Dental Clearance Letter For Surgery Form: Fill & Download for Free

Advised to inform dentist of prophylactic drugs of systemic disease. These drugs are primarily given for calcium depletion. Current normal bone density index required for dental surgery or clearance letter from concerned medical personnel regarding dental procedure to be performed after medical clearance.

this is the most frequent question asked by fresh female dentist. i will try my best to explain the options. hope this will help you.let me explain.it depends a lot what you are aiming in life? if you are looking for earning lot of money then you have options as below:you should think about MDS and then you can choose UK,USA,CANADA. to practice there as a dentist you have to go through some exams. for UK, you have to pass exam of ORE part(1) &(2). Before you apply for the ORE​To apply for the ORE you will need to fill in the application form, and send in supporting documents at the same time.Applicants are required to ensure they have read and understood the student fitness to practice guidance and exam rules as part of the application form:Student Fitness to Practice Guidence (157.9 KB, PDF)You are not expected to be familiar with the National Health Service (NHS) or British culture other than the ways in which it will affect your treatment of patients. You should be familiar with how people in the UK might behave, but you should not make assumptions about a patient based on issues such as gender or ethnic origin.When you apply for the ORE, you should be certain that you have the overall clinical acumen to successfully complete a series of tests. The ORE will sample the Learning Outcomes covered in ‘Preparing for Practice’ (PfP), and your chances of passing will be improved if you have had a recent broad experience of clinical dentistry, rather than relying entirely on preparation courses. The exam is designed to determine whether you can safely practice dentistry in the UK and for this purpose you must be able to demonstrate the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes at one sitting.A candidate is expected to be able to show competence, knowledge and familiarity in the different aspects of dentistry which are outlined in the Learning Outcomes in the GDC’s document ‘Preparing for Practice’ (PfP). The standards of conduct, performance and ethics required are described in the GDC’s publication ‘Standards for the Dental Team’RequirementsBefore applying, you need to make sure you meet our clinical experience and English language requirement. You will need to send evidence of the following:Clinical experience requirementYou must have at least 1600 hours of clinical experience where you have personally treated patients in the dental chair. The number of hours of this clinical experience will either be hours spent undertaking appropriate investigations and administering dental treatment:during your dental degree;during post-qualification experience; ora combination of the two.It could also be undertaken during temporary registration.This cannot include time observing other dentists or assisting other dentists/dental students in undertaking diagnosis/treatment planning or provision of treatment.English language requirementFor the purpose of the ORE, candidates are required to submit evidence of English language. The types of evidence we are likely to accept are:An International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic) certificate at the appropriate level.A recent primary dental qualification that has been taught and examined in English.A recent pass in a language test for registration with a regulatory authority in a country where the first and native language is English.Recent experience of practising in a country where the first and native language is English.Please also see the GDC Guidance on English Language Controls document, for full details of the above requirements and 'other evidence' we may accept.After you have passed the ORE​When you pass the ORE you will be sent your Part 2 results by email. In your results email you will be directed to download the application pack in order to apply for full registration on the GDC dentists register.Overseas Dentist Registration Form (180.1 KB, PDF)ORE dentists application advice sheet (47.2 KB, PDF)The GDC assessments team will be sent the names of the people who passed the ORE, so there is no need for you to contact them separately.If you have changed your name since applying for the ORE and wish to be registered under your new name, you will have to send a certified copy of your name change document with your registration application.When you send back your completed registration application form, registration fee and valid certificate of good standing, our assessments team will take over and you no longer need to communicate with the exams team.Working in the UKThe Home Office has removed the categories of ‘employed dental practitioner’, 'employed dental assistant' and ‘vocational dental practitioner’ from the list of UK shortage occupations.You may also be asked to do up to a year’s Vocational Training (VT) in order to work for the NHS. This will be influenced by your qualifications and experience and will be at the discretion of the Primary Care Trust which employs you.English Language ControlsNecessary knowledge of English language for dental professionals​The General Dental Council (GDC) is committed to ensuring that only dental professionals who demonstrate the necessary knowledge of the English language are able to treat patients in the UK.In collaboration with other healthcare regulators we worked with the Department of Health to amend the legislation that governs what we do - the Dentists Act 1984 – and to introduce new powers to assess English language proficiency. The powers came into force in April 2016.Who does this apply to?These new powers, allow the GDC to assess the English language proficiency of any dentist or dental care professional (DCP) before they can practise in the UK.Dentists and dental care professionals who apply to return to the GDC register will, also have their proficiency in English language considered.These powers reflect the requirement in our Standards for dental professionals to:"be sufficiently fluent in written and spoken English to communicate effectively with patients, their relatives, the dental team and other healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom."Applicants