Fact Sheets

OVERVIEW
 

THE ARMY HEALTH CARE TEAM

Congratulations on the career path you have chosen. Your next choice will be almost as important — the selection of an environment in which to practice your skills as a physical therapist, occupational therapist, physician assistant or dietitian. We believe that you will find the personal and professional rewards you are looking for if you pursue your career in the Army.

The Army Health Care Team is among the largest comprehensive systems of health care in the country. It serves Soldiers, their Families and military retirees. It is comprised of six corps, each with a specific function.  Members of all six corps work together as a team to maintain the Army’s high standards in patient care. The physical therapists, occupational therapists, physician assistants and dietitians who make up the Army Medical Specialist Corps play a vital and continuing role.

WORLDWIDE HEALTH CARE

Occupational therapists, physical therapists, dietitians and physician assistants work primarily in Army medical centers, community hospitals, out-patient clinics and field hospitals. These facilities are located throughout the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, as well as several locations overseas to include both Germany and Korea.

YOU START AS AN OFFICER

Upon acceptance into the Army Medical Specialist Corps, you’ll be commissioned as a second lieutenant or given higher rank if warranted by your level of education or experience.

So right from the start, you’ll enjoy the pay, prestige and privileges that come with your rank — along with the many professional benefits that only a system of this magnitude can offer.

WE’LL SCHOOL YOU IN ARMY WAYS

Your first taste of Army life will come at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. You will join other newly commissioned health care professionals from all over the country for the Army Medical Department Officer Basic Leaders Course. As its name suggests, the basic course will familiarize you with Army customs and traditions, prepare you to function effectively as an officer, and give you the confidence to assume major responsibilities as a member of the Army Health Care Team.

AN OFFICER IS A LEADER

When you arrive at your first duty station, you will be given patient care responsibilities within your specialty. You will also be called upon to lead and coordinate activities relating to your specialty within a greater context — at times working with the civilian sector. Your professional life in the Army will be very dynamic.

PROFESSIONAL ADVANTAGES
 

A GROWTH OPPORTUNITY

As a member of the Army Medical Specialist Corps, you’ll experience professional independence that would be hard to find anywhere else. Depending upon your specialty, you may perform a range of functions from patient screening to developing and implementing programs of treatment for your patients in a diversity of settings and in concert with other providers. Your clinical and administrative duties will provide you greater latitude and require increased responsibility as compared with your civilian counterparts. 

You’ll have a continuing opportunity for higher education within your field as a member of the Army Health Care Team. Our training programs, seminars and advanced courses give you a chance not only to learn, but also to help you qualify for teaching or research positions within your specialty.

You can continue to expand your credentials through training in special procedures such as electromyography, manual therapy, cardiothoracic perfusion, and musculoskeletal evaluation and treatment. These additional skills will expand the scope of your professional capabilities and allow you to develop to your fullest potential. 

In addition, your military assignments can lead to opportunities to work with people of all ages and backgrounds in community health and health promotion programs.

EDUCATION ON THE JOB

By working with health care professionals in all specialties, you’ll get the benefits of a continuous on-the-job education.  There are also excellent opportunities such as seminars, workshops and classes in your specialty, along with meetings of relevant professional organizations. 

You could also become eligible for time off for continuing education programs at the university level.  In many cases, the Army will pay your tuition. 

There’s even a studies program available to specialists in your field. It’s the fully funded Long Term Health Education and Training Program, which can help you obtain residency training, a master’s degree or a doctorate, as long as your studies are in an area currently needed by the Army and the Army Medical Specialist Corps. The Army may pay your tuition and expenses, and give you paid time off to study. To qualify, you must meet certain professional criteria and also agree to serve from two to five years after you complete the program.

ARMY STANDARDS ARE HIGH

Like any major organization, the Army has certain regulations and procedures, but they won’t interfere with your professional duties. Rather, the Army’s standards assure you a high level of professionalism in your working situations.

PERSONAL BENEFITS
 

YOUR BENEFIT PACKAGE

The uniform you wear in the Army Medical Specialist Corps displays your officer rank and symbolizes the high professional standards you maintain as well as the personal benefits you enjoy in the Army, both tangible and intangible. 

