Posted on Feb 20, 2019
Military Medics and Corpsmen (MMAC) Program | Virginia Department of Veterans Services
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How can the Military Medics and Corpsmen (MMAC) Program help you? Easy. Give us your employment and education goals. We’ll put you on the path to reach them. Looking to continue in patient care? Perhaps a non-clinical career that matches your military training and experience? Maybe a leadership role? Whatever path you choose . . . we’ll clear it for you.
Military Medics and Corpsmen (MMAC) Program | Virginia Department of Veterans Services
Posted from dvs.virginia.gov
Healthcare Specialist
68W: Healthcare Specialist (Combat Medic)
Hospital Corpsman (HM)
Posted 5 y ago
Responses: 2
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Many corpsman, especially in specialties like Respiratory Therapy, Cardiopulmonary, Cardiovascular, Nuclear Medicine and lab specialties to name a few, already have all the credentials to work in any medical environment. Navy training is some of the best in the world. In combat and independent duty, there are none better. There are many pathways available while on active duty that qualify for civilian practice and mist take advantage of these programs. Any Corpsman anticipating a civilian career will be eminently qualified and certified prior to release from active duty. Most VA's and civilian medical establishments will hire a qualified Corpsman on the spot.
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Bryant Sanchez Fonseca
So are corpsman more qualified then a 68w? I’m looking to join the national guard and that’s one of the mos I’m looking at but sometimes I see that ppl have a hard time progressing in their civilian career as a 68w
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SSG Phillip Trezza
I agree with you whole heartedly regarding the quality of training, and that is for all branches as they now all train together at METC in San Antonio. However, many Veterans still lack credentials beyond EMT-B when they get out. Many have never held an actual civilian job. I am also reminded daily of the lack of understanding in both the VA and civilian medicine regarding medically trained Veterans and their abilities. If you ask most civilian nurses what an Independent Duty Corpsman is, they will have no idea and they won't care how many deployments they've done or what kind of procedures they've done in the past. If they don't have that piece of paper, they are nothing more than an overqualified hospitality aide.
There may be many ways for service members to better prepare for separation of service, however I do not believe that service members are being properly counseled and mentored because they aren't utilizing many of the options available to them while on active duty. Shoot, less than half of Veterans that earned the GI Bill actually use it. Transition is different for everyone, and things... and life... can happen. In the last two years there has been 403 Veterans, mostly Navy because of Norfolk, that have applied to the MMAC Program because they needed help with employment and education. I wish you were correct about medics and corpsmen getting hired on the spot, but most have potential and training beyond the 10 bucks an hours to drive an ambulance or to wipe asses all day. Those may be jobs, but they aren't careers.
Ultimately, improvements need to be made pre and post military transition. DoD needs to understand what civilian health systems are looking for in candidates, and civilian healthcare needs to understand the value of medically trained Veterans. I think we are moving in the right direction, but it isn't natural. It takes people like you and I to explain what these medics and corpsmen are capable of, and to continue to create opportunities for them to succeed. Thank you for your comment CPO Robert (Mac) McGovern and thank you for your service. I wish to one day share in your optimism in this area.
To answer Bryant Sanchez Fonseca , 68w and corpsmen are very similar until you consider speciaties and independent duty/SOCM/etc. The baseline training is virtually the same and held on the same campus.
There may be many ways for service members to better prepare for separation of service, however I do not believe that service members are being properly counseled and mentored because they aren't utilizing many of the options available to them while on active duty. Shoot, less than half of Veterans that earned the GI Bill actually use it. Transition is different for everyone, and things... and life... can happen. In the last two years there has been 403 Veterans, mostly Navy because of Norfolk, that have applied to the MMAC Program because they needed help with employment and education. I wish you were correct about medics and corpsmen getting hired on the spot, but most have potential and training beyond the 10 bucks an hours to drive an ambulance or to wipe asses all day. Those may be jobs, but they aren't careers.
Ultimately, improvements need to be made pre and post military transition. DoD needs to understand what civilian health systems are looking for in candidates, and civilian healthcare needs to understand the value of medically trained Veterans. I think we are moving in the right direction, but it isn't natural. It takes people like you and I to explain what these medics and corpsmen are capable of, and to continue to create opportunities for them to succeed. Thank you for your comment CPO Robert (Mac) McGovern and thank you for your service. I wish to one day share in your optimism in this area.
To answer Bryant Sanchez Fonseca , 68w and corpsmen are very similar until you consider speciaties and independent duty/SOCM/etc. The baseline training is virtually the same and held on the same campus.
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