# TACP vs Healthcare Specialist



## Fraserm2016 (Jan 24, 2016)

Hello! So I've been doing quite a bit of research on Air Guard vs Army Guard and--for later in my career-- Air Force vs Army. I have narrowed my decision down to two different fields: TACP in the Air Force/Guard and Healthcare Specialist in the Army/Guard. I have read through many forums and have realized I need to start asking my own specific questions. For right now, I am looking to better understand the day to day life of a TACP member serving in the Air Guard. I understand it is not a typical one weekend a month, two weeks a year type of thing. How well will it work with me being a full time college student? Or will that work at all? If anyone has details about the daily life of a healthcare specialist in the army guard that would also be much appreciated! Thank you guys for reading and I am looking forward to any and all feedback.


----------



## TLDR20 (Jan 24, 2016)

Moved.


----------



## CDG (Jan 24, 2016)

TACP and Healthcare Specialist are pretty much polar opposite choices.  What about each job interests you?


----------



## Fraserm2016 (Jan 24, 2016)

TACP interests me because, if I were to go active duty Air Force, I would want to transition into Combat Rescue Officer after college and my recruiter told me TACP will certainly prepare me for that pipeline. Healthcare Specialist, I am looking into because I would eventually want to be a Special Forces Medic. My father was 82nd Airborne Division and can't wait for me to decide my route.


----------



## CDG (Jan 24, 2016)

Are you actually a 16 year old female?


----------



## Fraserm2016 (Jan 24, 2016)

Yes


----------



## CDG (Jan 24, 2016)

You seem more interested in healthcare, so you should pursue that route.


----------



## Fraserm2016 (Jan 24, 2016)

Would Combat Rescue not provide me with what I'm looking for? It seems to be the perfect fit for me, just cant get there until after college.


----------



## CDG (Jan 24, 2016)

I don't know what you're looking for and I'm not a PJ or CRO, so I can't help you much there.  If it seems a perfect fit, then go for it.


----------



## Fraserm2016 (Jan 24, 2016)

Do you have any details about the daily life of a TACP member in the guard?


----------



## CDG (Jan 24, 2016)

TACP is not a careerfield to be used for four years while you make it through college and try out for CRO.  Your recruiter doesn't know what they are talking about. And you probably wouldn't make it anyways.


----------



## Fraserm2016 (Jan 24, 2016)

Cool, thanks for your help. Ill go for it anyways.


----------



## CDG (Jan 24, 2016)

Good luck to you.  Your selfish attitude will take you far.


----------



## Fraserm2016 (Jan 24, 2016)

I understand


----------



## AWP (Jan 24, 2016)

Fraserm2016 said:


> Post



You're 16 and don't know "stuff" about "stuff", talking about entering careerfields that are "open" to women....while you're 18 months out for anything. I won't say you're selfish, but I think you're incredibly naïve or ignorant. Fortunately those two are curable.

Do not, do not, do NOT enlist in the Guard and expect to do the "I'll get a degree and then go Active" route because I know a lot of guys who did that and failed with their little plan. If yo are going to do that, pick a unit and job where the demands are slight. An ASOS as a TACP is not that unit or field, so I would encourage you to discard that notion. If you want to do healthcare, find a medical slot, go to college, and put in your time. Men fail at what you're proposing, and now as a 16 YO girl you're going to map out a path few men would accomplish? Small steps. Go College and Air Guard (or Reserves for a med. slot) and then go from there. You don't know what you don't know and you're in uncharted waters.....and I don't care what the gov't says. The path you propose is uncharted for a woman.

Assuming you are a 16 YO girl, but that's another discussion.

Good luck.


----------



## policemedic (Jan 25, 2016)

Well, there's no issue with female 68Ws.  In fact, one has the Silver Star.

Your training will be the same as your active duty counterparts.  You'll go to Army Basic Combat Training and then to Advanced Individual Training where you'll learn to become an Army medic.  You'll notice the MOS is healthcare specialist but medic is the commonly accepted appellation.  You'll learn small unit tactics and basic medicine.  You'll become a Nationally Registered EMT (not paramedic).  You'll learn a mix of clinic and tactical medicine; you'll have to become comfortable working in either setting.

Expect that you will have a great deal of learning to do once you graduate AIT.  68W training will equip you with physical skills and authority that will very often outstrip your fund of medical knowledge.  Pharmacology is one such area, but there are others as well.  A good medic constantly strives to expand their skills and knowledge.  @Muppet can expand on that; he says it much better than I do.

