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Army MOS · Medical

38W Civil Affairs Medical Sergeant (CA Medical SGT)

Current service use not established

This code is listed in the directory. Inclusion alone does not confirm current service use.

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Overview

Civil Affairs Medical Sergeants conduct medical mission planning and administrative medical duties, render point-of-injury care, and provide medical treatment in austere environments. They perform prolonged field care as required, assess field sanitation, evaluate medical systems and infrastructure, conduct civil network engagement and medical reconnaissance, and provide situational understanding to transitional governments.

Minimum clearance: Secret

Minimum ASVAB: GT 110 and ST 101

ASVAB policy: Not policy-reviewed · coverage unknown · as of 2026-10-19

Program scope has not been reviewed.

Policy applicability and coverage of the program's score routes have not been reviewed. Shown-route arithmetic is not an eligibility decision.

Source: smartbook-611-21-ch10c-fy2025 (source date 2025-12). Policy applicability has not been established.

See if you would hit this score: free ASVAB practice test

Core Skills

  • Prolonged medical care in austere environments
  • Field sanitation and health infrastructure assessment
  • Medical reconnaissance for transitional government support
  • Civil network engagement for medical missions

Civilian Career Paths

Career associations are editorial assessments of the cited evidence, not an official crosswalk unless the evidence explicitly says so. O*NET supplies civilian occupation information, not proof of a military match. Related experience does not confer civilian qualifications. Tasks and tools below describe civilian work, not military training.

Emergency Medical Technicians

Point-of-injury care and medical treatment in austere environments transfer directly to prehospital patient assessment and emergency care.

How to prepare: Ask a state-approved EMT program to review your training records and identify the coursework and skills verification needed for the National Registry education pathway.

What the civilian work involves
  • Administer first aid treatment or life support care to sick or injured persons in prehospital settings.
  • Assess nature and extent of illness or injury to establish and prioritize medical procedures.
Civilian tools and software (examples)
  • Informed EMS Field Guide

Paramedics

Point-of-injury treatment and prolonged field care provide relevant experience for assessing and caring for patients in prehospital emergencies.

How to prepare: Request a training-record review from a CAAHEP-accredited or CoAEMSP Letter of Review paramedic program to plan the additional professional education needed.

What the civilian work involves
  • Administer first aid treatment or life support care to sick or injured persons in prehospital settings.
  • Assess nature and extent of illness or injury to establish and prioritize medical procedures.
Civilian tools and software (examples)
  • MEDITECH software

Medical Assistants

Medical treatment and administrative medical duties provide a foundation for outpatient patient intake and clinical documentation.

How to prepare: Practice a complete outpatient intake workflow, including medical history, vital signs, and electronic record entry, through a medical assisting course or supervised clinic orientation.

What the civilian work involves
  • Interview patients to obtain medical information and measure their vital signs, weight, and height.
  • Record patients' medical history, vital statistics, or information such as test results in medical records.
  • Prepare treatment rooms for patient examinations, keeping the rooms neat and clean.
Civilian tools and software (examples)
  • Epic Systems
  • eClinicalWorks EHR software

Training & Development

Choose credentials for your target role. COOL funding markers describe program listings, not a guarantee of eligibility or funding.

Getting Started

  • Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) · Funded · Promotion points · STAR

    Establish EMT-level certification for the EMT path and a qualifying foundation for subsequent paramedic certification.

    Eligibility and preparation: Complete a state-approved EMT course meeting National EMS Education Standards within the past two years, pass the National Registry EMT examination, and satisfy the State EMS Office-approved BLS skills competency requirement.

    For: Emergency Medical Technicians, Paramedics

Career Growth

  • National Registered Paramedic (NRP)

    Build on EMT-level certification through professional paramedic education and national examination.

    Eligibility and preparation: Hold current National Registry certification or a state license at EMT level or higher; complete a CAAHEP-accredited paramedic program or one with a CoAEMSP Letter of Review within the past two years; meet the CoAEMSP Student Minimum Competency requirements; and pass the National Registry Paramedic Certification Examination.

    For: Paramedics

Notes & Sources

  • For both EMS paths, National Registry certification alone does not authorize practice; obtain the applicable state authorization.
Evidence for this guidance (9 documents)
  1. Army COOL MOC feed: 38W Civil Affairs Medical Sergeant (CA Medical SGT)

    [1] data/authority/army-codes.json entry 38W (OSD COOL feed, fetched 2026-07-25); DB rank enlisted, authority codeType enlisted

    Supports: Prolonged medical care in austere environments, Field sanitation and health infrastructure assessment, Medical reconnaissance for transitional government support, Civil network engagement for medical missions, Emergency Medical Technicians (O*NET 29-2042.00), Paramedics (O*NET 29-2043.00), Medical Assistants (O*NET 31-9092.00)

  2. O*NET: Emergency Medical Technicians

    [2] O*NET 30.3 occupational data

    Supports: Emergency Medical Technicians (O*NET 29-2042.00)

  3. National Registry : EMT Full Education Program Pathway

    [3] Opening requirements list

    Supports: Emergency Medical Technicians (O*NET 29-2042.00), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)

  4. National Registry : Legal Differences Between Certification and Licensure

    [4] What if my state certifies, not licenses, EMS professionals?

    Supports: Emergency Medical Technicians (O*NET 29-2042.00), Paramedics (O*NET 29-2043.00)

  5. O*NET: Paramedics

    [5] O*NET 30.3 occupational data

    Supports: Paramedics (O*NET 29-2043.00)

  6. National Registry : Paramedic Full Education Program Pathway

    [6] Opening requirements list

    Supports: Paramedics (O*NET 29-2043.00), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), National Registered Paramedic (NRP)

  7. O*NET: Medical Assistants

    [7] O*NET 30.3 occupational data

    Supports: Medical Assistants (O*NET 31-9092.00)

  8. COOL credential mapping: Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)

    [8] 38W cached COOL credential feed

    Supports: Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)

  9. COOL credential mapping: National Registered Paramedic (NRP)

    [9] 38W cached COOL credential feed

    Supports: National Registered Paramedic (NRP)

Defense contractor jobs for 38W

Descriptions may be summarized for clarity. Verify all information with your branch career counselor or official military documentation before making career decisions.

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