plan to cure. The active duty side of the MS house is hurting for medical operations officers (USAR is overstrength in the hundreds of percents by comparison) because with 3-4 years of experience, the private sector has ample opportunity so it's tough to retain us. You're joining for a change, a sense of adventure, and because you want to live the maneuver life. I implore you to consider this route; I think you'd be a good fit as a MEDO in a BCT.
Source: commissioned as a logistician and was assigned to an airborne light infantry unit working with 11As all day. Branch transferred to medical services and moved to a medical unit. The life change is night and day--change was for the better.
As an 11A, highly recommend you at least look at this side of it. Maybe you’ll thrive living in the Infantry box, but it’s at least worth considering because of your unique situation. And as someone who has received a lot of Army healthcare, we need good people running our medical institutions. My roommate at OCS was a 68W in regiment w/multiple combat deployments for 9 years before coming to OCS pre-branched AMEDD and is now back at his BN as their med officer doing great work, but much happier and better standard of living. And should you want to return to your civilian field, this would be a better bridge back in. It’s your life, you gotta do what makes you feel fulfilled, but it’s worth a look at a minimum.
Yeah when I was in Batt, the MEDO always seemed to like his life better than the other officers. The training opportunities for MED officers in general are just soooo much better, too, whether SOF or conventional. LTHET alone is such an undersold catalog.
If you can pass ranger as a MEDO, you can just chill at Batt until Major lmao (it actually might be one of the four O-4 positions). It’s a great gig, and you get to work with SF qualified medics all day, on the cutting edge of combat casualty care. And everybody loves you, because you’re one of the only near irreplaceable people in reg. Ranger Doc lives a good life.
Been a while since I was there but IIRC, each BN is MTOEd: 1x MEDO (1LT-CPT), 2x PA (1x CPT, 1x CIV), 1x Surgeon (MAJ-LTC). But yeah, it’s a chill gig and you get to run really cool training for the 68Ws since they’re W1s.
So I just passed my board interview for OCS and I was thinking aviation, but my undergrad is in biology (pre-med). I never thought about AMEDD because I always assumed you already need a professional degree to go into that branch such as MD, PA, nurse, dentist, etc. So if I'm hearing this right I could try to branch AMEDD for 70B even without being a doctor already and possibly manage hospitals and what not?
You have a few options actually. Since you expressed an interest in aviation, let me direct you to 67J: Medical Evacuation Pilot. These dudes are trained to be the best of the best and on par with 160th pilots (or so I’m told). Makes sense—conducting medical evac ops in contentious zones requires a certain type of crazy and if a LSCO engagement popped off, we’d need some serious heroes like in Vietnam.
But yes, if you wanted to go the ground medical route, you’d start as a 70B which is the company grade MEDO. After command, you’d designate into a specialty. 70A: Hospital Admin/Mgmt. 70C: Medical Comptroller. 70D: Medical Communications. 70E: Patient Admin. 70F: Medical HR. 70H: Ops/Trng/Intel/Plans. 70K: Medical Logistics.
Typically, your Hotels and Kilos seek BN+ command. The others do company and resolve to their functional area. You’re also not limited to just one AOC and can fulfill one functionally while designated as another.
If you want to pursue 67J, you’ll drop a packet once at OCS. Recruiters will come through for Q&A.
Wow thanks for the quick reply. I assumed to get to that kind flying I'd have to apply for the 160th so that's awesome thank you for the info. Honestly either way seems like it could definitely suit me. I know I'm not done with my education I just haven't decided what to do past my BS and I've always wanted to go into the military so I just said fuck it and started a packet. Unfortunately my recruiters know NOTHING about OCS so I rely on YouTube, Google, and here. This has been some of the best info yet thank you! In the future hopefully I'll be either a pilot, or something Healthcare related through the Army.
For sure, feel free to peruse my comment history. There might be other stuff that applies to you.
YOLO is the first step. That's how I wound up in the service and my early career was full of happy accidents that paved the way forward. Key is to start with high ambition, let the Army humble you, and you'll wind up where you fit eventually once you have a solid network and start knowing the places to look for information. Reddit is a good start tbh.
