Ok, so looking WAY ahead...

For 68Ps, what pathways and options are there to become an officer and still be in the 68P area?

To be perfectly honest, there are none. 68P is the technician that works in the radiology department. The bread and butter is shooting x-rays and doing the administrative tasks that come with shooting x-rays (actually shooting radiograph films since the x-rays are invisible wave-lengths) Some x-ray techs can receive training on advanced imaging such as CAT scan, ultrasound, MRI or mammography. I've always admired x-ray techs because they have what is essentially an all enlisted department, much like respiratory techs have. There are no nurses, or healthcare administrators. Very large radiology department might have a RN permanently assigned for administering drugs, but most do not. The only officer you will find in a typical radiology department are the radiologists. This is a physician who graduated medical school and completed a residency course of study in radiology. He does not however work in the department the way the techs do. He specializes in reviewing the images and advising other doctors on what he sees or thinks he sees (as some images can be tricky to determine).
There is an loosley related officer field, however; 72A Nuclear Science. This requires a master's degree in health physics, radiobiology or a similar field. These officers study the effects of ionizing radiation on people and conduct research on ways to protect soldiers from radiation.
MIKE

Hamrogers,
Very well said.

SCEagle,
The only officer position that will keep you directly involved in radiology is becoming a radiologist. Another option besides nuclear medicine science officer is radiation protection officer. With both of these jobs, you won't be directly involved in the daily task of patient care and radiography/radiology. There are specific requirements for both jobs and due to being small career fields are very competitive to gain a commission into.

If health administration interests you, look into the Medical Services Corps and the 70A area of concentration. You can get into this field by either applying for a direct commission (you need to already have a degree) or by "rolling the dice" or going through Green to Gold/OCS.

As an active duty 68P, other options to consider:
1. If you want to stay in medicine, directly involved in patient care:
a. become a doctor -> use Green to Gold to complete your BS then get a deferrment to attend medical school (you'd owe the Army a lot of years)
b. become a nurse -> you can use either the Army Enlisted Commissioning Program (go to nursing school on the Army's dime) or Green to Gold
c. become a PA -> Interservice Physician Assistant Program (IPAP)

2. If you want to be an officer:
a. Green to Gold
b. OCS
c. West Point

can any of you guys tell me how many credit hours 68p will give you>? i understand it is up to the school you are transferring into.. i'm looking more toward being able to apply for OCS

quote:

Originally posted by Zr0:
can any of you guys tell me how many credit hours 68p will give you>? i understand it is up to the school you are transferring into.. i'm looking more toward being able to apply for OCS

Just curious, do you want an answer in every one of the threads you asked, or... where should we answer?

Come on, once is good enough.


As for your question, as you said, it's up to the school, so how can we know if you don't mention a school?

sorry about that wasn't aware everyone patrolled the same threads.. and i'm not concerned with transferring the credits into a college i'm concerned in adding them to my current credits in order to get into OCS... maybe.. or is that even possible..
Thanks

quote:

Originally posted by Zr0:
sorry about that wasn't aware everyone patrolled the same threads.. and i'm not concerned with transferring the credits into a college i'm concerned in adding them to my current credits in order to get into OCS... maybe.. or is that even possible..
Thanks

Contact the education office at your post. You'll need to sit down and get your transcripts evaluated. Not sure if you're angling for a commission onto active duty or into the Reserves/NG ... For active duty OCS, rumor has it that in the very near future, ALL applicants will have to have their degrees completed prior to the start of OCS. If you're looking to commission under the old rules, you need to get a move on.

Also, work on the writing skills, ie text-speak is not the most professional way of getting your thoughts across.