Your starting salary is competitive with your civilian counterparts and, as you gain more experience, you’ll be eligible for promotions with corresponding raises. You are also entitled to a comprehensive program of benefits, which will enhance your income and make your financial position even more secure. The package includes comprehensive medical and dental care for you and cost-sharing programs for your Family.

The Army’s non-contributory retirement plan is another valuable benefit. It will provide you with a steady retirement income upon completion of 20 years of creditable service.  Military members are also eligible to contribute to the Thrift Savings Plan, a portable, retirement savings and investment plan similar to a 401(k).

While on active duty, you may live comfortably on post in the Army community, depending upon availability of quarters, or you may live off post and receive a housing allowance. Wherever you live, you can enjoy the convenient and economical shopping on post in the post exchange and commissary.

ENJOY YOUR FREE TIME

Your Army experience encompasses more than your working hours. We know the value of having free time for yourself and your Family. The Army can’t guarantee a routine, eight-hour workday for you, but you will earn 30 days of vacation with pay each year, starting the first year.  That’s ample time to visit new parts of the United States or the foreign country in which you are stationed, or to explore other countries you’ve never seen. You’re even eligible for low-cost, space-available military flights. 

After work, take advantage of the leisure opportunities offered on the installation where you are assigned. An Army installation is a community, with many of the recreational, cultural and educational activities you’d expect to find in a midsize town. Most have theaters, bowling alleys and community clubs. There are usually sports facilities, from golf courses and tennis courts to swimming pools, fitness centers and game rooms to help you enjoy your free time. 

Consider all the professional advantages of serving as an officer in the Army Medical Specialist Corps. Think about the varied opportunities both you and your Family can enjoy. Joining the Army Health Care Team as a physical therapist, occupational therapist, physician assistant or dietitian can be an extremely worthwhile decision.

PHYSICAL THERAPISTS
 

KEEPING THE SOLDIERS FIT

If you like the challenge of thinking independently, making decisions and handling a varied range of autonomous responsibilities in a number of clinical settings, you’ll find them in the Army — a full spectrum of opportunities that are both professionally and personally rewarding. Army physical therapists are nationally recognized as leaders in evidence-based clinical practice, education and research.  You will also have the opportunity to serve as a valuable consultant in the areas of injury prevention, performance improvement and rehabilitation.

Of course, your primary responsibility will include the diagnosis and management of your patients. But your role in that process is more critical than you might expect. In the Army, you’ll use the latest best evidence in all phases of patient care. You might begin by examining and diagnosing new patients with or without a physician referral for a variety of orthopedic problems. You’ll either refer them to a physician or most likely prescribe and implement a carefully designed rehabilitation program of physical therapy.  You’ll supervise physical therapy technicians and will be responsible for their clinical training.

The Army has developed Centers of Excellence for Amputee Care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and San Antonio Military Medical Center. Sports Medicine is the focus at U.S. Army West Point Academy, where there is a Sports Medicine Residency training program for physical therapists. Burn and Wound Care is the specialty at the Institute of Surgical Research at Fort Sam Houston. All of these facilities provide opportunities for you to develop specialization skills as an Army physical therapist. There are even opportunities to teach or perform research as a physical therapist in the Army. Research for Army medicine is performed at the U.S. Army Institute of Environmental Medicine as well as at the Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine. In addition to clinical teaching opportunities at most of the Army medical centers, formal teaching opportunities exist at the AMEDD Center and School at Fort Sam Houston.  With many options to tailor your career as an Army physical therapist, you will be both professionally and personally challenged.

Your Army practice could involve you with amputee care at one end of the spectrum — or the rapidly expanding field of sports medicine at the other. In fact, because the Army emphasizes physical fitness for all Soldiers, assignment to our state-of-the-art sports medicine facility at West Point is increasingly popular among Army physical therapists.  Or if you are especially interested in the aftercare of burn injuries, it is reasonable to expect to spend time at Brooke Army Medical Center, world-famous for pioneer work in burn therapy.

If teaching or research is your goal, you will be encouraged to fulfill it in the Army. Whether your practice is concentrated in the classroom, the lab or clinic, you might be called upon to work with local civilian community education programs. The expertise of Army physical therapists is extremely valuable in working with physicians in areas such as orthopedics, neurology, family practice and pediatrics.

Whichever career path you choose in Army physical therapy, it will be both personally and professionally satisfying and rewarding.