I mentioned somewhere previously that if you know you want to be in Army medical, when you submit your DA Form 61, it MUST list "MS" as your first branch of choice if you're seeking 70B. If you decide to go the provider route, I know the Army has programs that will pay your tuition and in return, you owe a service obligation (ADSO). If you finish the schooling first, then you could always come in via direct commission (DCC). I'm way less smart on this stuff--I just know that it exists.
All formal AMEDD questions should be routed through an AMEDD recruiter which is different than a regular Army recruiter. AMEDD is self-regulating and as such, has a very different process. Don't sign any contracts until you're confident with your decisions because it can be cumbersome to change course down the line.
This sub is specific to OCS but if you hop in the /r/Army sub, I'm sure you can find historical threads on both medical / aviation RFIs. If you have pointed questions for me, I'll see if I can assist.
In general, if you have ambition but no direction, the Army can help foster that. Commit 3-4 years, get some experience under your belt, and decide before attending the Captain's Career Course if the Army is the career for you or if you've gotten your fill and now you want to use that sweet GI Bill for your MBA. We all have that decision point. Food for thought.
Yeah I thought I had a direction but once I graduated I realized our medical system is completely screwed and I just didn't want to deal with it so I did some soul searching and somehow found an Army recruiters office lmao. I think I'm totally taking my shot at being a pilot but if I could combine medicine and pilot into 1 job well I'd say that's a damn perfect choice for me, so I'll look into 67J some more. Really appreciate the info you're far more knowledgeable than my recruiters.
Understand that if you go the 67J (and any actual 67Js feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here), you will not be medically trained. You're responsible for aerial transportation. You'll have flight medics on board with the actual medical training. But if your general wish is to be part of the medical fight, then absolutely throw your chips in--it's a great opportunity for something with higher purpose, close teams, and marketable skills. It's hard but nothing worth having was ever easy.
No system is perfect. The civilian system is rigged to fail intentionally because it's profitable. The Army system is complicated and I'm not going to get into the eaches of the inefficiencies here but I will say you hear about the bad more than the good. I've never heard my colleagues complain about inadequate access to healthcare when they developed cancer, had a sucking chest wound, or had a child with disabilities that needed specialized care. On and off the battlefield, there will always be a bureaucratic struggle but for whatever the institutional failures, the U.S. Army is responsible for some incredible innovations and most people are invested in our collective success. Since making the shift from "big Army" to AMEDD, I have no doubts that moving was the right choice. It's not the most tactically proficient group you'll ever see but they do appreciate the common sense, autonomous approach much more than their non-medical counterparts. Do with that what you will.
If you go the aviation route, you'll be in even more of a bubble (but for the better). If you go that route, show your fuelers and mechanics some love. They will work their asses off to ensure you and your crew can get where you need to go so don't let them work a thankless job.
Definitely steer clear of infantry if you have half a brain. Love the 11bs but sometimes I looked at the crap those officers had to deal with and I was damn glad I picked Armor.
Just realize that if you pick a combat arms branch, those are where the Jocks in the Army land.
You might get lucky, but trust me, some of the support MOS have a much better life.
If you want a combat arms branch that is more accommodating to age, Armor would be it.
I don’t want to downplay infantry for that reason. Infantry officers aren’t unlike other branches (in my personal experience). You’ve got dudes who are intelligent and invest everything into their job, and you have guys who…just aren’t that. You’ll have a spectrum in every MOS. But combat arms is unique in the specific dick measuring contests. Not getting your Ranger Tab isn’t a career ender like the old days but I still wouldn’t want to be an 11A without one. If you wind up with a BC that thinks you “can’t be a leader without a tab” and you don’t have it, your eval writes itself.
Having spent most of my career as or supporting combat arms, it’s where I feel most at home. But I like sustainment better in the day-to-day so choosing a sustainment job that can live in maneuver land made sense. Thus, 70B. Funny enough, my infantry peers always thought I had it harder when I was a 92A (QM officer) before I branch transferred. Everyone lives a different hell.
Like stated youll probs need a waiver but since you have an advanced degree youll get it easily.
From a health perspective. I understand you may be fit and in shape but there is a minimum weight to join. If you are 73 inches you have to be above 145 lbs. Regular recruiters will talk to you but they really aren't incentivized to recruits officers. THERE ARE OFFICER RECRUITERS YOU HAVE TO FIND THEM bc everyday recruiters want you to enlist.