from the European Economic Area (EEA)We are required to recognise the dental qualifications and training from applicants from EEA countries, in line with other professional healthcare regulators.We require applicants from EEA countries to provide appropriate evidence that they have the necessary knowledge of English before they can be registered.If we are satisfied about an applicant's knowledge of English from their initial application for registration, we will not request further evidence.Dental professionals qualifying in a country where English is the first language will not routinely need to provide additional evidence about their knowledge of English.If the evidence provided does not meet our requirements applicants will be required to undertake a language proficiency test. Full details of our requirements are set out in our guidance.Applicants from outside the European Economic Area (EEA)Dental professionals who qualified outside the EEA, must demonstrate they have the necessary knowledge of English as part of the assessment of their qualifications, knowledge and skills.The process for demonstrating English language proficiency varies according to the circumstances of applicants.If we are satisfied about an applicant's knowledge of English from their initial application we will not request further evidence. Dental professionals qualifying in a country where English is the first language will not routinely need to provide additional evidence about their knowledge of English.If the evidence provided does not meet our requirements, applicants will be required to undertake an English language proficiency test.Full details of our requirements are set out in our guidance.Types of evidence we are likely to acceptExamples of the types of evidence we will routinely accept to demonstrate applicants have the necessary knowledge of English, are:A recent primary dental qualification that has been taught and examined entirely in EnglishA recent pass in a language test for registration with a regulatory authority in a country where the first language is EnglishRecent and continuous experience of practising in a country where the first language is EnglishA pass in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam that meets the requirements set out in our guidance.Changes in English Language Testing System (IELTS) levelsOn 1 April 2016, the IELTS pass levels for dental nurses and dental technicians changed from Level 6 to Level 7. The IELTs pass levels for dentists and other dental care professionals (DCPs) are unchanged and remain at level 7.The decision to bring dental nurses and dental technicians in line with the rest of the dental team followed feedback received from our consultation on the English language control requirements.Following the consultation and the views expressed about the IELTS levels, we gathered further information to establish whether to maintain the current IELTs pass levels for dental nurses and dental technicians or whether to raise them to the levels required for dentists and other members of the dental team.We considered the responses from the professional bodies, namely the British Association of Dental Nurses (BADN), the British Dental Association (BDA) and the British Orthodontic Society (BOS). The BDA commented on the differences in IELTS levels we require and highlighted the important role dental nurses play in recording work undertaken in surgery, and their oral health education role, the BOS considered that all registrants with 'direct access to patients' should be required to attain the same levels of language competence as other registrant groups and the BADN called for the same levels across the dental team.From the evidence and information gathered we found no compelling patient safety case either for or against requiring different IELTS levels for dental nurses and dental technicians than we set for other registrant groups.On this basis and recognising the complex technical elements of much of the work involved, our Council decided to act on the advice of the professional bodies and align the levels by making a modest increase in the requirements for dental nurses and technicians.It is anticipated that over the next decade all dental care professionals will provide a greater proportion of dental care than is currently the case and this coupled with the desire of NHS policy makers to make better use of the dental workforce and thereby increase access to dental care, supports an argument for aligning the levels across the dental team.Other evidenceThere are many ways in which an applicant may be able to satisfy us that they have the necessary knowledge of English for registration. If evidence other than those we have listed is provided they must meet the criteria we have set out i.e. the evidence must be robust, recent and readily verifiable by the GDC.https://www.gdc-uk.org/professionals/education/recent-inspections/inspections-dentistryhttps://www.dentalorg.com/settle-in-uk-as-dentist-after-bds.html/3https://www.dentalorg.com/settle-in-uk-as-dentist-after-bds.html/5ORE Part 1The Exam​Part 1 is designed to test candidates' application of knowledge to clinical practice.It consists of two computer-based exam papers:·Paper A covers clinically applied dental science and clinically applied human disease.·Paper B covers aspects of clinical dentistry, including law and ethics and health and safety.All questions are mapped to learning outcomes in the GDC document 'Preparing for Practice' (PfP).Each paper lasts three hours and is made up of Multiple Short Answer questions (Extended Matching Questions and Single Best Answer Questions).A candidate is expected to be able to show competence, knowledge and familiarity in the different aspects of dentistry which are outlined in the learning outcomes in the GDC’s document ‘Preparing for Practice’ (PfP).You must pass both papers in order to progress to Part 2.Location and CostThe Part 1 exam is held at King's College London and costs £806. Please note, the exam fee is not normally refundable.Dates​Month/Year​Date​July - August 2018​31 - 3​​April 2019​15 - 18July - August 201930 - 2ResultsYour exam results will be sent to you by email. We will endeavour to release the results to you within 20 working days of the examination.You will be given a percentage mark out of 100 for Paper 1 and for Paper 2, as well as an overall pass or fail award. As the examination is taken at a computer, the results are