As a military doctor, you need to take care of all the soldiers and officers. You have to be constantly with the army personnel wherever they go, during their training camps, during their war preparation, and during actual wartime. You have to take care of their medical requirements, injuries, and ensure that they remain fit. You have to be equipped to treat various types of injuries and ensure that they recover quickly. You have to maintain a strict fitness regime for them. Military doctors suggest different exercises to help keep the soldiers fit and also to help them recover from injuries. In a way, you are both the medical doctor and the physiotherapist. Not only this, you should also be equipped to perform some surgeries in case of emergencies during wartime. The work profile of a military doctor does not end here. There are many soldiers that get injured badly during fitness regimes or during wartime. Many a times, the injury is so severe that they cannot serve for at least a couple of months or even more. So, it is feasible that such individuals be discharged from duty unless they are fit. Such tough calls are also a part of a military medical job.
Becoming a doctor is otherwise a very costly affair. Not everyone can afford it. If your dream is to become a doctor but you cannot afford it, getting into a military medical college is what you can look for. The US military has several services that you can learn to become a doctor. They take care of your expenses, provide you a stipend, and can even get you scholarships. To become an army doctor, you can join the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). It is an institution that provides training to aspiring military doctors. But if you join the ROTC, for every 1 year of training that you get, you are expected to serve 1 year in the military. There are various universities that provide special military science courses. You can enroll in them apart from your normal medical courses. For this, you should have a command over various topics related to biology and even chemistry and physics. Most medical colleges consider MCAT scores for entry into the college. If you are bent on applying for a military nursing job, you can probably do so through Uniformed Services University (USU). This is a dedicated school for military doctors. If you are not selected for this, you can alternately apply to a local MD program. Another way is to get enrolled in the Health Professionals Scholarship Program where the army bears all your expenses and even provide you scholarships, but here you are obliged to serve the army for a stipulated period of time. After you have completed your education, look for army personnel to recruit you. You require a recommendation from him. Next, look for army recruiting centers in your city. You need to pass an examination to qualify for military medical jobs. Once you are done with this, wait for the call.
Being in the profession of military doctor is very demanding. You have to stay away from your family for many months.
As an army doctor, you have to come up with innovative ideas to ensure a high level of fitness for the soldiers. You should be able to work under pressure especially during wartime when there are causalities at every moment. You should be able to make quick decisions and these decisions can make the difference between life and death. It is not a job of faint hearted people. You should be able to motivate troops and be responsible enough to take care of the soldiers' well being.
Training as a military doctor is usually the service years that are around four years of active duty. Most of the times it also depends on the level of prior education and training received from the military.
Military nursing jobs are not as lucrative as some of the other jobs. In general, they make around $58,000 annually though this can vary depending on your post and experience. Also, at a later age, there are various compensations that you can get being a part of military services.
A plus side of working in the military is that the living expenses are paid in addition to the salary. This job gives an opportunity to serve mankind. Moreover, as a government employee the job stability is very high and there is not any worry like there is when practicing or running your own business.