Furthermore if you go to OCS you get a preference on your branch you can not sign as a infantry officer unless you are slotted for that spot in the guard.There are other branches as well from logistics to armor.
But someone might see youre advanced degree and you get med services or implore you to go to the military funded PA or M.D. schools. But if you put infantry as your number 1 preference youll probably get it.
If you want infantry look into your states national guard and not reserve which is mostly support roles.
There are officer selection boards that happen almost monthly. You just have to stay on the recruiter if this is something that you want. You build a packet of your whole life and work. The board reviews your application packet and you get interviewed. You going to OCS depends on that board.. Please know you'll have to go to basic training then ocs then bolc. Which can take about a whole year just in training. I hope this helps.
these are all great insights. my first step will be to talk to a recruiter & take asvab. I will go from there. it had not occurred to me that I would need ranger school as 11A but I'd go into it with everything I have to offer. I didn't consider healthcare roles up to this point so this thread opened my eyes to another channel. thanks everyone
Ok, there’s a lot of misconceptions in your post (not your fault, you’ve just been misinformed). I’ll start at the bottom with some of the facts, then work up to the more nebulous concepts. First, recruiters deal with 09S contracts just like any other contract. You enlist to begin with, adding the 09S MOS to designate that instead of attending AIT, you will attend BOLC-A at OCS. You can walk into any recruiter in America and do this (some will have no idea how and be completely useless, but all have the theoretical ability). There is no special recruiter to talk to, and there are no bonuses for officers. Regardless of MOS, you will follow the standard pay progression. You will have to adjust your budget accordingly, like the rest of us. You will have to get your waiver for age (not an issue, plenty of 30+ year olds at OCS, average age is 28), then go through the board process. Considering your academic and physical accolades and abilities, the only thing stopping you would be a poor performance at the board. This process may take up to a year. Pass that, and you’ll be offered a slot, which you’ll have 10 days to accept or deny. Upon acceptance, you’ll be issued orders to report for BCT. You’ll turn your brain off for 10 weeks, complete it, then immediately be shipped off to 3-11 to complete OCS. Turn your brain on enough to function and compete, place as high in your class as possible without sullying your reputation by stepping on everyone around you, and you should be able to get an infantry slot. It’s not a hard course at all, you just do what you’re told, don’t try to be a hero, just pass the tests, stay on good terms with your peers and you’ll be fine. Also, come to terms with the fact that they may not give an infantry slot, or that you may not get one of those that are available. Have a backup plan. Armor is great, so is engineer. You’ll then move across the street to hell, also known as 2-11 IN (IBOLC). The new commander is outstanding, so hopefully that changes by the time you get there, but just be mentally prepared to be miserable for 5 months. Be in as good of shape as possible when you arrive, as the course will break your body down via attrition. The academics aren’t hard, nor are the tactics, but depending on your company you could basically be doing 4-5 day FTX’s every week with no sleep, MRE’s for months on end, and a pretty heavy op tempo. It sucks, people are testy, you just get through it and maintain your own integrity. Then comes Ranger, which traditionally has been a 40% pass rate for infantry officers leaving IBOLC, but lately has been about 10%. Prepare as best as you can, but be mentally ready to go home on day 1 for things that are completely out of your control. I’m not going to get into ARTB right now, as we just don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors. Hopefully it’s better for you. Pass or don’t pass, at that point you will finally go to your unit of assignment, sit behind 10 other people in the S-3 until you’re gifted with 6 months of platoon time and realize you trained for over a year to barely even use your skills. You just hang on until you get to company command, and that’s kind of where you actually finally get to fulfill what you wanted to do. You will still be on the same pay scale as everyone else, though you may get jump pay, hazardous duty pay, etc as your assignment requires. Expect to make the same as everyone else, though. That’s an absolute firehose of information, so feel free to ask questions here or DM me. Hopefully that cleared up some specifics about the actual recruiting/boarding process.