calculated as soon as you click 'submit'. This ensures there is no room for error in this marking system and so we do not offer the opportunity of questioning the marks awarded. However, all results are quality assured after the exam by the exam board.The GDC is not able to provide you with any feedback on your performance in this examination. However, approximately 40 working days after the examination, the Part 1 Supplier, King's College London, will provide you with result feedback.Upon passing Part 1, your name will be added to the Part 2 candidate list.Survey FeedbackAfter each exam the GDC exam supplier collects feedback about the sitting. Attached to this webpage is the feedback from the April 2018 exam and some responses from GDC about certain topics. The attached report is a tool for candidates to clarify certain aspects about the part 1 exam and should be read as preparation for the exam.Policies​Policies governing the examination of Part 1 are available on the exam centre's website hereTo practice dentistry in Australia you have to register yourself in the dental Board of Australia as a general dentist.You can take admission in any Australian University to complete a dental degree program; afterwards you can practice their as a general dentist.Or you can choose an alternate pathway by sitting in the examination conducted by Australian Dental Council.Australian Dental Council has been empowered by Australian government to assess the non Australian degrees earned by a foreign dentist.The Australian Dental Council assesses the knowledge of dentists by an examination which is conducted in three stages:1.the initial assessment2.part 1 written examination and3.part 2 practical examinationThe initial assessment involves the checking of your papers.The part 1 written examination assesses your theoretical knowledge.The part 2 practical examination assesses your clinical knowledge.If you are interested further in the examination conducted by Australian Dental Council, you can see the following website for details.https://dentalknowledge.in/The process to settle as a dentist in Canada is long and tedious but I am sure it's rewarding.As you must be knowing Indian Dental degree is a non accredited dental degree according to NDEB. So before applying for the licensure you'll first need to complete a NDEB EQUIVALENCY PROCESS, only then you are qualified to take the NDEB written andOSCE.1st step- NBED equivalency process1.Online self assessment quiz- you'll need to complete a online self assessment quiz.2.Application for NDEB Equivalency process- submission and verification of documents.3.Assessment of fundamental knowledge- once your documents are verified, you'll need to take a 3 hours/section test of 2 separate sections with 150 multiple choice questions. You'll have to score at least 75 or above to qualify for the next exam. You can take this exam 3 times.4.Assessment of Clinical knowledge- it is also a 3 hour long multiple choice test for each section of two sections. You can take this exam 3 times too.Once you qualify the above, you can start your process of getting certified.Certification process includes-1.Application for NDEB certification with the necessary documents along with the completion of Accredited qualification or NDEB Equivalency process2.Written exam- it's a written exam with 2 sections of 150 mins each with 150 multiple choice questions.3.OSCE- Objective Structure Clinical Examination, it's a objective exam with 2 questions with extensive cases.Once you clear all these, you'll obtain your license to practice in Canada.This is known to be hard and extremely difficult but hey sky is the limit. Work towards it and I am sure you'll achieve.FOR CANADA:-However, you cannot just directly enter Canada and start working as a dentist. Since you have a degree from a foreign country, you will need to go through the rigorous & multilevel qualifying process.It's a long series of steps that are designed by the Canadian dental regulatory body to assess the qualification of foreign dentists and to make sure that they are fulfilling all the necessary points to work as a dentist in Canada.The good point is, once you clear the qualifying process, you do not need to study any further by joining a dental college in Canada. You are directly eligible to legally work as a dentist (pending to clearance of the license).In this article, I will provide you a basic overview of the points and also the reference to the article where you will sequentially find the details along with animated videos to explain you the process with complete information.Essential points to understand before you start your Canadian Dental Journey:·Any dental degree from outside of Canada is not directly valid there.·The foreign dental degrees are separated into two categories - Accredited and Non-Accredited. (Hence first know you fall into which category) For example, if you are from India with a BDS degree, then you fall under the Non-Accredited category.·Depending on the type of category your dental degree belongs to - Accredited or Non-Accredited, you will have to go through the appropriate steps respectively.·The steps of qualification for both Accredited & Non-Accredited are more or less similar however with two significant differences in between the flow of actions.·The entire process is a costly affair. The payment is in dollars and there is no refund in case of withdrawing or failing in the exams. Hence, you cannot take the exams casually. You need to be very particular about it and prepare for the exam to succeed in it. NO TRIAL ATTEMPT ATTITUDE!·The first step, before you start the qualifying process is to fulfill all the Visa-related obligations. Never trust any unverified party for the visa regulations. Always contact and get the latest information for the Visa-related rules from the official Canadian embassy in your country.·To become a licensed dentist in Canada, graduates of accredited/non-accredited dental programs must successfully complete the National Dental Examining Board of Canada’s (NDEB) Certification Process.·The NDEB Certification Process comprises two examinations. These examinations are based on the competencies required to be a beginning dental practitioner in Canada.