MOS for the Marines
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  1. #1

    MOS for the Marines

    So iv'e recently talked to a recruiter about joining the Marine Reserves and iv'e been interested in joining. My only concern is when choosing an MOS which one should i choose that would help me in the medical field. I understand that the marines doesn't have a medical route to go to, but that's why i want something to help in my career path as i still want to be a marine. I'm planning to go to college and med school and i'm just wondering what my options would be.


  2. #2
    The simple option for a medical route is join the Navy.


  3. #3
    True to what DanM said, if you join the Nave and try for Corpsmen that will get you two things, you just might get to be attached to a Marine Corps unit, and you will be learning in the field you are pursuing.


  4. #4
    I'm not looking to be in the navy. By an MOS for medical career i mean like a MOS to help with experience such as team work and things needed for individuals in the medical field. what my recruiter has told me is that the marines already have leadership courses and i wanted to pick an MOS that i could work in a team with. My recruiter has also recommended going into aviation or communications but i want some specifics and more opinions about it before committing to it.


  5. #5
    You will learn leadership skills and teamwork in any MOS in the Marine Corps. I was a Marine for 22.6 years. Did a lot of different things during my career. After retiring, I went to a community college in Tampa FL, completed their respiratory therapy program, and recently retired from a teaching hospital in the civilian healthcare field. The leadership and teamwork skills I learned as a Marine helped me be a better healthcare provider in the civilian world.

    Your recruiter is pushing aviation or communications this month because, that's what his district headquarters is telling him to push. Next month it may be intelligence and logistics. Recruiters don't just come up with stuff on their own - they are given quotas (missions) by their recruiting district.

    Since you're looking at joining a reserve unit, you're basically limited to what your nearest reserve unit does anyway. If your local reserve unit is an artillery battery for example, chances are, you'll end up being a canon cocker (artilleryman). The next nearest unit to you may be a military police company. In that case, you would most likely be a MP. Your recruiter knows what your reserve unit needs. That may be why he's steering you towards aviation or communications. Is your nearest reserve unit an aviation squadron or comm company? The reserve company here is a combat engineer company. If you joined it, chances are, you would either be a construction engineer, or a heavy equipment operator.


  6. #6
    MOS 7051, Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Specialist; that is your only chance to have some type of medical training while being a Marine. Not sure where that would be in the Reserves. The training is at San Angelo, TX and the Air Force runs the school.

    http://www.goodfellow.af.mil/Units/M...ps-Detachment/


  7. #7
    Alright thanks for comments guys, really appreciate it.


  8. #8
    What do you want to do for a career medicine wise? A former scout sniper I went to college with is now in medical school. My wife was motor-T and she's now in PA school. The education benefits, which are frankly almost non-existent in the reserves, are going to do a helluva lot more for you than the military training. Frankly an enlisted anything won't get you much past the paramedic level. I'd say airforce PJ if you want great medical training as an enlisted guy, but it's a serious commitment on your part and its a very difficult pipeline with a high washout rate. Those guys are amazing though.

    Otherwise I'd say just do what you want. You'll receive basic informal and possibly formal "combat life saver" training the USMC, but nothing that means jack as far as civilian certifications go. Trauma management is always applicable in a first aid situation, but it won't help you career wise.

    Mike


  9. #9
    I was thinking of doing something along the lines of being a trauma surgeon so dealing with emergencies like in rescue could be good experience. I've also thought doing firefighting was pretty cool but never thought of really pursuing it, but yeah I've just decided to go with whatever i want and the aircraft rescue and firefighting specialist seems appealing to me.


  10. #10
    Then your next step is to find a reserve unit that needs those two positions filled. Your recruiter can help you search.


  11. #11
    Being a Trauma surgeon vs a firefighter are two very different career paths. 12 or so years of training different. When you start your undergrad (if you want to be the former), every grade matters for applying to medical school. Every single one. So make sure you work your ass off as a student.

    Mike


  12. #12
    Grades are an important part of making it through med school for sure. But, only one part of the process. When I worked at a teaching hospital, many of my shifts were in the Level 1 Trauma Center. Meaning, I spent a lot of time with trauma surgeons including, surgical residents (trauma surgeon wannabes). They thought med school was grueling until they became residents. 18 hour days are spread between surgery and the trauma center rotations for at least a couple years. Don't know the attrition rate. But did see many drop out of their residency programs for myriad reasons. Some people are great students who excel in the classroom and labs. But, give them a live trauma patient, whose life depends on their decision making process and skills with a scalpel, and their perspectives change.


  13. #13
    Certainly true. But you aren't even getting in the door without an excellent academic history. A crappy GPA in college will kill it before it starts... or require a special masters to essentially prove you can hack it before matriculating into a med school.

    Mike


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