This means that there are many jobs available for a military medical assistant in the various branches of the U.S. Military at any given time. The military provides excellent training, and those looking to start somewhere and get trained for free and serve their country at the same time can look to getting some of the best training around today. Individuals can choose to sign on permanently or choose to finish their stint as a military medical assistant to go join the ranks of the civilian medical assistants.

The training, career paths and requirements for a military medical assistant differ from branch to branch of the U.S. Military, but they all do have some requirements in common, such as patience, a scientific mind and empathy. An individual, whether male or female, is required to enlist in order to become a military medical assistant, which means that they must be a U.S. citizen or have permanent residency, have a excellent command of the English language, a clean criminal record and be between the ages of 17 and 34; if they are under 18 years of age they must have parental consent to enlist.

The Military Medical Assistant In Various Branches Of The U.S. Military

Each branch of the U.S. Military trains slightly different and has different career paths for a military medical assistant according to the particular kind of warfare that they conduct:

The U.S. Army

• The U.S. Army trains enlisted men and women as Health Care Specialists to work alongside doctors and nurses in hospitals, both in bases and on the battlefield, and this means that a health care specialist could find themselves deployed anywhere in the world, from a base nears their home-town to a war zone in Africa.

• Health care specialists in the U.S. Army are required to take Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) sub-tests and must score a total of 95 points.

• The health care specialist is basically the army’s military medical assistant, and some of the main requirements are that they are interested in helping others, have an aptitude for science and algebra, and are good communicators.

• These individuals will receive the normal nine weeks of basic training and then a further 16 weeks of training as a health care specialist.

• A health care specialist can work themselves up through the ranks by receiving promotions and could even become a chief medical non-commissioned officer.

The U.S. Navy

• A military medical assistant in the U.S. Navy is called a Hospital Corpsman, and they provide dental and medical care to sailors and Marines.

• A corpsman also provides a range of services and works in different settings, which means that they could be deployed to a ship, a base onshore, or alongside Marines in a war-zone.

• Hospital Corpsmen also tend to Navy SEALs, and could therefore suddenly find themselves stationed in some remote area alongside Navy SEALs carrying out a clandestine special operations mission.

• Hospital Corpsmen are enlisted service members and as such receive specialized training to enable them to perform their duties to the best of their ability.

• Naval hospital corpsmen do the regular basic training and must take the ASVAB tests and obtain a score of at least 149, made up of a combination of the general science section, the paragraph comprehension section, and the mathematics section.

• Only male hospital corpsmen are deployed into the battle-field with Marines.

The U.S. Air Force

• A military medical assistant in the U.S. Air Force is called a Physician Assistant.

• The U.S. Air Force is the second-smallest of the military branches, and as such is very competitive, which means that enlistees must already be enrolled in a physician assistant program or have already graduated from one.

• A minimum score of 44 is required on the general sciences section of the ASVAB tests.

The U.S. Coast Guard

• The U.S. Coast Guard is the smallest branch of the U.S. military, and as such generally has the least positions available.

• A military medical assistant in the U.S. Coast Guard is called a Physician Assistant.

• Due to the fact that they have so few positions available, the Coast Guard is rather selective in choosing their Medical Assistants.

• A military medical assistant in the Coast Guard must already be qualified as a physician assistant.

• Unlike all of the other branches, the medical assistants in the Coast Guard are commissioned officers.

• Due to the fact that they are already qualified physician assistants, they are offered direct commissions as officers and therefore do not need to go through basic training.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, medical assisting in general will remain one of the fastest growing occupations over the next ten years, with an expected growth of about 35% over the next six years.

Duties Of A Military Medical Assistant

A military medical assistant may work in clinics, on ships, or in the battlefield, and performs various duties such as assisting in the prevention and treatment of disease and injury. Medical assistants perform many clinical and administrative tasks, depending on where they are stationed. Their primary duties consist of making it easier for the medical doctors and nurses to attend to patients.