·The exams will mostly take place in Canada and Australia. There are Assessment of Fundamental Knowledge, Assessment of Clinical Skills, Assessment of Clinical Judgement, Pathway to certification, Written ExaminationThough straightforward, however still a majority of the aspirants seem to be confused regarding the process.Hence to make the process easy to understand for all, we have written a detailed article explaining all the steps and associated official links. (Check the article just below)Here are the points that will be covered in the article mentioned above,Why will you find it the best & easiest article on Dentistry in Canada for Foreign Dentists?·The article has been broken down into separate slides to make it easier for you to understand the long and complex process.·Throughout the article, relevant official links are given in order for reference.·All the steps are explained with Animated Videos and Flowcharts to explain you the long process easily.·At the end of the article, all the relevant official links have been provided in a sequential step-wise manner.·In the last slide of the article, the entire process is again explained with the help of a video presentation.We hope that this answer has cleared some of the initial doubts you may have on the process of working as a qualified dentist in Canada with a foreign degree.As mentioned before, the article will provide you all the details in a sequential manner with all the official links and videos explaining the complete process.Once you complete reading the article, you will have a much better understanding of the process. Using this understanding, you can contact all the official links and start with all the necessary steps to appear for NDEB exams.Initial assessment for dental practitionersOverviewOverseas qualified dental practitioners wanting to register to practise with the Dental Board of Australia (DBA) who are required to complete the Australian Dental Council (ADC) assessment, must complete the three-stage assessment process.The first stage of the assessment process is initial assessment.The initial assessment process involves the assessment of documents including professional qualifications, work experience, registration history, and good standing to determine eligibility to sit the written examination.Am I eligible to apply for an initial assessment?To be eligible to apply for initial assessment applicants must:·hold a minimum qualification(s) at the required level that is comparable in duration and content to the nationally agreed minimal education standard for the relevant Australian dental profession, and·have held registration or license in either in their home country, or country of training, with no withdrawal of registration.The minimum required qualifications vary between professions.DentistsDentists must hold at least a four-year, full-time university dental degree, or diploma at an acknowledged university.Dental hygienists and dental therapistsDental hygienists must hold a qualification of at least two-years equivalent full-time study from a recognised provider.Dental therapists must hold a qualification of at least two-years equivalent full-time study from a recognised provider.Dual qualified dental hygienist/dental therapists must hold relevant qualifications totaling at least 3 years full-time study from a recognised provider.Dental prosthetistsDental prosthetists must hold, at least, a three-year, full-time prosthetist qualification from a recognised provider.When can I apply for an initial assessment?An initial assessment can be completed at any time of year by submitting an Initial assessment of professional qualification application form for the relevant profession.Once the application form and supporting documents have been received, applicants will be assigned an ADC candidate reference number. This number should always be used when you contact the ADC.Timeframe: Approximately 8 weeks, not including time taken to submit any additional documents.Cost: AUD $610Process1.1 Download and complete an application formThe Initial assessment of professional qualification application form should be downloaded and printed as a hard copy before it is completed.Please make sure that you are using the current version of the application form.Detailed guidelines, designed to help you complete the form, are included throughout the form.1.2 Submit application formAs well as a completed application form, you are required to submit a clear, certified copy of your:·current passport (high quality colour copy)·evidence of change of name (if applicable)·dental qualification, official certificate or testamur·academic transcript·internship certificate·evidence of registration or license to practise dentistry·two written professional references·evidence of practise or work history as a registered or licensed dentist.Please do not send original documents as we cannot return these to you.All supporting documentation must adhere to the ADC certification of document guidelines. Incorrectly certified documents will result in delays, or in the application being declined.Post your application and supporting documents to the address specified on the application form.You are also responsible for arranging a certificate, or letter, of good standing. This must be sent directly to the ADC from the organisation responsible for regulating dental registration or dental license in your country of practise.Once the application form and supporting documents have been received and payment taken, you will be assigned an ADC candidate reference number. This number should always be used when you contact the ADC.1.3 Receive an initial assessment outcome from the ADCOnce your application has been assessed, you will receive an email from the ADC advising of the outcome of your assessment.There are three possible outcomes:1.Your application was successful and you are now eligible to proceed to the written examination. A successful initial assessment does not expire.2.Your application is incomplete and you are required to submit additional information for further assessment.3.Your application was unsuccessful and you are ineligible to proceed with the ADC process.If you wish to appeal the outcome of an initial assessment, a written application for review, together with the nominated fee, is to be submitted to the ADC within 28 days of receipt of the notification of the assessment outcome.The appeals policy for the assessment of qualifications contains further information on the appeals process. You can view the policy here.Other important requirementsChange of nameThe ADC must ensure the legitimacy of all supporting documentation. If your