How To Become A Corpsman: What It Is and Career Path

What is a corpsman and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a corpsman. For example, did you know that they make an average of $25.59 an hour? That's $53,217 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 9% and produce 137,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreCorpsmanUS Average

Salary

4.2

Avg. Salary $53,217

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.5

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.94%

Asian 6.94%

Black or African American 9.75%

Hispanic or Latino 18.40%

Unknown 5.01%

White 58.96%

Gender

female 20.37%

male 79.63%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

8.5

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

10.0

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a corpsman

Explore corpsman education requirements

Most common corpsman degrees

Bachelor's

39.2 %

High School Diploma

24.0 %

Associate

22.9 %

Start to develop specific corpsman skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	19.43%
Vital Signs	7.45%
Clinical Laboratory Tests	5.78%
Direct Patient Care	5.74%
IV	4.99%

Complete relevant corpsman training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New corpsmen learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a corpsman based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real corpsman resumes.

Gain additional corpsman certifications

Corpsman certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific corpsman certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for corpsmen include Basic Life Support for Healthcare and Public Safety (BLS) and Medical Assistant.

More About Certifications

Research corpsman duties and responsibilities

Supervise patients' scheduling and screenings at the reception desk while managing all records to validate administrative accuracy and accountability.
Operate medical equipment to include EKG, a, BP cuffs, suction devices, and O2 tanks.
Perform many duties that include administering immunizations and phlebotomy, as well as performing annual examinations for sailors who are deployed.
Coordinate EMT training and scheduling.

Prepare your corpsman resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your corpsman resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a corpsman resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable corpsman resume templates

Build a professional corpsman resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your corpsman resume.