Also called: Army 68W with F2 identifier, Critical Care Flight Paramedic
Combat medic certified as a paramedic who treats patients in the back of medevac helicopters.
Flight medics hoist injured soldiers into Black Hawks, then manage airways, bleeding, and IV drugs while the aircraft races to a hospital. They also serve as aircrew, scanning for obstacles. Civilian air ambulance companies hire them as flight paramedics.
RMC (base pay + housing/food allowances + tax advantage) for typical E-1 to E-7 ranks, 2026 estimate, plus the special-duty, hazardous-duty, or skill pays this specialty usually earns. Enlistment/reenlistment bonuses for this field can be $10k-$50k+.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 1.5 years after high school. Combat medic training plus the Army's ~9-month Critical Care Flight Paramedic Program. Free-college benefits: Tuition Assistance (up to $4,500/yr) while serving, the Post-9/11 GI Bill (36 months of tuition + housing stipend) afterward, and SkillBridge internships before separating.
Ways in: Military, On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Paramedicine, Nursing.
Growing about average. Military specialties are not in BLS projections. The services recruit for this job every year and openings track force size and retention rather than market growth.
Low risk for 10 years. Monitors and telemedicine improve; hoisting and treating patients in a helicopter stays human.
Classes: Anatomy & physiology, Biology, PE / strength training.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.