supporting documents have different names or different versions of your name you must provide evidence of any name changes.Evidence must be a legal change of name document, issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages or an official change of name by deed poll. Newspaper or gazette articles, affidavits or statutory declarations are not considered as legal evidence.Documents issued in a language other than EnglishAll documents issued in a language other than English must be submitted attached to an official English translation.This means that you must submit both a certified copy of the document in its original language and its English translation. Both the translation and original document must be correctly certified.Please refer to the Translation of documents guidelines for more information about document translation.Nominating an Authority to ActAll candidates have the option to nominate a third party, such as a family member or migration agent, to act on their behalf. This nominated party will receive all correspondence from the ADC related to the candidate’s application on their behalf. If an authority to act is in place, correspondence will not be sent to the candidate.This person must not sign a candidate’s application form, and cannot certify or translate documents for them.To nominate an authority to act, you must complete and submit an Authority to act form.This form must be sent to the ADC by post to retain all the original signatures. The ADC will not accept forms returned via email or fax.hope this help you,good luck.if need any more guidance, mail me at: [email protected]

As Cody Flies answered, what matters is what is on the contract you sign.Until you sign the contract, nothing they say is binding on them, and nothing you say to them is binding on you.However, it’s a two way street: if you lie to them, and they catch it, consider your opportunity squandered, and those recruiters are likely to put the proverbial Scarlet Letter for ALL Marine recruiters to see…since they all use the same system to track leads and contracts.And those recruiters will possibly put the word out to their local neighboring “Sister Service” recruiters, since they typically are located if not next door to each other, at least near by: this guy is a liar…Doesn’t mean that any particular recruiter will not consider for further…just makes it harder.Now, all recruiters have multiple layers of supervisors, some tighter than others, but NONE of them operate in a vacuum.If a recruiter “promises a rose garden,” and you believe it, and you find out later it wasn’t so rosy, if you’ve already shipped to boot camp there may not be much you WANT to do about it…but there are things you COULD do about it.For example: you were promised you could ship to boot camp with a “buddy,” and when you got to the recruit depot you were separated from your buddy and never saw him again…If this was in writing, but not accomplished, then your grievance WILL be resolved…because it is in the contract. But if the recruiter just waved his hand and said, “Sure, no problem! You can go to boot camp with your buddy…” but never put it in writing, then unless you have witnesses (perhaps your buddy, or parents?), your grievance may not get traction.True story: I was promised the buddy program, and was separated upon arrival at MCRD. My buddy program was on my contract. I asked about it to my Drill Instructors, they probably yelled at me and made me do lots of physical exercise while they went back to Admin and tried to figure it out. The result? The day after I asked about it, I was transferred out of my training platoon and into the platoon of my buddy, who had also asked about me. As a reward for reminding them of their error, we were ordered to bunk together (one up, one down) for the rest of boot camp, always go to the head (bathroom) together whenever possible, eat together, run our PFT at the same speed, shoot the same rifle score when qualifying, be in the same fighting position during field training, if one of us did something wrong the other would share in the punishment…etc. We were “Siamese Twins.” So, that actually worked out quite nicely, because my friend and I were together literally the entire time (after the first few days after we arrived), and so we “had each other’s backs” for everything, all the time.And no, we didn’t score the same PFT or rifle qualification scores, so we were punished for “leaving our fellow Marine behind” sort of thing…humorous now, not so much 30 years ago.Recruiters are held accountable for their actions, and quite of few of them are relieved of duty every year. Some get court-martialed, some get lesser punishments, some get sent to civilian legal systems because the military ceded jurisdiction to the locals, say for a sex crime or burglary or domestic violence, etc. Some recruiters can’t hack it, and/or quit. It’s a hard job. And some manage to make their mission every month only to see that some of their Shippers bail out downrange and fail to finish. Recruiters can have credits for previous Shippers rescinded if their guys don’t finish…so it’s really in their best interests to truly ensure that their poolees are really mentally/morally/physically qualified to become Shippers AND actually finish their training pipeline so they can get/keep their credits (and their jobs).But can a recruiter lie or lead you astray? They are bound by regulation, law, and professionalism not to do so.And back to the real question: are they untrustworthy? They should not be. They may be. It depends. Like everything in life, caveat emptor, “look that gift horse in the mouth,” and ensure that you understand everything, and accept everything, before you sign the contract (or even get to that point…why waste time if you learn you can’t trust or understand or get what you want).You should understand EXACTLY:What job/MOS/NEC/rating/billet/etc. you are going to get. Or not get. Or “maybe” get, but only if X happens, Y doesn’t happen, you are selected by Z, and funding for that program isn’t cut that year…etc.Why it’s ok for the Service to NOT promise you a rose garden, and send you in with no guarantees whatsoever except for the length of your contract…AS LONG AS YOU KNOW THIS AND UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MEANS.How your physical, medical, moral, legal, mental waivers are being handled, and what it means to you if anything IS waived, and later there is a