AMEDD BOLC WEEK 7-8

Week 7-8

Back to classes for these two weeks. Same schedule as Week 1-3 for the most part. New classes such as CBRN, Administrative Actions, OER and NCOERs, AMEDD History, MEDPROS, Unit Training Management, and more.

Key Events:

Final: Similar to the Mid-Term, you will get a study guide in advance. If you want to do your absolute best and try for a 100%, I would recommend reviewing the slides to gain further understanding.

Student Presentations: Each student in our Platoon picked a topic from a list or provided their own subject. 7-10 minute PPT in front of your peers and instructors. My topic was the History of the 2^nd Infantry Division which was awesome as I learned an incredible deal about my gaining unit’s origins and history.

Graduation: While you graduate and receive your DA1059 (Academic Evaluation Report), you then split into track phase where Branches separate in order to go more in depth into their respective fields. The Medical Service Corps track phase is two more weeks and focuses mainly upon the 

Military Decision Making Process (MDMP).

Overall advice: Do your best out there as you truly get out as much as you put in. AMEDD BOLC is the shortest BOLC of all the Army branches yet AMEDD is one of the most critical components of the Army. 

AMEDD BOLC WEEK 4-6 [FTX]

Week 4-6 [FTX]

FTX progresses in a crawl-walk-run phase. Regrettably I cannot remember everything they taught us in Week 4 and 5.

Week 4 [Crawl]: Basic Soldier Skills.  Primary Marksmanship Instruction (PMI), Basic Rifle Marksmanship (BRM), Tactical Combat Casualty Care, etc. We still had PRT during Week 4.

Week 5 [Walk]: Explanation of Role I, II, and III Medical care in a combat environment. Role I (Battalion Aid Station). Role II (Brigade or Area Support Medical Company). Role III (Combat Support Hospital). We also did our Land Navigation Testing during Week 5. Land Navigation was conducted in buddy teams for us. Generally an experienced student teams up with a student who has never been on a Land Nav course before. We also tested on Army Warrior Tasks which were GO / NOGO events . You will receive instruction on all these tasks beforehand and have study hall sessions to practice.  Disassemble and Reassemble M16 and perform a functions check. Disassemble and reassemble an M9 and perform a functions check. Setup a SINCGARS Radio and perform a radio check. Request a 9 Line MEDEVAC. A single error on any test will result in a NOGO for the event. A NOGO did not appear to hurt you but would disqualify you from being a candidate for the Lynch Leadership Award at the end of the course.

Week 6 [Run]: Students independently run Role I, II, and III Medical facilities.  Definitely the most fun week. I was lucky enough to be a Role I Platoon Sergeant. In this week you really get to know your Platoon and see everyone’s leadership style. During Week 5 and 6, you will learn Modern Army Combatives Program (MACP) Level 1 instead of doing PRT. The final day on Week 6 was when we fought. Also a lot of fun.

FTX Housing: We are lucky at AMEDD BOLC and get to sleep in Alaska Shelters. These tents have doors, lights, A/C, and Cots.

Free time: Once released around 1700, it is your time. Many students use it to do individual PT and run outside of the Forward Operating Base (FOB) or go to the small gym. Unless you are in leadership and need to go to the Battle Update Briefings (BUB), you have the rest of the night to yourself. I found that I was able to get more sleep in the field than during the classroom setting as I had no distractions like wifi. Wakeup was usually around 0445. In the evening once released, you can change into your PT uniform if you like.

Hygiene: Easy to maintain good hygiene at FTX. Sink stations allow you to brush your teeth and shave daily (for males). There are also mobile showers established. They actually have warm water which was surprising. The line can get fairly long so either going early or late is your best bet. They lock up at 2200. Porta-potties are what you have for latrines.

Chow: Breakfast and Dinner are hot meals. Lunch is a Meal Ready to Eat (MRE). 

AMEDD BOLC WEEK 1-3

PRT starting at 0530. Classes begin at 0800. Lunch for about 60 minutes at 1100 or 1200. Period of Instruction ends at about 1500-1700. A few of the many topics we covered: Leadership Doctrine, Leadership Communication, Operational Terms and Graphics, Joint Medical Capabilities, The Medical Platoon, Convoy Operations, Finance, SHARP, Equal Opportunity Briefings, Patient Movement, The Army Profession, and much much more. There is a Starbucks, Subway, and mini-PX on the bottom floor of the AMEDD C&S. A lot of students would buy coffee or energy drinks during the breaks to keep awake.

Key Events in Week 1-3.

APFT: We had our APFT on Day 3 and 4. Do your absolute best to get a 300/300 as not many do. Furthermore, a 300/300 score will be recorded on your Academic Evaluation Report.

Mid-Term Exam. We had the mid-term in Week 3. Ours covered everything from prior lessons. It was made easier by a study guide which was provided.  The test is extremely hard to fail and I do not think anyone in the entire Class 147 did. That said, while the Mid-Term had many scoring 90% or higher, there were not many who scored a 100%. If I recall correctly, only 3/40 in our Platoon scored 100/100 on both the Mid-Term and the Final. So while the tests are easy to pass, do your absolute best and try and score a 100% since this is your profession and should be taken seriously. I do not believe that only filling out and reviewing the study guide is enough to score a 100%; you will have to review the slides also. A 100% will help set you apart for an Exceeds Course Standards on your AER too.  

