68W

68W (pronounced as sixty-eight whiskey using the NATO phonetic alphabet) is the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) for the United States Army's Combat Medic.

This specialty is open to males and females with minimum line scores of 107 GT and 101 ST on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB).

Senior 68Ws who have been promoted as non-commissioned officers generally assume more administrative duties in treatment facilities while training and supervising junior 68Ws.

The Department of the Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel issued a notice for future change for the MOS 91B and 91C (Licensed Practical Nurse) in September 1999.

During the transitory period, all 91B and 91C classified soldiers were given the Y2 identifier until completion of additional training to become 91W, reclassification to a different MOS, or discharge from the U.S. Army.

Colloquially, 68Ws are referred to as "Doc" when they have garnered the trust and confidence of the infantrymen they are assigned to take care of, a title that is not easily earned.

Notable Medal of Honor recipients who served as combat medics include Desmond Doss, Joseph G. LaPointe Jr., Lawrence Joel, Thomas W. Bennett, Gary M. Rose, Edgar Lee McWethy Jr., and David B.

Training typically lasts for 16 weeks and includes a combination of lectures and practical exercises conducted both in the field and the classroom.

The first two months of the course focuses on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Basic Life Support (BLS), and EMT skills and concludes with written and practical examinations.

Prospective 68Ws must pass the NREMT certification exam (with a maximum of six attempts) in order to proceed into the U.S. Army specific course known as the "Whiskey Phase."

68Ws are trained in additional medical skills that they are only authorized to perform in a military setting, as their EMT scope of practice more is limited.

For example, 68Ws assigned to an infantry unit (known colloquially as a line medic) may learn about advanced trauma treatments including venous cutdowns, placement of chest tubes, or use of special hemorrhage control methods.

68Ws working in a BSB can also expect themselves to be trained in extensive vehicle maintenance as well as supply and logistics or be swapped to infantry companies within the brigade when 68Ws for that unit are lacking.

U.S. Army flight paramedics are trained in this manner upon successful submission of a packet, although slots are limited and the school can be highly competitive.

The intensive two-year program results in a Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree from the University of Nebraska Medical College, an officer's commission to First Lieutenant, and the opportunity to sit for civilian certification.