problem…say you need a waiver for smoking weed (92 times, you say), and for having used medication when you were younger for ADHD, and you had arthroscopic knee surgery because of a football injury. The recruiter sends up the paperwork, you get waivers, but in boot camp, at “The Moment of Truth” when they give you the “Last Chance” to tell them the truth before you commit a crime and your enlistment may become a “fraudulent enlistment,” you blurt out: “Oh no, I actually smoked weed 92 times EVERY WEEK FOR A YEAR, and I used Ritalin BUT I DIDN’T EVER ACTUALLY NEED IT AND I JUST MADE IT UP.” Hmm…that could be bad. But if you need a waiver — for anything whatsoever — you MUST understand everything about that waiver, how/why/when/where/how long/consequences, etc.How about your physical waiver, for the knee surgery? Still need to know all about it, even if it is completely legitimate. Because: perhaps you “reinjure” the same knee in training, or even years later. If the Service gave a waiver on the front-end, and later on you reinjure the same body part, THE SERVICE HAS “BOUGHT” THAT INJURY FOR VA PURPOSES FOR YOUR LIFETIME. It’s technically called “aggravation of a pre-service condition.” And here, your waiver is your true friend because it acknowledged you had a medical problem before you entered the Service…but you got a valid waiver, so now the medical issue is considered for all intents and purposes like you were never injured at all.And how this type of issue may affect your service: say your valid waiver for knee surgery was approved, everyone knows about it, you go to basic training, and then decide you want to go to Force Recon, or SEALS, or Rangers, etc. If you hurt that same body part again, what will it mean to your chances? Some Services will give “guaranteed contracts” for certain “High Demand, Low Density” (HD/LD) MOSs, like those above. But those “guarantees” can be legally broken by the Government if A, or B, or C, or other things happen. YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT THOSE THINGS ARE THAT CAN AFFECT YOUR “GUARANTEED” CONTRACT, WHETHER YOUR CONTRACT IS TO BE A TRUCK MECHANIC, INFANTRY, SEAL, SF MEDIC, PILOT, LAWYER, ETC., YOU NEED TO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT YOUR GUARANTEES.When you will ship to boot camp, and if that date can change. Including if you voluntarily ask to move it up, or back, in time, to Ship earlier or later.Extra goodies like bonuses, buddy programs, duty station preferences, early promotions, extra education benefits (GI Bill “Kickers”), college loan repayment plans, “constructive credit” as an officer for time spent in law school or certain medical programs that will get you promoted faster and paid more, etc. IT IS THE RECRUITERS JOB TO ANSWER ALL YOUR QUESTIONS, TRUTHFULLY. IT IS NOT HIS JOB TO EXPLAIN EVERY POSSIBLE SITUATION, SCENARIO, AND POSSIBILITY TO YOU.If you want to have multiple options, you have to ask multiple questions, and probably ask recruiters from multiple services, so you know what you want to know, what you should know, and even what you didn’t want to know but now find quite nice to know, like: “Wow, I didn’t know that since I smoked weed 92 times every week, I won’t be able to get a job that requires a Top Secret (probably even Secret for that matter…) security clearance, and a WHOLE LOT OF JOBS are now off the table for me, including things like all the Special Forces, high-speed type jobs, becoming an officer, etc.”You asked about the best path to become a Marine: enlist, officer, NROTC, reserves. Only you can determine the answer to that question. You have to sit down and ask yourself hard questions:What do I REALLY want out of this?How hard am I REALLY WILLING to work toward this?Do I want the USMC to pay for my college, or do I already have a college degree and just want to serve?Do I want to do this full-time, or just part-time as a reservist?What benefits are available for each option? Do I care about any of those today? How about if I have a family later, what different benefits would kick in then?If I make the wrong choice, and decide I don’t like what I’m doing, what options do I have to “get out of it”?Consider also:The USMC as an institution doesn’t really care about you as an individual.It cares about what you can contribute to the common mission, to national security, to the team around you, and will spend a large amount of $$$ and time to ensure you can contribute effectively…or weed you out, because slackers and non-hackers get people killed in war and in peace.The USMC wants you to want to be a Marine…it doesn’t want you if you don’t want to be there. (Not to say you can just walk away without consequences…however…once you sign the contract.)The USMC wants you to “give until it hurts.” And then give it more, until you have nothing left. And then, somehow, find even more to give it. (Even your life.)At that point, you have achieved something that very few people will ever do: be a US Marine, and you will know it.You may choose later to move on to other pastures, perhaps greener, perhaps not, but you will carry away something special inside.I recently went to both Navy and Army recruiters with my nephew, and talked on the phone with USMC and USCG recruiters. He was trying not to be ambushed, so he asked me as a retired officer who spoke “military” to come along. I slapped one my business cards down on the desk of each recruiter, just to ensure we didn’t enter “The Spin Zone.” And I told each of them just that: “no bull. I know who you are, where you work, and how to get hold of your regional recruiting Commander.”Amazingly, I found that these days, at least in my area, the Navy, USMC, and USCG will NOT guarantee most jobs. There are some in each service, like “Nukes” who become nuclear technicians in the Navy, SEALS in the Navy, Cooks in the USCG, etc., who can get guarantees…but in each case, there are a series of complex “what ifs” and “wherefores” and “but if this happens…” As long as the recruit knows these conditions, all is well. The problem comes when they DON’T know the “fine print.” (The Army would guarantee, for at least most jobs, but even then were of course conditions.)And this brings us back to Mr. Flies’ valid point: what matters is that you know what the contract you knowingly, voluntarily, and willfully signed contains, down to the fine print, the stuff they really don’t want you to know.