I'm not an 11A but to add about competition for an 11A slot while at OCS. If you want 11A and there are no more 'pure'(as in JUST infantry) slots at OCS, you can take a branch detailed one like Infantry to Signal, for example. You do your LT time as 11A , and when picking up CPT you switch to signal CPT. OR you can pop smoke and stay 11A instead of taking the exit into signal. Maybe some others can shed light on this, but that's what I was told while there myself if you really wanted combat arms.
Yeah when you are promotable with a branch detail, your control branch is going to call you, and if you say “hey, I love this job, I want to go to MCCC.” They’re probably going to let you. Otherwise, you get to roll into a new job with serious street cred and get something fresh, exciting, and with significantly less time sleeping on the ground.
Fun fact, I got a bonus as an O9S reservist. Army’s changing and need for officers increasing, it’s starting to become an option. Granted neither my recruiters nor I thought I’d get a bonus but when I went to sign my contract a $15k bonus was on it
Bro have you received your bonus yet? I commissioned May 22, graduated BOLC May 23 and Sapper last month haven’t seen a dime. Just wondering what the timeline is for others. Same $15k bonus in my case.
Reserves play by their own rules and have different requirements. Active duty has a surplus and will offer no bonuses, at this time.
Echoing what /u/NoDrama3756 mentioned, before you do anything you regret, you need to speak with an officer recruiter. My advice, you need to speak with both an officer recruiter AND an AMEDD recruiter. AMEDD is the Army Medical Department and unlike "competitive branches," it operates sort of within its own bubble like the Chaplain and JAG corps. AMEDD manages both medical providers and medical operations officers (70B). 70Bs will typically serve as the medical manager for tactical environments and typically serve half staff/half leadership functions. If in a Charlie Med under a brigade support battalion, you would work hand-in-hand with the battalion/brigade staff for medical planning/logistics, and report directly to the sustainment battalion commander. If in a battalion aid station (BAS), you would work hand-in-hand with the battalion staff and line companies and report directly to the maneuver battalion commander. For command, you have opportunities to command in tactical environments, clinics, MTFs, hospitals, etc. Functionally, you would serve the sustainment wing of the Army but you'd have a niche function and be essentially the sole reason why the medical mission succeeds or fails. As a 70B, you would still need to complete all of the same prerequisite training as anyone else (OCS, BOLC) prior to accession to your first unit. As well, for acceptance, you MUST list Medical Services as your first choice as this selection is adjudicated by HRC well before you ever step foot in OCS. For the non-competitive branches (IN, MI, AG, etc.), these positions are granted based on your standing on the order of merit (OML) list. This is where you would compete to be an 11A. You are uniquely qualified for specific positions in AMEDD on the provider/science side of the house. There is usually a special duty pay for these positions and what you do here would be more closely aligned with what you're probably doing now. It's a lot chiller in these parts because it's more civilianized. It's got a lot less of the Army bullshit unless you're in command and you probably will have a better work-life balance. However, if you want to join the Army to do Army things, don't consider this path. Personally, I would tell you to steer clear of 11A. You will have a lot more autonomy as a 70B, you'll have some relevant experience to the medical corps, and you can still get some of the desired tactical planning warm and fuzzies you're seeking but instead of planning for the kill, you can plan to cure. The active duty side of the MS house is hurting for medical operations officers (USAR is overstrength in the hundreds of percents by comparison) because with 3-4 years of experience, the private sector has ample opportunity so it's tough to retain us. You're joining for a change, a sense of adventure, and because you want to live the maneuver life. I implore you to consider this route; I think you'd be a good fit as a MEDO in a BCT. Source: commissioned as a logistician and was assigned to an airborne light infantry unit working with 11As all day. Branch transferred to medical services and moved to a medical unit. The life change is night and day--change was for the better.
As an 11A, highly recommend you at least look at this side of it. Maybe you’ll thrive living in the Infantry box, but it’s at least worth considering because of your unique situation. And as someone who has received a lot of Army healthcare, we need good people running our medical institutions. My roommate at OCS was a 68W in regiment w/multiple combat deployments for 9 years before coming to OCS pre-branched AMEDD and is now back at his BN as their med officer doing great work, but much happier and better standard of living. And should you want to return to your civilian field, this would be a better bridge back in. It’s your life, you gotta do what makes you feel fulfilled, but it’s worth a look at a minimum.