Once you get to your unit your drill activities will depend on what kind of outfit you've been assigned to.  If you're in a medical company of some stripe, you'll provide clinical support to higher level providers, evaluate Soldiers at sick call, or perhaps be tasked to support a unit training in the field.  There are certain training activities--running a range, for example--that require on-site medical support.  If you're assigned to a combat unit (possible these days) or something like an MP unit or the like, you will be responsible for the well-being of at least a platoon of Soldiers.  That means preventive medicine, managing things like flu shots, tactical combat casualty care (TC3) in the field, and serving as medical advisor to the platoon sergeant, platoon leader and perhaps the company commander.  You'll be involved with things like running the field sanitation program and ensuring safe food and water supplies.  You'll train the Soldiers in your platoon.  You'll brief the commander on medical risks and planning.  That's not an exhaustive list...consider it an introductory peek at the career field.

The Guard is a great place to be if you like the state mission.  However, be forewarned that many units in the Army Guard do not follow Army Medical Department and 68W program guidelines regarding making advanced (Advanced Trauma Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, etc.) training available.  Sometimes this is related to lack of funding to cut orders, and other times the unit just doesn't understand why you need to have that training because they don't understand medicine.  My last Guard unit was this way, and the attitude was pervasive throughout the state.  That said, your battalion surgeon will be a priceless resource to you IF you show initiative and a strong desire to learn and improve your skills.  

At the end of the day, if you become a 68W you'll eventually earn several titles and ranks.  But the only one that ever mattered to me  was earning the right to be called Doc.


----------



## Fraserm2016 (Jan 25, 2016)

Thanks for the detailed and specific answers guys, definitely helping in the decision making process.


----------



## pardus (Jan 25, 2016)

One thing I will tell you if you are thinking of becoming a part time medic in the Army. If you go Reserves, you will be assigned to a non combat arms unit, vs the Guard where you can (no guarantee at all though) be assigned to a combat unit. The job of a medic in a combat vs support unit can be quite different indeed. 
You will be expected to be independent and capable of your doing your job without immediate medical backup in a combat unit. It's significantly more difficult, but significantly more rewarding as well.


----------



## Fraserm2016 (Jan 25, 2016)

Is there anything I can do--  other than keeping my head down and working really hard at independent training, letting my hard work speak for me-- to improve my chances of being assigned to a combat unit?


----------



## Fraserm2016 (Jan 25, 2016)

Just to clarify, I didn't mean to come across as "selfish" or anything like that. I completely understand where that is coming from as it may seem I am looking for a stepping stone to where I want to be, as if I am going to 'use' whatever career I go into. Although it may seem like this, I actually am extremely interested in long term goals in either one of these careers, I'm a hard worker and I'm just starting out, improving steadily and I just want to serve my country and be the best in whatever career I decide. I really do appreciate all feedback given, it has helped a lot and I understand TACP isn't the part time thing I am looking for while being a full time student.


----------



## AWP (Jan 25, 2016)

Fraserm2016 said:


> Is there anything I can do--  other than keeping my head down and working really hard at independent training, letting my hard work speak for me-- to improve my chances of being assigned to a combat unit?



In the Guard you can, or will, enlist directly into a unit and will know this unit before you ship for Basic. You can, let's say a combat arms unit is 100 miles away, sign a waiver to make that drive for every drill, but that carries the additional time commitment of being there on time and no one cares about the distance because you signed a waiver. Something else to consider is a slot may or may not exist. You could have an infantry company 10 miles from your house (yay), the nearest AVAILABLE 68W slot in the infantry is 150 miles away (b00), but there's a 68W slot at a hospital unit 20 miles away. Decisions, decisions. The Air Guard and Reserves have great units that do aoermedical evacuation: basically transporting patients from large forward deployed hospitals back to places like Germany or the States.

At the risk of patronizing, I would encourage the latter option if available to you. The life won't be as harsh but you'll pick up some great knowledge and have a MUCH, MUCH better quality of life. Maybe you're thinking "screw that" and I respect the view, but understand there are other options out there. You could even find a Navy Reserve unit with Corpsman slots...you need to do this on your own. Hit up Google and search for _army national guard units (your state goes here) _or _aeromedical evacuation units (your state goes here)._ Actually, I'll give you a free one, found using the methods above:
Aeromedical evacuation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Now start stringing together those key words and build a list of units, jobs, and locations. Narrow your focus and pull the trigger.


----------



## Fraserm2016 (Jan 25, 2016)

Awesome, thank you so much


----------



## AWP (Jan 25, 2016)

Moved since this is no longer an AFSOC issue.