(For example, most servicemembers do not receive a full explanation, or they have forgotten by the time they leave active duty, that your ‘ACTIVE DUTY’ service is only part of your initial 8 year Military Service Obligation (MSO). Virtually every military contract today will be for 8 years. If you sign up for 4 years of active duty, any part of the 8 years beginning on the day you sign that contract that IS NOT spent on active duty will be spent in the Reserves. The USMC and Army involuntarily recalled to active duty some thousands of Marines and Soldiers in the mid-2000’s during the Iraq war. Many of those Marines and Soldiers said, “But wait, I’m OUT. You can’t call me.” And the Government said, “But wait, it says right here in the fine print of your contract that ANY PORTION OF YOUR CONTRACTUAL 8 YEARS THAT IS NOT SPENT ON ACTIVE DUTY IS SPENT IN THE RESERVE COMPONENT. And that means that you are still in the Reserves, and you are still subject to recall to active duty in service of your Nation, and your Nation is now calling you. Gather up your uniforms and other stuff and report for duty at XXX no later than YYY…” For those who did not show up, and did not have a valid excuse as provided by law or policy, THEY WERE DROPPED TO DESERTION AND A FEDERAL ARREST WARRANT WAS ISSUED FOR THEIR NATION-WIDE ARREST, AND WHEN THEY WERE EVENTUALLY CONTACTED BY POLICE THEY WERE ARRESTED, SPENT TIME IN THE LOCAL POKEY WAITING FOR THE FEDERAL DESERTER SQUADS TO COME PICK THEM UP, THEN WENT TO THEIR SERVICE TO SPEND TIME IN THE BRIG/PRISON/ETC., WHILE AWAITING THEIR COURT-MARTIAL FOR DESERTION IN A TIME OF WAR. Yep, you need to know what is in your contract!)NOTE ADDED LATER: in the past, prior to about 1981 or so, many military contracts were for 6 years (any part spent NOT on active duty in the reserves). Although, it CAN by law waffle, and before it was 6 years, back 50 years ago, it was 8 years…today, unless someone has a special technical or scientific skill that is for some reason absolutely essential in the Armed Forces, you will only get the standard 8 year Military Service Obligation Contract (of which any part NOT spent on active duty is in the reserves).What that’s about not having an 8 year contract if you are a scientist? Well, within the limits of the law, the President or the Secretaries of Defense/Army/Navy/Air Force/Homeland Security (for USCG when not in time of war)/HHS (for the Public Health Service when not in time of war)/Commerce (for NOAA when not in time of war) have certain authorities to appoint people with those special skills or for some reason, to various grades (extremely rare these days, but let’s say a Nobel prize winning nuclear scientist wants to contribute to a revolutionary nuclear engineering project for the nation’s fleet of Ballistic Submarines…part of the nuclear Triad). So, to get them access they are appointed as an officer in the Navy, say as an O-6/Captain because of their extreme scientific skills...In the past, again, from the early 1980’s and back, females may have had different lengths of contracts. Unfair? Discriminatory? Or fortunate for those who wanted out? Who knows…they are all long past those contracts so it no longer matters.What about the portion of the contract AFTER you sign it, but BEFORE you ship off to basic training? Well, after you sign the contract and swear the Oath of Enlistment (or of Office if you appointed as an officer), you ARE a US Military Servicemember. Of course, you are probably in an untrained status, but you are technically in that portion of the Reserve Component called, “The Individual Ready Reserve.” Or IRR. Your specific DoD component code (used to categorize and track people) would show that you are in the “Delayed Entry Program.” Or DEP. In the USMC, these people are called “poolees” because they are in the “pool” of DEP’ers who are awaiting their ship date to boot camp. In the meantime, the recruiters (at least good recruiters) will run a “pool or DEP program,” whereby perhaps once a week, or on a weekend retreat, etc., they will invite their poolees to participate and learn and get prepared for boot camp. The USMC Service Ethos does NOT consider poolees as “Marines.” But, by law, they are IN THE MARINE CORPS because they signed a contract, and are classified in the IRR of the Reserve Component of the USMC. (Service Ethos says that you become a Marine when you complete boot camp or officer candidate school…but that’s not written in law or service regulation anywhere…it’s a long-standing tradition and custom.)Time spent in the DEP usually doesn’t count for pay or seniority or retirement credit, you won’t get paid even for DEP meetings, and the DEP time is not mandatory: you could, if there is a shipping date open, enlist by signing the contract and swearing that Oath, and shipping that very day to boot camp. But most people wait in the DEP for a period of time between a few days to an entire year. I was in the DEP for about 11.5 months. I asked to ship a month earlier (after graduating High School), but I was only given the extra couple of weeks rather than the entire year. It was based on availability of shipping dates and capacity at the boot camp, not really on my personal choice.So what about the DEP? Well, the real takeaway for most servicemembers is when they realize that every single day they spent in the DEP, after signing/swearing, COUNTS AS RESERVE SERVICE TOWARD FULFILLING THEIR 8 YEAR MILITARY SERVICE OBLIGATION! So a year in the DEP, ship off to active duty, complete 4 years of active duty, transition back to the reserves (usually back to the IRR where they are not obligated to do much of anything and don’t join reserve units), and THEN ONLY HAVE 3 YEARS REMAINING OF THEIR 8 YEAR CONTRACT…BECAUSE THEY ALREADY SERVED ONE YEAR IN THE RESERVES (IN THE DEP), AND 4 YEARS ON ACTIVE DUTY.What about officers? Are they put into the DEP if they swear in/contract, but haven’t been called to active duty? Technically, they are in the DEP, but nobody calls it that for “candidate officers” because they use a different pipeline to get to their commission as an officer. But the concept is the same: once you sign a contract/swear the Oath, YOU ARE IN THE MILITARY SERVICE, AND YOUR TIME COUNTS TOWARD YOUR 8 YEAR MSO, AND PROBABLY FOR NOTHING ELSE.An exception would be officers in special accession programs like law, medical, dental, or chaplaincy. These officers might actually get “constructive credit” (mentioned above) for their time in