To prepare for advancement, you need to be familiar with:
1. The occupational standards for the hospital corpsman rating found in the Manual of Navy Enlisted Manpower and Personnel Classifications and Occupational Standards, NAVPERS 18068 series
2. The Personnel Advancement Requirement (PAR), NAVPERS 1414/4
3. Appropriate Navy training courses
4. Any other material that may be required or recommended in the current edition of Bibliography for Advancement Study, NAVEDTRA 10052.
These materials are discussed later in this chapter under “Sources of Information.”
THE HOSPITAL CORPSMAN RATING
The primary mission of the hospital corpsman is to minister to the sick and wounded. Hospital corpsmen work in a fantastic variety of jobs associated with the care of the sick and wounded. Their versatility ranges from general service hospital corpsmen duties to highly trained and specialized technicians working in the laboratory and radiography departments and research laboratories.
The most challenging assignment for an individual who has graduated from Advanced Hospital Corps School is independent duty—duty aboard ship or a submarine or at a remote station, independent of a medical officer—where knowledge tempered with maturity and good judgment is of extreme value.
Hospital corpsmen are assigned to ships and stations throughout the world, including Marine Corps units, ashore and afloat. Whatever their technical specialties, whatever their billets, their function is always related to the care of the sick and wounded.
SCOPE OF THIS TRAINING COURSE
Before studying any book, it is a good idea to know the purpose and the scope of the book. Here are some of the things you should know about this training course.
It is designed to give you information on the occupational (technical) qualifications for advancement to HM1 and HMC.
The occupational (technical) qualifications that were used as a guide in the preparation of this training course were taken from the Manual of Navy Enlisted Manpower and Personnel Classifications and Occupational Standards, NAVPERS 18068 series. Any later changes in the hospital corpsman qualifications may not be incorporated in this training course. It is therefore important for you to obtain and study a set of the most recent hospital corpsman qualifications.
This training course includes information that is related to both the knowledge factors and the practical factors of the qualifications for advancement. But no training course can take the place of actual on-the-job experience for developing skills. The training course can help you understand some of the hews and whys, but you must combine knowledge with experience before you can develop the required skills. The Personnel Advancement Requirement (PAR), NAVPERS 1414/4, should be used along with this training course whenever possible.
The following chapters of this course deal with the technical subject matter of the hospital corpsman rating. Before studying these chapters, study the table of contents and note the arrangement of information. You will find it helpful to get an overall view of the organization of this training course before you start to study it.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
It is very important for you to have an extensive knowledge of the references to consult for detailed, authoritative, up-to-date information on all subjects related to the military standards and to the occupational qualifications of the hospital corpsman rating.
Some of the publications discussed here may change from time to time, others as the need arises. When you use a publication that is subject to change or revision, be sure you have the latest edition. When using any publication that is kept current by means of changes, be sure you have a copy in which all changes have been entered.