Talk:Medic

Starfleet medics
Are Starfleet medics, such as doctors and counselors, considered NCOs? --Ambassador Weyoun 21:54, 25 May 2006 (UTC)
 * Not Troi or Esri Dax. I would say no. How enlisted personel join starfleet is not very well described as far as I know, so how one might become an NCO is unknown. O'brien is an NCO. --Bp 22:09, 25 May 2006 (UTC)
 * In TOS, people wearing uniforms without rank insignia could either be crewman, petty officer, chief, ensign and even lieutenant or lieutenant junior grade. Pretty much every Doctor in Trek was established to be an officer early on, as well as most nurses. Technicians and some nurses definitively wore NCO rank insignia (meaning lack thereof) throughout the TNG era. Martinez started out as an NCO and was promoted to officer somehow.


 * Many medics on TOS wore the insignia of their rank, lieutenant or even, in McCoy's case , lieutenant commander, on their duty uniforms, but not if they were wearing a scrub tunic or jumpsuit. McCoy rose in rank to commander by the time of the movies.. Chapel had no definitive rank initially, and always wore a scrub uniform with no rank insignia.. she was a lieutenant by TAS and a commander by the later movies


 * Troi started out as a lieutenant commander, and Crusher as a commander. Troi was revealed to not be qualified for bridge command until she was promoted to commander. Pulaski was a commander also. Bashir started as a lieutenant junior grade and became a lieutenant, Ezri started as an ensign and became a lieutenant junior grade.


 * The Doctor had no real rank as he was a Starfleet member who wasnt classified as a sentient lifeform. So he is the only true NCO doctor, as he was given authority but no rank as the series progressed. -- Captain M.K.B. 23:10, 25 May 2006 (UTC)

Those are examples of ones who went to the Academy. But CAN medics (doctors and counselors) that didn't go to the Academy (they're plenty of great schools in the galaxy) be "enlisted"? Or even considered "enlisted"? Do they become NCOs or somehow get "recruited" as an regular commissioned officer? (It's clear that NCOs can be senior staff member at least.) --Ambassador Weyoun 04:20, 27 May 2006 (UTC)


 * Note that in real life (describing situation in Germany here) it is common practice that doctors don't attend a military academy to learn their medical degree, but are freed of service and sent to study without a uniform among other medical students, yet receive a paycheck for doing so. After the completion of their study at a public university they return and receive their officers degree. Or they already have studied and are doctors when they decide to join the military. In this case too they receive a commission based on their civil carrer. A chief surgeon would at least enter with an OF2 grade (CPT/Lt) if not higher. -- Kobi 10:57, 27 May 2006 (UTC)
 * I agree w/Kobi's assessment, i believe many militaries give honorary or equivalent officers rank to medical doctors, or anyone whos completed a certain degree or coursework in their field. Since to become a doctor, you have to receive a doctorate degree, some systems guarantee that all doctors are awarded a staff officer rank, regardless of military experience or training. Nurses likewise: remember in M*A*S*H that Houlihan was head of nurses and was a major, outranking two of the main doctors (capt. honeycutt and capt. "hawkeye" pierce) -- and many of the characters in that series were drafted and given officer ranks for their levels of instruction received. Certainly, a medic could (and often is/was/will be) an enlisted person, but i think its unlikely a doctor would be, and only some nurses. -- Captain M.K.B. 14:35, 27 May 2006 (UTC)