STUDENT APPOINTMENTS

The U.S. Army-Baylor University Doctoral Program in Physical Therapy is a program where you’ll receive a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Baylor University.  Then you’ll be fully qualified to follow either a military or civilian career in physical therapy after fulfilling your initial obligation. This Program is designed to provide selected officers commissioned in the Uniformed Services with knowledge of the skills, duties, responsibilities, and ethics of a physical therapist and to provide those concepts, principles and methods that will stimulate the continuous personal and professional growth of these officers. 

This fully paid 27-month course includes basic and medical sciences, clinical subjects and administration procedures, patient treatment, clinical work, ward rounds, and professional conferences. The emphasis is on individual guidance and instruction. If selected, you’ll be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Medical Specialist Corps, and will receive the full pay and allowances of an officer during the program. When your course work is completed, you will begin practicing your profession in an Army hospital.

You’re eligible to apply for the U.S. Army-Baylor University Doctoral Program in Physical Therapy if you:

• Possess a baccalaureate degree or are in the final semester prior to receiving a degree with satisfactory completion of prerequisite courses to include : Biology, Anatomy, Physiology, Chemistry, Physics, Behavioral Sciences and Statistics.
   
• Have no more than two prerequisites remaining to complete at the time of the selection board.
   
• Have attained a minimum overall undergraduate grade point average of 3.1 on a 4.0 scale and a 3.1 in the required prerequisites.
   
• Receive a minimum cumulative score of 1000 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Aptitude Test of the Graduate Record Examination. Must also receive a minimum score of 450 in the verbal portion. 
   
• You are 21-42 years old (applicants over age 42 may request an age waiver).
   
• You are a U.S. citizen.
   
• Have a favorable security investigation completed. 
   
• Meet the medical fitness standards for appointment as a commissioned officer.
   
• Obtain conditional release prior to processing if currently serving in any branch of the uniformed services.

QUALIFIED PHYSICAL THERAPIST APPOINTMENTS

You’re eligible for a direct appointment in the Reserve (direct appointments not available for Active Duty) as an Army physical therapist if you meet the following criteria:

• You have a degree in physical therapy from a U.S.-accredited program or have a baccalaureate degree followed by a certificate program in physical therapy.
   
• You are 21-42 years old (applicants over age 42 may request an age waiver).
   
• You have worked full-time as a physical therapist for not less than six months in the one-year period preceding appointment, or you’ve become professionally qualified within the one-year period preceding appointment.
   
• You possess a current, valid, unrestricted state license. 
   
• You meet the prescribed professional, physical and ethical standards for appointment as a commissioned officer.
   
• You have a favorable security investigation completed.
   
• You’re a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS
 

THE TEAM APPROACH TO TREATMENT

Occupational therapists in the Army treat clients with physical, psychosocial or developmental problems. You’ll set up treatment programs designed to assist the client in achieving maximum levels of independence. 

On a typical day, your first client might require an upper extremity neuromusculoskeletal evaluation — while your next client may need counseling on stress management.  Patience is always a prerequisite, whether treating brain-injured Soldiers, arthritic adults or Soldiers with combat stress.

You’ll use your time, patience, skill and creativity working with a wide variety of cases in the clinic and the community.  Army occupational therapists direct clients’ treatments through the use of therapeutic activities; counseling, adaptive equipment, prevocational evaluation, adaptation and role competency, and other methods of rehabilitation, injury prevention and health promotion. Such scope in practice means you might find yourself leading a group therapy session for drug or alcohol rehabilitation, teaching someone to feed himself or herself, conducting an ergonomic work site analysis, or supervising work reintegration activities for Wounded Warriors. 

To assure the best overall care, Army occupational therapists work closely with physicians, psychiatrists, physical therapists, social workers and other health care professionals involved in their client’s rehabilitation. 

If your goal is to move from clinical work into teaching or research, you will have every opportunity to reach that goal. Army occupational therapists are eligible to apply for fully-funded educational opportunities awarding master’s and doctorate degrees in areas such as mental health, education, hand rehabilitation, ergonomics and health care administration.

QUALIFIED OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST APPOINTMENTS

You’re eligible for a direct appointment as an Army occupational therapist if you meet the following criteria:

• You have a baccalaureate or master’s degree in occupational therapy from a U.S.-accredited school or a baccalaureate degree followed by a certificate program in occupational therapy.
   
