Which is better, OCS or direct commission?

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 27 Nov 2021 13:45:21 -0500

Hello all. Currently I'm a SPC with a medical detachment in the Army National Guard. I have a doctorate in clinical psychology, but do not want to be a psychologist with the guard, as I do this as my civilian job.

So, I am considering either the OCS route (accelerated is the only option, per our OSM) or direct commission as a medical service corps officer. I've tried to research what I could on both, but am really torn, as they both seem like really good options. I do like AMEDD and find the administrative and operational side of things more interesting, but I also want to be a better rounded soldier. I am curious as if as a MEDO, would I be able to do marksmanship clinics and improve other soldiering competencies. I'm looking to either submit an OCS packet next month (December) or start the direct commissioning route. Either way, commissioning looks like it'll be around the same time.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Nov 27 at 2021 1:54 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Sat, 27 Nov 2021 13:54:20 -0500

You should consider what your pay would be like if your unit deploys vs your current salary.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 27 at 2021 1:55 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 27 Nov 2021 13:55:58 -0500

Here is a weird story. I knew a chiropractor who was an E5 in the Air Force and later Air Force Reserve. He passed 0cs in the California guard. He became an MI Military Intelligence officer and he was able to help be the Intel guy for a mechanized infantry battalion. He got bored with that. He ended up applying to be a physician assistant. He went to the physician assistant program at Fort Sam Houston. He was active duty and he went and did his final follow-up training at Fort Bragg where I met him a few years later when I was in civil Affairs taking my civil Affairs qualification course. This Soldier went from Captain down to first lieutenant because you start off as an O2 when you graduate from that program and then went right back up to Captain not too long later. I would say get the regular Commission so that way if you decided to be a hospital administrator you could still lead soldiers or Medical Faculty people. If you want to try something different like join civil Affairs like I did. What I was taking my intermediate level education would I was a major, I met a civil Affairs female who was one of the brightest people in the class and she was a veterinarian in the medical service Corps. I would say leave your options open and get the full commission not the direct Commission.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 27 at 2021 2:10 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 27 Nov 2021 14:10:48 -0500

Going to 0cs will teach you how to be an 11 series infantry officer. That way you know how to shoot move and communicate. You would understand combat arms a little bit better. You would know land navigation and you would be taught small-group infantry tactics as well as other leadership qualities. You probably know this but you would at least experience something different. This would be helpful in the event that your comment Surgical Hospital had to defend itself from enemy coming in the rear area

Response by MAJ Byron Oyler made Nov 27 at 2021 5:51 PM

MAJ Byron Oyler — Sat, 27 Nov 2021 17:51:42 -0500

Direct commission is going to limit in what you can do in the military and whatever you direct commission into, that is all the Army really cares that you do for them as that is what they hired you to do. OCS gives you many more options to play soldier and that sounds like from the question that would be a better fit for you. Keep in mind the strength the reserves gives the Army is many do the same job on the outside which makes them better in many aspects MOS-Q to the AD side that get a lot of busy work never doing their job. Most reservists suck at the admin side of their job compared to AD as we do it everyday and generally our schools are twice as long. Chances are you will struggle in your job if activated and your MOS is not mental health. You will do it once a month until activated and during your inactive periods, you will be busy with your primary civilian job. Can people do it, absolutely but you did not ask for advice to get all 'flowers and rainbows,' you likely want the complete picture.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 27 at 2021 6:12 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 27 Nov 2021 18:12:51 -0500

The Army isn't very big on direct commissioning any more. Unless you are filling a specialty position like a Clinical Psychologist, the Army tends to shy away and limit the number of direct commissions. A Medical Service Corps job is an admin/logistical position, not a medical one. That means anyone who meets the bare prerequisites for it - usually just a Bachelor degree - can compete for it. Because the bar is so low, they get filled quickly, and since you are in the NG, they fill by slots, and there may be no slots to fill. Point is, the likelihood for you to direct Commission into a MEDO slot is very low, but your chances of OCS are very high. If you want the federally recognized OCS you'll need to transfer to the USAR first.

You may be thinking that your time as a Psychologist and your PhD would make you mor competitive for a MEDO position, but a MEDO isn't medical, any more than a PAD clerk is medical or a 68J Medical supply is medical. A MEDO is an Operations officer, in fact my last MEDO was a 15P Flight Operations before he commissioned as a MEDO. Best damn MEDO ever. In case you're reading this Luis Espinosa - you're the GOAT!

