raskolnikov

So I've started to begin all my paperwork and schedule my appointment for the DoDMERB. I'm started to get frustrated already due to my fear of having to do all this work only to get DQ. I'm really scared that my medical history is going to DQ me from getting the ROTC scholarship. It is a bummer because these are problems that haven't presented themselves in years. I am also frightened of being caught lying about my medical past because I don't remember everything that has happened to me before. I can't really get a handle of the "Don't tell everything.. but don't lie" philosophy. I am thinking that I should meet in my doctor before DoDMERB to see what is in my medical records, what I need to report, and what I could try and get letters from her stating they arn't a problem and waiver-worthy. Anyways. Just thought I'd give an update and just vent my frustrations because my family isn't really taking it seriously. They think I am going to be the first person DQ on 18 different conditions and people are going to think I was joking when I say I want to join.

Enjoy yourself the best you can!

Thanks for the responses. Being that I'm a woman, I couldn't be a PJ, nor would I ever be fit enough for that. But yeah, I am talking to my ROTC guy and starting the whole process. I'm conflicted about the whole paramedic thing anyways. I run on two ambulance squads, and one is all GO FOR IT NOW, and the other wants me to wait a few years. But I digress.

When I graduate with my nursing degree, I will also have my paramedic license. I was just curious if anyone knew about nurses in the army that are in the same position and if they are able to use both skills. I would hate to lose some the skills that are medic-oriented because I am nurse in the army. Last night while I was working 6p-6a, I managed to start watching Combat Hospital on CNN. It really reaffirmed for me that the military is the right choice for me after getting quite a bit of negative feedback lately. I lucked out by getting a quick glimse of what I want to do with my life on tv right before I had to go on an OD call. Thanks guys.

ASVAB stands for Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, which is a multiple choice test used to figure out what qualifications you have/what you will do in the miltary if you are enlisting. OIS is Officer Indoctrination School, which I always think of as the officer's boot camp. But, now that I think of it, I could be wrong.

Gen, thanks for your help! So my plan is: I am going to stop by my pediatrician (ha. I love how I am planning to be an officer in the Army yet still go to a pediatrician) after graduation and she what she has to say, get any and all documentation, hopefully, before all the paperwork. - Cate PS - I've started working out again. Running/walking two miles. It's a slow start but I'll get there eventually. But man, do my quads kill! I'm stretching but no pain no gain.

That is why that information he gave me raised a red flag. I was talking to my mother and we were thinking I should go to my doctor, see what she has to say about my asthma. I would take the lung capacity test or whatever it is called, but I have heard people say on the internet either a) do it, it will make the process easier b) don't do it until asked, as it raises red flags. I definitely don't want to lie on paper but don't want to get DQ either.

Hi all! Just thought I would update everyone on my plans since I love hearing what ya'll are doing. Everyone here has been such a help! I talked to the ROTC nursing officer for the school I am transferring to next semester. I had researched everything before I met with him & so nothing was all that new to me. I brought two friends to the meeting who are very liberal and wary of military just to make sure I asked the questions I needed to and make sure I wasn't getting bs from the recruiter. He was very helpful and didn't push me to make any agreements or what not. The only thing that I was wondering about was that I brought up the fact I have/am diagonised with asthma but I haven't used an inhaler in years. My mother and I both agree it was childhood asthma but I have had inhalers perscribed since the age of 13, just in case. I know you need a wavier for that but the officer that I met with mentioned the fact they can't go and open up my medical records. He said I can't lie on the form, but I haven't been using an inhaler and have been fine for years, there was no reason to mention it. That it will automatically make "me guilty before being innocent." That was my only red flag throughout the meeting. I really think ROTC might be the right path for me. Training me to be an officer and get used to the army life & pay for my school. Not being in debt, either to myself or my parents, is exciting. Even though people keep telling me I am crazy to join the army, not now while there is a war, go air force, etc etc. I know that joining the army would be a great great thing for me & since I've been toying around with the idea since Nov., I am more determined to be a member of the Nurse Corps. Now I just gotta get started on PT. No army is going to want me in the shape I am in now!