A military medical assistant can generally work in either the medical or dental field, and they perform a variety of clinical duties, including:

• Administering preventative care
• Assisting physicians during procedures and exams by giving them necessary tool
• Administering medications and injections
• Changing bandages and removing sutures
• Conducting elementary lab tests like urinalyses
• Correctly disposing of bio-hazardous materials
• Conducting respiratory tests and EKGs
• Drawing blood
• Educating other military personnel on personal hygiene and first aid
• Filling prescriptions
• Informing patients on procedures and treatments
• Informing patients on the proper administration of medication
• Maintaining patient records
• Performing a variety of medical tests
• Providing emergency medical or dental treatment
• Preparing and developing patients’ x-rays
• Preparing lab specimens
• Providing vaccines and medications for patients as indicated by the physician
• Sterilizing and cleaning equipment and instruments
• Serving as emergency medical technicians
• Serving as surgical technicians
• Taking down the medical history and vital signs of patients

A military medical assistant works under direct supervision, and their other duties may include manning the front desk and answering the phones, greeting patients, scheduling patient appointments, arranging for procedures and tests, updating patient information in their files, handling insurance, assisting patients to the examining rooms when necessary, and assisting during examinations.

No college degree is required to work as a military medical assistant, whereas this post traditionally requires an associate degree in civilian life. Many military medical assistants from all branches do follow the career of a medical assistant once they leave the armed forces, and become members of the civilian medical health fraternity. They can quite easily do this by taking advantage of tuition assistance, which means that the Armed Forces will pay for a portion or all of your education while you are doing active duty.

Various branches of the U.S. Military provide enlistees with free medical benefits, free food, free housing, and an annual salary, which allows the enlistees to afford to pay for college courses in the military medical assistant. The post- 9/11 Montgomery GI Bill, the Reserve Education Assistance Program, and the Veterans Education Assistance Program also provide educational assistance for active duty, reserve, and veterans of the Armed Forces, according to the United States’ Department of Veteran Affairs.

Once a military medical assistant has completed training required and obtained a certificate, diploma, associate degree or bachelor’s degree, they can apply to work as a medical assistant in any healthcare facility. Medical assistants are an important member of any healthcare team and are the backbone of any healthcare business, including hospitals and doctors’ offices. As a member of a civilian healthcare team you will be able to make a difference in patients’ lives and enjoy the security of a career that you enjoy and which will be in demand for a long time to come. Once you have completed a formal medical assistant program successfully and obtained your degree you will be eligible to sit for the National Health Association’s (NHA) Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) certification examination. A certified medical assistant earns in the region of $38,000 per annum.

There are many medical assistant opportunities available, and you will be able to enjoy a fruitful civilian career as a medical assistant if you have enjoyed your time in the armed forces as a military medical assistant.

The post What Is A Military Medical Assistant? appeared first on Healthcare Careers Guide.

Requirements And How To Become An Army LPN

To become an LPN in the army you will need:

• An LPN license
• A 68WM6 (Health Care Specialist, LPN) MOS
• Army LPN training

There are three main steps that you need to follow in order to become an LPN in the army:

Firstly you need to become an LPN. To do this you will have to complete LPN training at an accredited school. Schools are accredited by your state’s board of nursing, so their website is a good place to start your search. These courses are often offered by your local community college and consist of theory and practical work. Your training course will take about a year to complete. Complete the coursework and take the NCLEX-PN examination.

The second step is not always necessary, but it is suggested that you become an RN before applying to join the army as this will increase your chances of being accepted for the job. To do this you will have to get a minimum of an associate’s degree in nursing. You will also have to take the RN examination which is known as the NCLEX-RN exam.

After you have done all that it is time to apply with your local army recruiter and complete the tests, and so on, that are required in order to determine your suitability for the army.

Job Role And Skills

You will essentially be a soldier that has nursing skills and the tasks and duties that you perform will mostly be very similar to the tasks and duties that every other LPN would perform, expect that it would happen in a military environment with a few small changes. This specialization is quite similar to being an emergency LPN in a regular hospital setting as your main purpose will be to provide soldiers with any emergency medical care that they may need. This includes:

• Providing soldier emergency care on the battlefield
• Providing soldier emergency care in a clinical setting

This will require many of the skills that you will also require in other nursing settings.

