The United States Navy provides trained medical personnel to assist with the medical needs of their Servicemembers. They train medics that serve both in the US Navy and in the United States Marine Corps, and also provide training in the specialty of Navy Health Services Technician. The Navy Health Services Technician is the person that stands in the gap, and is the first line of defense when it comes to meeting the medical and health needs of the US Navy Servicemember, especially on the field of combat. They deal with routine healthcare as well as emergency situations that present themselves. Navy Health Technicians are not doctors, but they receive much the same sort of training, with a few differences, that US Navy medics receive. They are stationed often at smaller locations on shore, or on board smaller US Navy Vessels.
They work to provide supportive health and medical care to US Navy personnel, and can aid in giving swift service to Servicemembers that need assistance. Services provided by a Navy Health Care technician can include assisting dental and medical officers, performing routine and other diagnostic care, helping with testing, x-rays, and clinical lab work. To perform as a Health Services Technician in the United State Navy you should be a people person, and someone who enjoys helping people with dental or medical needs. A person that deals with people and enjoys helping different members of the US Navy with their medical needs would do well as a US Navy Health Technician. The first duty station for a Health Services Technician in the Navy is normally at a larger Navy or Navy base to help a person learn and work under direct supervision. As an individual Health Care Technician for the Navy becomes more proficient, then they are assigned to duty stations that can be independent. They can at times perform direct medical care to Servicemembers and their families, and even in some cases are required to prescribe lesser medications. As a smaller base, a Health Services Technician can literally be responsible for the basic medical care of the personnel at their duty station. You should be able to use exacting and meticulous attention to even the smallest detail. Coursework in biology, hygiene, mathematics, chemistry and physics is also desired.
The job of US Navy Health Technician is one that leads many people to a lifelong career in medicine. Many former US Navy Health Technicians go on to finish their college education and apply for medical school, putting their military training to use as a on ramp toward becoming a civilian medical doctor.