AMEDD BOLC Basic Information

Hello Reader,

My name is 2LT Matthew B. Duarte. I am an Army Officer Commissioned into the Medical Service Corps. I received my Commission after four years of hard work through Army ROTC the University of Northern Colorado on 05 May 2014. Go Bears. The purpose of these posts are to provide insight into what to expect at AMEDD BOLC. I was part of AMEDD BOLC class 14-147 and graduated on 31 October 2014. I have been learning a great deal and would like to share some of that knowledge with others and provide some of the answers that would have helped me along my way.

AMEDD BOLC Lodging: Unless you are a Permanent Party student (PCS to Ft Sam Houston) or have family in San Antonio, you will be lodged in a hotel for the duration of BOLC.  The majority of the class and I were initially lodged at the Double Tree Hotel about 8 miles from Ft Sam Houston. Most students commuted by POV but a bus would arrive to transport students to and from PT and Class. By Mid-September, the entire class was lodged on post, split between 2 IHG Army Hotels. It is much more convenient to be lodged on post for sure. It is about a 2-3 minute drive from the IHG hotels to the AMEDD Center and School.

Military ID Cards: CAC (Common Access Cards) will be provided if you do not have one before arrival. I was lucky enough to have received one prior. It took a while for some to receive their IDs so just be patient.

Meals: On weekdays, you will have access to the DFAC (Dining Facility) for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. To get in, you will need a BOLC meal card (issued during in processing) and either a CAC or a copy of your orders. On weekends, the Rocco DFAC was closed so we were paid per diem to buy our own food. I don’t recall the exact amount per weekend but it was pretty much a flat rate so you will pocket some money if you don’t eat out every weekend. If you are lodged at the IHG Hotels, they have a good complimentary breakfast which is served every day.

Transportation: It is very convenient to have a car at AMEDD BOLC. While Fort Sam Houston is not the largest post, it will make it easier getting to PT, classes, the PX, etc. That said, those that flew into BOLC made out fine and just needed to catch rides from others.

Physical Readiness Training (PRT): Generally started at 0500 or 0530 and ended at 0600 or 0630. This means you will be waking up fairly early. PRT was mostly conducted at the Platoon level. I was part of 2^nd Platoon; and for us, two students would lead PRT each day. It mostly consisted of the Preparation Drills, followed by CD1 or MMD, then a student created workout, and ended with the Recovery Drills. See the Army PRT handbook for more info on the Prep Drills, CD1, MMD, or the Recovery Drills if needed. PRT tended to be as beneficial as you make it, if you wanted to get stronger it was easy to push yourself to be better.

Field Training Exercise (FTX): Our FTX was conducted at Camp Bullis and was 15 days long spread over three weeks. We would arrive at the link-up location at 0430 on Monday morning, board buses, conduct FTX for five days, and return to Ft Sam Houston at around 1500-1700 on the Friday of that week. Then you are free for the weekend and then meet up at 0430 again on Monday and repeat.

Class: Majority of time at BOLC is spent in classes. Classes generally began at 0800 meaning you have about 1.5-2 hours to shower, change, and grab breakfast following PRT. Classes would end anywhere from 1500-1700. In the initial phase, all our classes were at the AMEDD Center and School (AMEDD C&S) and would be entire class instruction in the auditorium or Platoon sized instruction in classrooms and taught by your respective Platoon Advisors (PAs).

Platoon Advisors: Each Platoon has about 4-5 instructors. Most instructors are Civilians who are retired or former US Army Medical Personnel. Each Platoon also has an Active Duty Captain and Sergeant First Class who teach classes and are the advisors. The 4-5 instructors assigned to your Platoon will teach you nearly all classes both in Garrison and FTX. 2^nd Platoon had excellent instructors.

Free Time: Once you are released for the day, it is your time until first formation the next morning. We had two four day weekends during the course which was great. Labor Day and Columbus Day.

Fellow Students: AMEDD is the most diverse Corps in the Army. As a result, students will be from all Areas of Concentration (AOC) and Branches. There are Medical Service Corps, Medical Corps, Medical Specialist Corps, Army Nurse Corps, Veterinary Corps, and Dental Corps Officers spread throughout each Platoon. Just as diverse as the Concentrations are levels of experience. Some may have spent many years in the Army before Commissioning and others may never have spent a day in the Army before BOLC; so be sure to learn from others and help those who may be a little less experienced. While most students were 2LTs, there were a lot of 1LTs and CPTs and a few MAJs. While everyone is still a student, be sure to render proper respect and courtesy to students of higher rank. Our class was about 240 students. Each Platoon was around 40-45 Students. While pretty large, you get to know everyone pretty quick. 

Uniform: Unless otherwise specified, it is ACUs. You are authorized to wear your gaining units patch or the MEDCOM patch. Fort Sam Houston PX does not have the largest supply of patches so if your gaining unit is not an active duty BCT or Medical Brigade, I would recommend purchasing them beforehand.

Printer: I did not bring a printer. I planned on purchasing one at Ft. Sam but all the hotels had free black and white printing and so did the Stimson Library across of the AMEDD C&S. Bringing a printer is handy in that you can have color and will not have to stress when everyone is trying to print the same form or homework the night before it is due.

DA1059 (Academic Evaluation Report): AER for short. This is what you will receive upon conclusion of AMEDD BOLC. It will be written by your Platoon Advisor. The biggest part is whether you receive Exceeded Course Standards, Achieved Course Standards, Marginally Achieved Course Standards, or Failed to Achieve Course Standards. Everyone should aim for “Exceeded Course Standards” but only 20% of the class can receive this. Meaning around 48/240 students. You should try to do your best as the AER will permanently stay in your records. I received an Exceeds Standards and the biggest key is to just be focused on BOLC; training in PT prior to arrival, studying for the exams, working hard to better yourself and others, and employing what you learn to the best of your ability.