In times of war field hospitals are set up in various places around the world in order to tend to injured and ill soldiers. With your nursing and 68WM6 (Health Care Specialist, LPN) MOS qualifications you will be able to work in any one of these settings at any place in the world. Army care can also be done domestically at army training facilities as training can also lead to injuries that may require the assistance of a trained nursing professional. The job is intensive and dangerous and will frequently take you far away from your home.

How Is LPN Army Training Different From Regular LPN Training?

There are a few differences in the training that you will do as an LPN who wants to join the army, but they are relatively small. To be an LPN in the army you will first have to do the 68WM6 (Health Care Specialist, LPN) MOS training before you do specific LPN army training (which is in addition to the training that you have previously done to become an LPN in the first place) which takes around 16 weeks and takes place at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. There are three phases, according to thecaringnurses.org, to this training:

• “The first phase builds on the basic knowledge developed previously and lasts for eight weeks. The curriculum includes nutrition, fundamentals of nursing, microbiology, pharmacology, etc.

• Starting with the second phase, there is a lot of practical clinical training include in the program.

• Phase 3 also includes practical training, but it is focused also on preparing for the licensing exam, mainly via classroom study.”

Most of the work that you will study will be the same as what you would study in just about any LPN program for any nursing specialty anywhere. There will be a slightly stronger focus on emergency responses and a degree of combat training as well.

Benefits Of training To Be An LPN In The Army

If you have the 68WM6 (Health Care Specialist, LPN) MOS there are a number of advantages that you will be able to experience:

• You can expect to serve in a wide variety of medical settings, gaining experience that will serve you well later in your nursing career.

• There are many army hospitals around the globe and you could be stationed at any of them, allowing you to travel as well as to work in a field that you love and where you can make a noticeable and important difference in the lives of others.

• You may often have the opportunity to work in medical evacuation or other special fields that will make your skills even more advanced and sought after.

• Because of the previous points, 68WM6s who leave the service also have excellent job prospects in the civilian medical community as they have advanced skills that they have proven in practice in the field of battle.

• LPN salaries in the army can start at about $36,000 and increase from there, depending on a number of factors such as your level of education and where exactly you are stationed and what you are stationed there to do, , making it a fairly lucrative position to aim towards working in.

What Is The Job Outlook And Salary For LPNs In The Army?

The job outlook for LPNs in the army is very good. Even if there is a time of peace (which we should all hope for), the army still needs to be maintained and soldiers need to have trained medical professionals on hand even when they are not on active duty. In addition the skills that you learn in army nurse training will equip you to perform better in practically every other nursing job in existence, which means that you will be in high demand across the board. Having this qualification more or less guarantees that you will always be able to find employment.

Average salaries for LPNs working in the army are around $30000. There are, however, a number of subtle differences in pay depending on your level of education. If you are a licensed practical nurse (which you are) you can expect to earn in the region of $32,000 a year. Likewise a vocational nurse (another term for a practical nurse) can earn around $29,000 a year (this is mostly due to state differences as LVNs work in only one or two states while the term used in most other states is LPN). If you status is a health technician in the army you can earn $34,000 a year.

There are many different areas in which you can specialize once you have an LPN qualification, and they are many and diverse. There is no obligation to continue with your LPN army training if you feel that you are not cut out for t. however, if you are cut out for it, go for it! There are many places in the world where your skills as an LPN in the army are sorely needed, and you will therefore be in high demand. In addition you will be able to get other LPN jobs fairly easily once you return from a war situation or once you decide to leave the LPN army sector. Having worked in an army setting you will be seen as a nurse that can handle pressure and work in very organized and controlled settings where procedures are followed rigidly. These are quite good skills to have in practically all areas of LPN nursing, so this will stand you in good stead when it comes to looking for another job. LPNs in the army are often a sector of the nursing industry that are overlooked and should be given more recognition for the stressful and highly necessary work that they choose to do across the globe.

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