Anyway, if you don't want to do your day job in the Guard, I suggest OCS and taking whatever job you can get. Just don't expect it to be in AMEDD. If you want to be something AMEDD, leave the NG first and join the USAR before commissioning

Response by Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 27 at 2021 8:48 PM

Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 27 Nov 2021 20:48:25 -0500

I met with an AMEDD recruiter and started the process for a reserve direct commission a couple years back. It’s not as easy as I expected it to be. The recruiters were professional but there was no pressure to sign at all. Very low key. Your acceptance will be subject to the approval from a Board and the need of the branch of course. For me, there were no openings and no approximate timeframe. One additional difference is that you may be able to direct commission at an older age (41 compared to 32). Good luck.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 27 at 2021 10:43 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 27 Nov 2021 22:43:29 -0500

I had a unique window that Direct Commissioned into the traditional branches (Quartermaster/Logistics). To direct, you have to lean on your civilian credentials to justify the selection (not that hard, but harder than OCS). I was nothing special and entered as 2LT. I probably won't have any trouble getting to LTC (aside from hitting my MRD before it).

I think the path to question is your medical one or just a generic Branch. I can see you getting only 2LT in the AMMED path if you don't follow your medical credentials and are merely support to other medical professionals. I think you would be rubbed the wrong way down the road if you went that path. So I suggest leaning on your medical credentials for O3 but that carries it's own limitations.

If you lean on your medical credentials you might find that selection is harder than just a generic Branch as a OCS 2LT. I am seeing AMMED LT's flocking to Logistics since they are over strength. There were two in my Captains Career Course, and one in my unit. So it probably greatly depends on your medical credentials being in demand for the Army or not.

I'm nearly 50, and will be lucky to be a MAJ by 54, but in Logistics I am under no pressures of being pushed out by over strength.

If you just take a generic OCS path, and eat all your higher education and commission as run of the mill Branch as a run of the mill 2LT you'll probably have a much less competitive LONG GAME for your officer career. There are medical CPT's I new who where CPT's when I just got 2LT and they are still CPT's. You'll catch up as an OCS 2LT, but the question they face that I don't is will they keep going.

If you chase that O3 rank with your medical credentials you'll pigeonhole yourself in a path jockeying for O4/O5 vacancies for much fewer advancement opportunities. I'm personally in a unit with four O4 vacancies above me just waiting for my cohort year to board for MAJ.

Response by 1LT Rich Voss made Nov 29 at 2021 12:06 AM

1LT Rich Voss — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 00:06:22 -0500

SPC - I believe the Majors that have answered most of it. Direct commission for you (if available ) would be O3 (Captain), while OCS graduates are all O1 (Second Lieutenants). Quite a difference in rank, pay, authority, and responsibility. It's unlikely you'll get much more than the basics of marksmanship and "other soldiering competencies", if you get the direct commission. I served during Cold War/Viet Nam and our BN surgeon (a DRAFTED Captain) had been a top neurosurgeon in Seattle. Quite angry for two reasons 1) lost his big house due to Army pay, and 2) was stuck for nearly 9 months as a BN level MD, not getting to use his true skills. Different times. He never, and I mean never, went with us to the field (tank unit) unless he was billeted at a local hospital, and never took familiarization firing with any of the individual weapons tankers carry. If he had to requalify with our then sidearm it was after he finally got orders to that big hospital in England. I was fortunate to graduate OCS without any college, which I believe is impossible today. If I were you, already having a doctorate and practicing in your field, there's no doubt I would do my best to go the direct commission route.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 10 at 2021 2:11 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 14:11:16 -0500

I had a chance to do both, but I choose OCS because at the time I felt I had to "earn" my commission. Big mistake for me. There was a girl named PamelaJean Hall in my OCS class that caused problems to include lying on sworn statements which caused me to fight for my career. I am detailing it all in my book An Era of Dishonor: the true story of Fort Benning OCS class 01-06 Alpha Company. All in all I would recommend direct if you don't want to fight fir your career just to have the court's pencil whip you into the military for x amount if years. If it happened to me, you know it happened to others.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 10 at 2021 2:19 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 14:19:58 -0500

Thanks for all the responses. We've gone ahead and submitted a guard OCS packet. Everyone's input has been very helpful. Hopefully if all goes right, I'm doing accelerated OCS and will be a good ol' butter bar by the end of 2022.