Army Reserves
- Thread starter IndyEMT
- Start date
I'm active Army and heading into the reserves as a 68W. Slots are limited, and if you join the reserves as a medic you'll be expected to be within traveling distance of a reserve center so you can go to your weekend drills. To maximize your opportunities, look at the national guard AND reserves for available slots. There's also limited training going on for reserve unit, as in they're mostly waiting for people leaving active duty to fill their slots instead of spending the money to send soldiers to training, so that's another obstacle. Call a reserve recruiter and they'll be able to let you know if there's any availability in your region, and can even reserve a space for you if there is while you decide what you want to do. If you're looking for that "prior military" experience for applications then the reserves will help, but if you're looking for combat experience, or hands on with casualties then you might be disappointed. Deployments are winding down and you really don't do much at drill from what I've heard, other than go to the range every once in a while and maintain your annual or semi-annual required documented training. I had to teach myself most of what I know and I'm immersed in the Army every day, so I can only imagine that the Reserves will be even more ill-prepared.
FltMedicRob
Forum Crew Member
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- 8
I was active duty, then reserves as a 68WF3.
Training weekends are not what you think they will be. You will most likely spend one day watching power points on suicide prevention, motorcycle safety and all the other fun ways to go into a coma from sitting there. The other day cleaning equipment and if you are lucky maybe a few hours of training (maybe). On AT you will likely get to go to the ranges and qualify with your weapon, PT test, ect. Some units are awesome and you will get to go to Ft Sam for some live skills labs, or down to Florida for TC1 (even better lives skills lab).
In a flight company it was a little different for us on the flight crews we were all title 10 and the commander just had us flying the whole weekend so we didn't have to deal with the crap.
If you are coming into the army as an EMT you will still go through basic and when you get to AIT they will let you challenge the registry and skip the first 8 weeks of training (the civilian EMT-B class).
An other option to talk to the recruiter about is the 1 year try it enlistment (if they are still offering it). It will give you a feel for the whole thing without having to commit to 3-4 years.
Hope that helps.
Training weekends are not what you think they will be. You will most likely spend one day watching power points on suicide prevention, motorcycle safety and all the other fun ways to go into a coma from sitting there. The other day cleaning equipment and if you are lucky maybe a few hours of training (maybe). On AT you will likely get to go to the ranges and qualify with your weapon, PT test, ect. Some units are awesome and you will get to go to Ft Sam for some live skills labs, or down to Florida for TC1 (even better lives skills lab).
In a flight company it was a little different for us on the flight crews we were all title 10 and the commander just had us flying the whole weekend so we didn't have to deal with the crap.
If you are coming into the army as an EMT you will still go through basic and when you get to AIT they will let you challenge the registry and skip the first 8 weeks of training (the civilian EMT-B class).
An other option to talk to the recruiter about is the 1 year try it enlistment (if they are still offering it). It will give you a feel for the whole thing without having to commit to 3-4 years.
Hope that helps.
FltMedicRob,
I am currently a active duty 68WF3 trying to keep my current job and go into Florida National Guard. I see positions open for 68W but not for flight medic. So 2 questions, do I still have a chance of keeping my job? and if I did take the 68W slot would it be easy for me later on to slide into the F3 slot when one opens up?
FltMedicRob
Forum Crew Member
- 30
- 2
- 8
I would recommend checking out the reserves as well. There is a MEDEVAC unit out side of Tampa that might have openings. The issue with going into a company hoping to jump on a slot that opens up later is the issue of IF the company you are in at the time will let you go. I would also contact a few of the NG units directly and let them know you are already F3 as they might have folks sitting in the slots waiting to go to the school or have failed out and have not yet been transferred out of the unit.
Good luck man.
Good luck man.
If you are hoping to join the reserves to gain more experience especially as a medic you are sorely mistaken lol. Even on the active duty side, with deployments winding down (for now) relative training is hard to come by. Garrison Army life is zero fun.
MY advice would be to either join the active side, or just go get your paramedic and get a job.