• You have successfully completed your fieldwork experience.
   
• You have worked full-time as an occupational therapist for not less than six months in the one-year period preceding appointment, or you’ve become professionally qualified within the one-year period preceding appointment.
   
• You’re certified as an occupational therapist by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy.
   
• You possess a current, valid, unrestricted state license.  You meet the prescribed professional, physical and ethical standards for appointment as a commissioned officer.
   
• You have a favorable security investigation completed.  You are 21-42 years old (applicants over age 42 may request an age waiver).
   
• You’re a U.S. citizen or permanent resident (Applicants must be U.S. citizens to apply for Active duty).

REGISTERED DIETITIANS
 

A CAREER IN DIETETICS

An Army dietitian is the nutrition expert. Clinical practice in outpatient and inpatient settings is vital in keeping Soldiers, their Family members and military retirees healthy. As a clinical dietitian, you are an integral part of the health care team, working with other professionals in diabetes, oncology, cardiology, renal medicine, critical care and other specialties. Duties include provision of medical nutrition therapy (MNT) and health promotion such as nutrition risk screening, nutrition assessment, patient rounds, consultation services, discharge planning and nutrition education.

Army dietitians face a wide variety of challenges and opportunities. They advocate optimal nutrition through awareness campaigns, health fairs, education and consultation. They conduct research supported by the local clinical investigations department. They participate in humanitarian missions at home or abroad. They manage food service systems including all aspects of food preparation and service such as sanitation, safety, personnel and financial management.

As a member of the Army health care team you will improve your management and leadership skills. Professional development is an important part of your job. You will be provided opportunities to attend conferences, lectures and seminars.
Whatever your area of interest, as an Army dietitian, you can look forward to steady growth in responsibility, professional expertise and personal satisfaction.

STUDENT APPOINTMENTS

The Graduate Program in Nutrition is a 20-month program that includes both a Masters Degree program and a Dietetic Internship. The Program is conducted in two phases. Phase 1 consists of didactic coursework for the Masters Degree and Phase 2 consists of the internship and research. Baylor University is the sponsor for the Masters Degree and the internship (supervised practice) is accredited through the American Dietetic Association.

The U.S. Military Dietetic Internship Consortium is responsible for preparing dietitians for current and future military roles through supervised practice consistent with the Standards of Education for the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education of the American Dietetic Association. Army internship training sites are military hospitals located in San Antonio, Texas, Washington, D.C., Fayetteville, N.C. and Tacoma, Wash. 

The Graduate Program in Nutrition has three primary focus areas: Clinical/Medical Nutrition Therapy; Nutrition and Physical Performance; and International Nutrition. As a dietetic intern, you will be provided comprehensive training and experiences as a generalist dietitian to assume diverse responsibilities. You will work in a full range of practice settings. You will practice your clinical skills as part of a health care team for inpatient and outpatient care.  You will learn the management and administration of a food service operation in support of patients and customers.  You will have many opportunities to practice community nutrition and health promotion. Dietetic interns are afforded many opportunities for professional development and leadership.

At the start of the program, you will be commissioned as a second lieutenant with the full pay, allowances and privileges of that rank. When you complete the internship, you will receive a Master’s Degree in Nutrition and be eligible to take the exam to become a Registered Dietitian.

You’re eligible to apply for a commission and the Graduate Program in Nutrition if you:

• Have graduated from or are in your last semester of a didactic program in dietetics from a U.S.-accredited college or university.
   
• Have verification of completion of the Didactic Program in Dietetics.
   
• Have minimum Graduate Record Exam scores of 1000 (combined verbal and quantitative) and minimum 3.5 analytical writing score.
   
• Have minimum overall and prerequisite GPAs of 3.0.
   
• Are a U.S. citizen.
   
• Meet medical and physical standards.
   
• Have a favorable security investigation completed. 
   
• Are at least 21 years old (waiver required if over age 42).

QUALIFIED DIETITIAN APPOINTMENTS

Fully qualified dietitians are eligible to apply for appointment in the Army Medical Specialist Corps. You’re eligible for a direct commission as an Army dietitian if you have a baccalaureate degree or higher from a U.S.-accredited school and meet these criteria:

• You are a Registered Dietitian.
   