their DEP. Say the person wants to be a Marine officer, they just graduated from college but have been accepted to law school. They go to the Marine Officer Selection Officer (the OSO, who is the USMC Officer recruiter), and obtain a “guaranteed law contract.” They sign the contract, and swear the Oath of Enlistment, and bingo: they are in the DEP and will remain there until their law school is finished. Or they may go to OCS right away, say the summer between college graduation and start of law school, and finish. Then they could be commissioned on the spot, appointed as officers, and return to their law studies BUT ACTUALLY BE IN A FULL OFFICER STATUS, JUST IN A DIFFERENT PART OF THE IRR. THOSE OFFICERS OFTEN WILL GO ON ACTIVE DUTY DURING PART OF EACH SUMMER BETWEEN YEARS AT LAW SCHOOL, AND GO TO LEGAL OFFICES AT VARIOUS USMC BASES TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR NEW CAREER.If in the DEP, remember, no credit toward pay/seniority/retirement, but does credit for the MSO. (Except for those with “constructive credit” contracts.)If commissioned, an officer is no longer in the DEP, and from that point on (including their active duty Officer Candidate School (OCS) time), they DO earn credit for pay/seniority/retirement, as well as toward their 8 year MSO.I mentioned an officer candidate will swear the Oath of Enlistment. Well, yes. Of course he will because only if the President has tendered a commission (or a warrant for a newly appointed WO1 warrant officer), and the officer accepts the commission, will the officer swear the Oath of Office. It’s different than the Oath of Enlistment, although both bind the servicemember to serve the Constitution. So an officer candidate contracts/swears the Oath of Enlistment…spend a few days/months/even years working on their medical or legal or whatever program. Once they are Commissioned, they swear the Oath of Office…AND FOR MOST OFFICERS THEY WILL HAVE A BRAND NEW 8 YEAR CONTRACT AND A NEW 8 YEAR MSO AND ALL THEIR PRIOR TIME WILL NOT COUNT TOWARD THAT NEW 8 YEAR MSO. IT’S JUST THE WAY IT WORKS…SORRY, CHARLIE.BUT, if they had a special contract that granted them “constructive credit,” then when they are finally commissioned and enter active duty (or their mandatory reserve participation status if that’s their contract), they will be granted credit for pay purposes, grade and rank seniority, and perhaps other things that assist them. The purpose of “constructive service” is of course an incentive for highly skilled professionals who put many years of study into medical, legal, chaplaincy, etc., to join the military. When they get commissioned, they essentially get all that credit from the time they signed their contracts, and it usually results in not only a LOT more basic pay, but also a starting grade either 1 or 2 grades above most other officers. Usually O-2 or even O-3, and perhaps a lot of seniority (rank) within that grade, so they will be considered for promotion within their specialty even faster.What about Service Academy Cadets (Army/USAF/USCG), or Midshipmen (Navy/Marine/Merchant Marine)? Well, they are contracted and swear the Oath of Enlistment for an 8 year contract, just like other poolees, but their contracts specify they are to serve in their Service Academy in a program leading to a commission, and then a follow on period of either active duty or reserve duty (as the contract may specify), of a total of 8 years (any part NOT spent on active duty will be spent in the Reserve Component). When these fine young people are commissioned, they will swear the Oath of Office, and get a new contract whereby their 8 year MSO starts over. Their Service Academy time will not count for pay, seniority, etc. But they got a world-class education for free, and got paid over $1000/month while there, and got training that makes them good young leaders.And ROTC Cadets/Midshipmen? Similar to Service Academy, they sign a contract for 8 years, swear the Oath of Enlistment, do their thing for ROTC, and upon graduation will be commissioned in their Service. Their ROTC time will not count for anything except good memories and the training it provided. When commissioned, they sign a new 8 year MSO contract, and swear the Oath of Office.And for warrant officers? The Army is the only service that accepts new warrant officers without prior service in their own service. The Army has the “High School to Flight School” program, whereby a qualified person can contract with the Army for a guaranteed flight contract, and if they finish all the training, they will be winged as an Army Aviator and prepared to fly helicopters even at the ripe age of about 20–21. And wearing the bar of a Warrant Officer-1.Only the Army and USMC have Warrant Officer-1. USN, USCG don’t use it; they start their own warrant officers at Chief Warrant Officer-2. The USAF doesn’t have ANY warrant officers. They did away with making new ones back in about 1960 or so; a few lingered on until the early 1990’s, when the last one retired.The difference between WO1 and CWO2? WO1 is a pay grade that requires an “appointment.” For appointment to warrant officer (W-1), a warrant is approved by the Service Secretary of the respective branch of service (Secretary of the Army, or Secretary of the Navy for USMC warrant officers), while chief warrant officers (W-2 to W-5) are commissioned by the President of the United States. Both warrant officers and chief warrant officers take the same Oath of Office as regular commissioned officers (O-1 to O-10).For most purposes, there is no difference between a “warrant” and a “commission.” So the Services generally treat WO1 as a normal officer grade, giving the usual customs and courtesies due such an officer. The primary (and only rarely exposed) difference is in the legal world: since a WO1 doesn’t have a commission (CWO2 and up to O-10), if you strike them, you are not striking a commissioned officer. Likewise, if you disobey them, again, you are not disobeying a commissioned officer. These are still offenses against the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), but use different charges and may result in different punishments. And a WO1 can be punished with a Dishonorable Discharge by a General Court-Martial, if they have done something egregiously wrong, whereas a commissioned officer can only be Dismissed. Same result… A fine, legal hair to be split? Yes, but occasionally it is necessary to know these things…