LEADERSHIP
Become a leader in one of the best Health Care Networks in the world
When you join the Army health care team, you enter as an officer — and that's a team leader in the Army. You'll manage highly qualified teams much sooner than you would in the civilian world. You'll be granted more leeway in your professional recommendations, and you'll be able to enjoy autonomy within your practice while being rewarded for your experience within your chosen field.
OFFICER BASIC COURSE
As an Army Medical Department (AMEDD) officer, you won't participate in the Basic Training that enlisted Soldiers go through. Instead, you'll attend an Officer Basic Course (OBC), a basic orientation course to the Army Health Care system and the Army way of life.
Officer Basic Course for active duty officers is held four times a year at the AMEDD Center & School in Fort Sam Houston and lasts from ten to 14 weeks. Officers in the Army Reserve go to OBC for two weeks.
Your training time depends on your chosen specialty and whether or not you have prior military experience. You must also meet height and weight standards, as well as pass the Army Physical Fitness Test.
After completing OBC, AMEDD officers report to their initial active duty assignment. Students return to their academic training following successful completion of OBC.
Here is a brief overview of what to expect at the Officer Basic Course.
ONE-WEEK PREPARATORY COURSE
This course is designed for initial-entry officers who haven't had prior Army experience or precommissioning training within the past four years, or those who have served fewer than 12 months in an Army Reserve or Army National Guard unit.
EIGHT-WEEK COMMON CORE (PHASE I—PHASE IV)
This phase trains officer candidates in soldiering skills that provide a foundation for both peacetime and combat missions.
PHASE I—GENERAL SUBJECTS
This phase is three weeks of classroom instruction, with the students broken down into platoons.
PHASE II—FIELD TRAINING EXERCISE (FTX)
This phase is a one-week practical exercise, with the students broken down into squads.
PHASE III—MILITARY DECISION-MAKING PROCESS (MDMP)
This phase is one week of classroom instruction, with the students broken down into squads.
PHASE IV—LEADER COMPETENCIES
This phase consists of three weeks of classroom instruction and practical exercises.
AREAS OF CONCENTRATION
Areas of Concentration (AOC) Tracks last from six days to five weeks, depending on your specialty. Track modules integrate Soldier skills into the day-to-day practices of AMEDD officers.