I think one of the biggest problems that results in this argument is the difference in pay. While one may love being a paramedic, you just don't get paid enough to do it. Should the education be increased to raise pay? Maybe. But it is just hard to be a paramedic and live. I know I am a 2nd year BSN student & going to medic school in the fall. I am an EMT-B now and I love it way more than just staying in the hospital.

I love that they have these programs in the high schools. Some people know what they want to do early on and if they can start doing that great. High school, in my opinion, is quite a waste. But of course, I'm biased because I left after 10th grade to begin college because I was bored.

I am 18. Left high school at 16, getting my associates in liberal arts in May and transferring as a junior to finish up for a BSN as well as a degree in History. I am also a certified EMT and considering going to medic school. So if all goes well I will have my BSN & EMT-P by 20. (I want to be a flight nurse). I was just lucky because I've known that I wanted to work in healthcare, but starting early has its drawbacks. Sometimes I wish I just mess around and have fun. But I do love what I do.

PRT stands for Physical Readiness Training. Phases of Physical Readiness Training (PRT) (ArmyStudyGuide.com)

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! I hope I'll be in the same position as you in due time. BUT, yayyy!!

MEPS is the Miltiary Entrance Processing Station. Joining the Military Requires two (or more) trips to the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS). At a very minimum, you make a trip to MEPS for initial processing, then a second trip to MEPS for final processing on the day you ship out to basic training. This article will focus on the average "first trip" to MEPS. MEPS is a Department of Defense joint-service organization staffed with military and civilians. Their job is to determine an applicant's physical qualifications, aptitude and moral standards as set by each branch of military service, the Department of Defense, and federal law. There are 65 MEPS facilities located throughout the United States. (Obtained from U.S. Military, - Articles.

I found the following information (because I too plan on joining and have astigmatism in both eyes). The causes for rejection for appointment, enlistment, and induction are: a. Distant visual acuity of any degree that does not correct with spectacle lenses to at least one of the following (367): (1) 20/40 in one eye and 20/70 in the other eye. (2) 20/30 in one eye and 20/100 in the other eye. (3) 20/20 in one eye and 20/400 in the other eye. However, for entrance into a military academy, distant visual acuity that does not correct to 20/20 in each eye is disqualifying. For entrance into ROTC programs and OCS/OTS, distant visual acuity that does not correct to 20/20 in one eye and 20/100 in the other eye is disqualifying. b. Near visual acuity (367) of any degree that does not correct to 20/40 in the better eye. c. Refractive error (hyperopia (367.0), myopia (367.1), astigmatism (367.2)), in any spherical equivalent of worse than -8.00 or + 8.00 diopters; if ordinary spectacles cause discomfort by reason of ghost images or prismatic displacement; or if corrected by orthokeratology or keratorefractive surgery. However, for entrance into a military academy or ROTC programs, the following conditions are disqualifying: (1) Astigmatism, all types over 3 diopters. (2) Hyperopia over 8.00 diopters spherical equivalent. (3) Myopia over 6.75 diopters spherical equivalent. (4) Refractive error corrected by orthokeratology or keratorefractive surgery. d. Contact lenses. Complicated cases requiring contact lenses for adequate correction of vision, such as corneal scars (371) and irregular astigmatism (367.2). e. Color vision (368.5). Although there is no standard, color vision will be tested because adequate color vision is a prerequisite for entry into many military specialties. However, for entrance into a military academy or ROTC or OCS/OTS programs, the inability to distinguish and identify without confusion the color of an object, substance, material, or light that is uniformly colored a vivid red or vivid green is disqualifying. Now, I don't really know what any of that means. But I looked at my perscription and learned how to read it, and unless you have a really bad astigmatism, you should be alright. I mean I have pretty bad eyesight (Left eye is -5.25, right eye is -2.50) but I think with corrective glasses/contacts, I can pass the vision test. And my astigmatisms arn't that bad.