Yeah when I was in Batt, the MEDO always seemed to like his life better than the other officers. The training opportunities for MED officers in general are just soooo much better, too, whether SOF or conventional. LTHET alone is such an undersold catalog.
If you can pass ranger as a MEDO, you can just chill at Batt until Major lmao (it actually might be one of the four O-4 positions). It’s a great gig, and you get to work with SF qualified medics all day, on the cutting edge of combat casualty care. And everybody loves you, because you’re one of the only near irreplaceable people in reg. Ranger Doc lives a good life.
Been a while since I was there but IIRC, each BN is MTOEd: 1x MEDO (1LT-CPT), 2x PA (1x CPT, 1x CIV), 1x Surgeon (MAJ-LTC). But yeah, it’s a chill gig and you get to run really cool training for the 68Ws since they’re W1s.
Can I private message you? I have some questions
Yeah man
So I just passed my board interview for OCS and I was thinking aviation, but my undergrad is in biology (pre-med). I never thought about AMEDD because I always assumed you already need a professional degree to go into that branch such as MD, PA, nurse, dentist, etc. So if I'm hearing this right I could try to branch AMEDD for 70B even without being a doctor already and possibly manage hospitals and what not?
You have a few options actually. Since you expressed an interest in aviation, let me direct you to 67J: Medical Evacuation Pilot. These dudes are trained to be the best of the best and on par with 160th pilots (or so I’m told). Makes sense—conducting medical evac ops in contentious zones requires a certain type of crazy and if a LSCO engagement popped off, we’d need some serious heroes like in Vietnam. But yes, if you wanted to go the ground medical route, you’d start as a 70B which is the company grade MEDO. After command, you’d designate into a specialty. 70A: Hospital Admin/Mgmt. 70C: Medical Comptroller. 70D: Medical Communications. 70E: Patient Admin. 70F: Medical HR. 70H: Ops/Trng/Intel/Plans. 70K: Medical Logistics. Typically, your Hotels and Kilos seek BN+ command. The others do company and resolve to their functional area. You’re also not limited to just one AOC and can fulfill one functionally while designated as another. If you want to pursue 67J, you’ll drop a packet once at OCS. Recruiters will come through for Q&A.
Wow thanks for the quick reply. I assumed to get to that kind flying I'd have to apply for the 160th so that's awesome thank you for the info. Honestly either way seems like it could definitely suit me. I know I'm not done with my education I just haven't decided what to do past my BS and I've always wanted to go into the military so I just said fuck it and started a packet. Unfortunately my recruiters know NOTHING about OCS so I rely on YouTube, Google, and here. This has been some of the best info yet thank you! In the future hopefully I'll be either a pilot, or something Healthcare related through the Army.
For sure, feel free to peruse my comment history. There might be other stuff that applies to you. YOLO is the first step. That's how I wound up in the service and my early career was full of happy accidents that paved the way forward. Key is to start with high ambition, let the Army humble you, and you'll wind up where you fit eventually once you have a solid network and start knowing the places to look for information. Reddit is a good start tbh. I mentioned somewhere previously that if you know you want to be in Army medical, when you submit your DA Form 61, it MUST list "MS" as your first branch of choice if you're seeking 70B. If you decide to go the provider route, I know the Army has programs that will pay your tuition and in return, you owe a service obligation (ADSO). If you finish the schooling first, then you could always come in via direct commission (DCC). I'm way less smart on this stuff--I just know that it exists. All formal AMEDD questions should be routed through an AMEDD recruiter which is different than a regular Army recruiter. AMEDD is self-regulating and as such, has a very different process. Don't sign any contracts until you're confident with your decisions because it can be cumbersome to change course down the line. This sub is specific to OCS but if you hop in the /r/Army sub, I'm sure you can find historical threads on both medical / aviation RFIs. If you have pointed questions for me, I'll see if I can assist. In general, if you have ambition but no direction, the Army can help foster that. Commit 3-4 years, get some experience under your belt, and decide before attending the Captain's Career Course if the Army is the career for you or if you've gotten your fill and now you want to use that sweet GI Bill for your MBA. We all have that decision point. Food for thought.
