Job Description

As a Hospital Corpsman, your unquestionable passion for caregiving will earn the respect you deserve from the men and women you aid. You will provide treatment for thousands of Sailors and Marines, utilizing your ability to think and act quickly to keep them fit and ready to serve at the best of their abilities.

No college degree is required to become a Hospital Corpsman. While working as a medical or dental assistant, you may have the opportunity to:

• Help administer a wide range of preventive care
• Deliver emergency medical or dental treatment to Sailors and Marines in the field
• Maintain patient treatment records
• Administer medications, including injections
• Perform clinical tests

Your broad range of health-care experience will allow you to impact the world and those who protect it.

Specific Responsibilities

Assist Navy Physicians and Dentists with surgeries. Specialize in radiology, search and rescue, and optical and preventive medicine. Transport the sick and injured to safe quarters. Operate some of the world’s most sophisticated medical and dental equipment. Your responsibility level will only be surpassed by the respect you will receive.

As an Enlisted medical assistant, you may:

• Serve as an operating room technician for general and specialized surgery
• Process dental X-rays and operate X-ray equipment
• Work in the field with Navy SEALs or Seabees or be assigned to Fleet Marine Force
• Construct dental crowns and bridges

Work Environment

As a Hospital Corpsman, you will be part of a highly respected, world-class health-care network. You will have the opportunity to use your medical skills to impact the lives of others, whether it’s in a hospital or clinical setting, on ships or submarines, or out in the field alongside your fellow Sailors. While most of the medical situations you assist with will be very similar to the civilian world, you will have the opportunity to practice in unique situations. The resources you use to treat these cases will be state-of-the-art. The experience you gather will be extraordinary.

Training and Advancement

The comprehensive training you will receive in America’s Navy will prepare you for a number of specialties – everything from surgery to radiology, physical therapy to respiratory medicine, and more. The Navy offers tremendous opportunities to get the hands-on experience medical assistants require. Sailors in this field may also have the opportunity to receive further training in various medical and dental subspecialties.

Education Opportunities

Most of the medical and/or dental training you will receive from the Navy directly translates to credit at colleges and universities. Beyond that, several advanced technical and operational training opportunities are available in many specialized fields.

Pay Range

For Hospital Corpsmen in America’s Navy, pay is dependent upon rate (rank) and years in service. Like all Enlisted positions, promotions will depend upon your performance and time in service, and you would have to earn an increase in rate.

Qualifications

You are not required to have a four-year college degree to become a Hospital Corpsman.

After the Navy

As a Hospital Corpsman, the experience and credentials you gain can transfer directly to several careers in the civilian health care fields. Wherever there’s a need for medical or dental expertise, an individual with your unique skills in these areas will always be in high demand. Your training could prepare you for a future career as a:

• Surgical technician
• Dental hygienist
• Emergency medical technician (EMT)
• Respiratory therapist
• Dental laboratory technician
• Nuclear medical technologist
• Physical therapist’s assistant
• Dental assistant
• Pharmacist’s assistant
• Medical records clerk