should i sign with the navy if my job is not available at the time?

Question

i want to be a hospital corpsman and the recruiter told me that it isn't available at the time for women..he said i should still sign and choose another job and that hospital corpsman is going to be available sometime in april may or june, and that i can easily switch my job when it comes available. he said that i should at least be in the system so that they can notify me when there are seats available for hospital corpsman. what should i do? i need help..i see the recruiter on Tuesday!!!!!

biggest perlnerd...how do u know it wont be available in the next year?

does the air force have any medical fields like hospital corpsman?

Answer 1

first off.. yes, right now HM is closed to women.. and there's no discrimination about it. the slots they have available are finite, and frankly, they need men to be HMs and go Fleet Marine Force to go in to the field with Marines. Women are not allowed to go into drect combat.

you can do one of two things.. choose a rating now, and put in a DAR(Depper Action Request) to convert to an HM slot IF one becomes available.. and there is NO guarentee that one will become available.. because you and everybody else who wants that slot will be competeting for it. That means you run the risk of not being able to change your rating while in DEP. Keep in mind you can only be in DEP for 12 months, and at the end, you ether ship, or you don't, and you will have a harder time being able to sign back up if you don't ship the first time. and no, you cannot change at Boot camp either.

Or, you could not make a commitment until HM becomes available.

Alternatively, you could enlist now witha rating that is currently open, and then try to cross rate after 2 years in. But frankly, that's gonna be hard, since HM is overmanned across the board, and very very very rarely do they allow you to cross rate into an overmanned rating, and never at all if the one you are currently in undermanned.

Answer 2

(Edit: I worked in battalion staff as a personnel clerk, so I know something about how job openings come up. They do change from day to day across the globe, so it is to your advantage to check EVERY day to see if an opening comes up for corpsperson. You could check with each branch. Be tough, though always tactful, respectful. Let the recruiter know while you are serious about joining, you are also just as serious about getting the job YOU want.)


If the Navy is anything like the Army, don't sign till you get the job you want. Some recruiters promise almost anything to get you signed up. The advantage is in your court now.

If you go ahead and take the oath now, and sign, you lose the advantage, and must then wait while a request goes through the chain of command.

Have you checked with a similar job in the Army, Marines, Air Force, or Coast Guard? Navy is a great way to go, but not the only way. If it is still available, you could get the training, do a short stint, and then transfer to the Navy where you would be given the job of corpsman (woman). Terms of enlistment are now much shorter in the Army now that recruitment is low.

On the other hand, you could apply for financial aid, get into a college where you study to be a nurse or P.A., while you join ROTC to get that officer rank. At any time, if the job of corpsman comes up, you could still enlist. But if you have what it takes, go for the officer rank. You will be glad you did.

To respond to the charge that recruiters lie, well, some do, and hopefully most don't. But don't just trust your recruiter. Talk to as many sailors, soldiers, and vets as you can, and do research on military career at your local library or better yet, get some handbooks on career advancement from a PX Clothing and Sale store, if you have a relative or friend in the military.

Answer 3

First of all, thank you for wanting to serve your country.

That being said, be aware that recruiters don't always know what they are talking about. Check the internet to see if what your recruiter said was true. If so, you may wish to wait until you know your field of interest is open--but realize that once you have taken the oath, the Navy can basically send you wherever they want. Since your chosen job is not available now, the Navy would likely train you as something else--and you may be stuck there, since they have spent the time training you for that other field. I know that when my brother enlisted in the Army, he signed on for the Quartermaster Corps. He was sent to the Chemical Corps instead, because at the time that is where he was needed. He eventually got back to the QC, but he was in the service for 20 years, and rose through the ranks.

Answer 4

Do not sign until you have the job you want on your contract. Your contract says specifically that you have not been promised anything but what is written on it. There is no guarantee that the job will be available later. In fact it's a pretty slim chance that it will be available exactly when you are being assigned your job in basic training.
You will have this job for at least four years, so be patient, it will come available. If you sign without it you will end up with a job that is highly needed, which is almost always the job that nobody wants, like flipping burgers in the dining halls, driving fuel trucks maintenance....

Answer 5

Number 1. You can never easily switch your job once you are in, trust me.

Number 2. Navy Corpsmen serve with Marine Corps Combat Operating forces and by law you cannot get those jobs. You can get a related job supporting the Navy Medical Corps somehow. Find out what the names of those jobs are: pharmicists mate, etc.

Number 3. If you really want "hospital corps-person" (not the combat role) then tell your recruiter you want a guaranteed contract for that job. Negotiate it like it was a civilian job. Don't just settle for what they tell you; We're at war, you should be able to get what you want if you are willing to wait and fight for it. Speak up, for heavens sake.

Let me know how you did.

Answer 6

Your husband will be given various aptitude tests. After determining the test results, the recruiter will try and match your husbands skills and with several job sets. He may be offered several training schools depending on his test scores, but admission to these schools are always contingent upon him getting through boot camp and any general training he may need. If his knowledge and aptitude are just average, the recruiter may suggest one of the more general ratings. Bottom line is the Navy will place him wherever they need him and will move him whenever they want. The more detailed and intense the training he receives (and passes) the more of a chance he will have to choose his duty stations.

Answer 7

Air Force used to have a huge medical corps, but I don't know the status of it now (I worked in it). If the job you want is not available then wait, you could end up doing anything. And that line about switching jobs after you enlist is pure bull - he is flat out lying. You can retrain, but only under certain conditions after a certain length of time. Once you are in and assigned a specialty you are stuck.

Believe me they need you more than you need them. Go talk to the AF.

Answer 8

No, if you go in a different field, it will take a while before you can change to another field, and, that always will have to be approved by your command. Even if the position you want, in the field you want is available, your unit will have to release you before you can change jobs.

If that is really what you want to be, the Army has available the position you want right now. Ask the Army Recuter about MOS 63W. If you dont know where to find your Army Recuter, go to

http://www.militarygi.com/forms/contact.html

fill up the form and the Army Recurer will contact you.

Remember, you want "MOS 63W."

Thank you for wanting to serve our country!

Answer 9

It doesn't matter.
A candid recruiter will tell you that, as soon as you sign the papers, the US government can do whatever they want to with you. If they promised you could do one MOS, they can easily switch you to something completely different.

And, no, there's nothing you can do about it.

Answer 10

Recruiters lie. It's their job. Don't sign on the dotted line unless you get exactly what you want. You will be stuck doing what you don't want to do if you don't have everything spelled out in writing. What the recruiter says is not worth the words out of his or her mouth unless it's in writing.