Health Services Technician
Provide medical and dental care to Coast Guard members and families.
Job Overview
HSs are the medics of the Coast Guard.
Health Services Technicians perform patient care, emergency medicine, and clinic administration afloat and ashore.
History & Deep Dive
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Daily Responsibilities
- Patient care
- Emergency response
- Immunizations
- Clinic administration
- Deployed medicine
Training Pipeline
- 1Basic Training8 weeks
- 2HS A SchoolPetaluma, CA · ~22 weeks
Official Qualification Requirements
Requirements being verified against the official service publication. We do not display unofficial or estimated scores — contact a recruiter for the current minimum.
SECRET
Requirements are subject to change by the Department of Defense and each service. Always confirm the current standard with an official recruiter before making a decision.
Not required. The Coast Guard enlists lawful permanent residents; its "Pathway to Citizenship" program lets Green Card holders seek expedited naturalization while serving. Sources: gocoastguard.com, mycg.uscg.mil. Citizens of the Freely Associated States (Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Palau) may also enlist under 10 U.S.C. 504. Verified August 2026 against the official branch site, 10 U.S.C. 504, and AR 601-210 (20 March 2026).
Video Library
Career Progression
Independent Duty Corpsman, clinic chief.
Assignments & Special Schools
- Petaluma, CA
- Alameda, CA
- Miami, FL
- Kodiak, AK
Deployment: Cutter deployments; mostly domestic assignments.
Advantages
- Strong medical pathway
- Family-friendly stations
- GI Bill for nursing
Disadvantages
- Cutter rotations
- On-call schedules