• You possess a valid, current, unrestricted state license. 
   
• You are 21 to 42 years of age (applicants over age 42 may request an age waiver).
• You’re a U.S. citizen or permanent resident (Applicants must be U.S. citizens to apply for Active duty).
   
• You meet the prescribed professional, physical, and ethical standards for appointment as a commissioned officer.
   
• You have a favorable security investigation completed. 
   
• You have worked full-time as an registered dietitian for not less than six months in the one-year period preceding appointment, or you’ve become professionally qualified within the one-year period preceding appointment.

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS
 

MORE OPTIONS. MORE RESPONSIBILITY.

In recent years, the role of the Physician Assistant (PA) has become critical, due in part because Army physicians have come to rely on PAs more to assist them with their everincreasing patient loads and health care responsibilities.

Army PAs are qualified to practice under the supervision of licensed physicians, working side by side with them, building a relationship of mutual trust and respect. The Army gives PAs a wide range of opportunities beyond those available to their civilian counterparts. Besides enjoying a greater degree of responsibility and freedom, Army PAs are active in every aspect of patient care. PAs practice in both clinical and field settings. Army PAs primarily instruct medics in their unit, but teaching opportunities in the Interservice Physician Assistant Training Program are available for those who qualify.

Army PAs are versatile and practice medicine everywhere from high-tech clinics to field hospitals in support of Infantry, Armor and Airborne divisions. As a Physician Assistant in the Army, you’ll perform evaluations, diagnose and treat acute and chronic illnesses, as well as medical and traumatic emergencies. You’ll also have a wide range of opportunities available to you, including family practice, surgery, internal medicine and aviation medicine. In addition, as a PA in the Army, you’ll be eligible for fully funded postgraduate education in areas like orthopedics, emergency medicine, cardiopulmonary perfusion, occupational medicine and aviation medicine. 

There are also numerous master’s and doctoral programs available. There are no better professional opportunities for the PA than in the Army.

QUALIFIED PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT APPOINTMENTS

To be a Physician Assistant in the Army, you must:

• Be 21 to 42 years of age (applicants over age 42 may request an age waiver).
   
• Have at least a baccalaureate degree. 
   
• Be a graduate of a training program accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant.
   
• Be certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.
   
• Be employed as a Physician Assistant if you completed your PA training more than one year ago.
   
• Meet the prescribed professional, physical and ethical standards for appointment as a commissioned officer. 
   
• Have a favorable security investigation completed. 
   
• Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident (Applicants must be U.S. citizens to apply for Active Duty).

BENEFITS THAT GO BEYOND
 

By choosing to be in the Army Medical Specialist Corps, you’ll be able to see and do extraordinary things. You’ll also discover a whole new circle of friends and professional contacts who share many of your standards and goals, a fact that makes it easy to forge lifelong friendships and professional connections that will help you throughout your career.

You’ll receive all the privileges that come with being an officer, as well as many benefits. Benefits such as the freedom to use the Army’s wide variety of recreational facilities, including golf courses, fitness centers, swimming pools and theaters — and time away from work so you can take advantage of them.

Additional benefits and privileges come with being a member of the Army Health Care Team. Some of them include the following:

• Being a commissioned officer upon entry,
   
• Travel and new assignments,
   
• Low- or no-cost medical and dental benefits,
   
• Low-cost life insurance,
   
• Post exchange and commissary shopping privileges,
   
• 30 days of leave with pay earned annually,
   
• No-cost, on-post housing or a housing allowance,
   
• Retirement benefits, plus
   
• Thrift Savings Plan — an additional mobile retirement savings and investment fund similar to a 401(k).

YOUR NEXT STEP
 

The challenging responsibilities in your health care specialty, ongoing opportunities to further your education and valuable personal benefits are compelling reasons to join the Army Health Care Team.

As a member of the Army Health Care Team, you’ll enjoy the deep satisfaction of performing a vital service for your country. And you’ll experience the particular feeling of pride that comes when you wear the uniform of an officer in the Army.

Whether you’re just completing college or have already spent some time in practice, this could be your most worthwhile career decision.

For additional information on any of the specialty programs, contact your local Army Health Care Recruiter or call 1-800-USA-ARMY or visit healthcare.goarmy.com.