----------



## DocIllinois (Jan 25, 2016)

Freefalling said:


> At the risk of patronizing, I would encourage the latter option if available to you. The life won't be as harsh but you'll pick up some great knowledge and have a MUCH, MUCH better quality of life. Maybe you're thinking "screw that" and I respect the view, but understand there are other options out there.



WTF, why the Air guys gotta be hatin' on us Neanderthal Army bastards?  

Sleeping on the ground, digging ticks out of your groin, standing in an Abrams' exhaust in the morning to avoid hypothermia, unbelievably depraved interpersonal banter - you're discouraging this wannabe from all that sexiness!  

Go Army, F2016.  You'll never know what hit you.


----------



## Jael (Jan 25, 2016)

If you are interested in going the officer route why don't you just apply for the AFA, West Point or ROTC and use the resources there to talk to people who have been in those career fields?


----------



## AWP (Jan 25, 2016)

DocIllinois said:


> WTF, why the Air guys gotta be hatin' on us Neanderthal Army bastards?
> 
> Sleeping on the ground, digging ticks out of your groin, standing in an Abrams' exhaust in the morning to avoid hypothermia, unbelievably depraved interpersonal banter - you're discouraging this wannabe from all that sexiness!
> 
> Go Army, F2016.  You'll never know what hit you.



I was Army, now I work around the AF. I try to be realistic with each branch's pros and cons. 



Jael said:


> If you are interested in going the officer route why don't you just apply for the AFA, West Point or ROTC and use the resources there to talk to people who have been in those career fields?



To echo this, every year the academies set aside 85 slots for the Guard and the same number for the Reserves. While I wouldn't join either with the intent of gaming the system, I think it is a good Plan B (along with OCS/ OTS and ROTC) for those who qualify. I work with a Captain who spent a year at Ohio State as an E-3 in the Guard before going to the AFA.


----------



## Johca (Jan 25, 2016)

Freefalling said:


> Moved since this is no longer an AFSOC issue.


It never was an AFSOC issue, but an entry/initial enlisted classification issue (entry job placement) combined with getting into a basic officer training commissioning program and subsequently once obtaining initial military commission appointment getting accepted into and through the CRO two tier screening and selection process just to get put into the required two years of training to become an entry level CRO.

Most curious is no query was made to the OP concerning the enlisted healthcare enlisted job choice and whether that connected to the anticipated degree program being pursued and any assumptions/presumptions on how this degree  connects to performing CRO duties.   If the degree choice is Nursing, physician assistant, or any other medical degree connected to a professional commission vs line officer commission there will be much shattering and destructions of utilization presumptions and assumptions concerning the performance of CRO duties and responsibilities.


----------



## DA SWO (Jan 25, 2016)

I'd suggest Air Guard as an Aeromedical Technician.
WV,MS, and NY have the heaviest tasking right now, 120 day tours are routinely offered.

ETA, just found out they are 180 day tours.


----------



## Muppet (Jan 25, 2016)

All I will say that @policemedic has not covered is that I made no mistake choosing to be a U.S. Paratrooper and medic for Infantry. You will learn alot and I actually earned my civilian paramedic cert while @ Ft. Bragg. I am now a civilian paramedic for the last 16 years (@policemedic and I went to to paramedic school together) and everything I learned years ago @ Bragg, I still use today.....

M.


----------



## pardus (Jan 25, 2016)

Fraserm2016 said:


> Is there anything I can do--  *other than keeping my head down and working really hard at independent training, letting my hard work speak for me*-- to improve my chances of being assigned to a combat unit?



None of the bolded will make any difference unfortunately.
You will be assigned a unit by your recruiter, they will just be looking at a computer screen, finding an open medic slot and clicking your name as assigned to that unit.
So, what you can do, is tell the/a recruiter "I want to be assigned to a combat unit", and if a slot is available, the recruiter is amenable, the stars are in alignment, and the wind is blowing in the right direction, you might just pull it off, _might_... 
Of course you need to remember that females in combats units are a new thing and as such, there will be challenges to face. But with the right attitude, there is no reason that you can't make a great success of it.


----------



## pardus (Jan 25, 2016)

DA SWO said:


> I'd suggest Air Guard as an Aeromedical Technician.
> WV,MS, and NY have the heaviest tasking right now, 120 day tours are routinely offered.



Interesting...


----------



## AWP (Jan 26, 2016)

pardus said:


> Interesting...



A few years ago the cutoff age for Air Guard/ Reserves was 39, with or without prior service. I don't know if that's changed though.


----------