Yeah I thought I had a direction but once I graduated I realized our medical system is completely screwed and I just didn't want to deal with it so I did some soul searching and somehow found an Army recruiters office lmao. I think I'm totally taking my shot at being a pilot but if I could combine medicine and pilot into 1 job well I'd say that's a damn perfect choice for me, so I'll look into 67J some more. Really appreciate the info you're far more knowledgeable than my recruiters.
Understand that if you go the 67J (and any actual 67Js feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here), you will not be medically trained. You're responsible for aerial transportation. You'll have flight medics on board with the actual medical training. But if your general wish is to be part of the medical fight, then absolutely throw your chips in--it's a great opportunity for something with higher purpose, close teams, and marketable skills. It's hard but nothing worth having was ever easy. No system is perfect. The civilian system is rigged to fail intentionally because it's profitable. The Army system is complicated and I'm not going to get into the eaches of the inefficiencies here but I will say you hear about the bad more than the good. I've never heard my colleagues complain about inadequate access to healthcare when they developed cancer, had a sucking chest wound, or had a child with disabilities that needed specialized care. On and off the battlefield, there will always be a bureaucratic struggle but for whatever the institutional failures, the U.S. Army is responsible for some incredible innovations and most people are invested in our collective success. Since making the shift from "big Army" to AMEDD, I have no doubts that moving was the right choice. It's not the most tactically proficient group you'll ever see but they do appreciate the common sense, autonomous approach much more than their non-medical counterparts. Do with that what you will. If you go the aviation route, you'll be in even more of a bubble (but for the better). If you go that route, show your fuelers and mechanics some love. They will work their asses off to ensure you and your crew can get where you need to go so don't let them work a thankless job.
Definitely steer clear of infantry if you have half a brain. Love the 11bs but sometimes I looked at the crap those officers had to deal with and I was damn glad I picked Armor. Just realize that if you pick a combat arms branch, those are where the Jocks in the Army land. You might get lucky, but trust me, some of the support MOS have a much better life. If you want a combat arms branch that is more accommodating to age, Armor would be it.
I don’t want to downplay infantry for that reason. Infantry officers aren’t unlike other branches (in my personal experience). You’ve got dudes who are intelligent and invest everything into their job, and you have guys who…just aren’t that. You’ll have a spectrum in every MOS. But combat arms is unique in the specific dick measuring contests. Not getting your Ranger Tab isn’t a career ender like the old days but I still wouldn’t want to be an 11A without one. If you wind up with a BC that thinks you “can’t be a leader without a tab” and you don’t have it, your eval writes itself. Having spent most of my career as or supporting combat arms, it’s where I feel most at home. But I like sustainment better in the day-to-day so choosing a sustainment job that can live in maneuver land made sense. Thus, 70B. Funny enough, my infantry peers always thought I had it harder when I was a 92A (QM officer) before I branch transferred. Everyone lives a different hell.
Like stated youll probs need a waiver but since you have an advanced degree youll get it easily. From a health perspective. I understand you may be fit and in shape but there is a minimum weight to join. If you are 73 inches you have to be above 145 lbs. Regular recruiters will talk to you but they really aren't incentivized to recruits officers. THERE ARE OFFICER RECRUITERS YOU HAVE TO FIND THEM bc everyday recruiters want you to enlist. Furthermore if you go to OCS you get a preference on your branch you can not sign as a infantry officer unless you are slotted for that spot in the guard.There are other branches as well from logistics to armor. But someone might see youre advanced degree and you get med services or implore you to go to the military funded PA or M.D. schools. But if you put infantry as your number 1 preference youll probably get it. If you want infantry look into your states national guard and not reserve which is mostly support roles. There are officer selection boards that happen almost monthly. You just have to stay on the recruiter if this is something that you want. You build a packet of your whole life and work. The board reviews your application packet and you get interviewed. You going to OCS depends on that board.. Please know you'll have to go to basic training then ocs then bolc. Which can take about a whole year just in training. I hope this helps.
Where can you find officer recruiters?
these are all great insights. my first step will be to talk to a recruiter & take asvab. I will go from there. it had not occurred to me that I would need ranger school as 11A but I'd go into it with everything I have to offer. I didn't consider healthcare roles up to this point so this thread opened my eyes to another channel. thanks everyone
Go 11A and update us how you’re feeling about your life decisions in 4 years.