SSG G-man Posted June 7, 2010 Posted June 7, 2010 You are correct, the Army health care specialist is very much an entry level provider not unlike an EMT-B. When looking at the Army, you essentially have your primary role, known as a military occupational specialty (MOS). I believe the current nomenclature for the Health Care Specialist "medic" is 68W. A suffix can be added to identify rank/pay grade. For example, when I went through, the medic was known as a 91B. As a lower enlisted bubba, my official MOS was 91B-10. When I made SGT, I became 91B-20. For medical specialists who receive additional tranining in specialties, an additional suffix so to speak can be added. This is known as an additional skill identifier (ASI). For example, the ASI for a practical nurse is M6. So, a health care specialist educated and qualified as a practical nurse would have this ASI after the MOS. With that, I am talking about the enlisted system. A similar system of MOS identifiers exists for the officers that include nurses, physicians, medical service corps, medical specialist corps and veterinary. Take care, chbare. CH- You make the point I was going to. 68W is Health Care Specialist. He is all hyped on being a a combat medic, but his next assignment could be sitting at Rader Clinic on Ft Myer doing vitals on all the retires and trateing the Soldiers at sick call. At that point will he still be so John Wayne in his attitude? I tell ya, I have a lot of respect for the folks at Rader, dealing with those retired guys that were fighting in Normandy or Iwo Jima, long before Doc D was a twinkle in Mommy and Daddy's eyes!!!! I guess he does not realize hehas to be in combat to be a combat medic. The rest of the time he is "just" a Health Care Specialist. (Which rank wise is probably apromotion!)
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