Can Irish Nationals join the Royal Army Medical Corps?

McGrath97

Hello lads!
I've recently left secondary school and am near the end of a healthcare PLC course (which I'm not very fond of). I'm hoping to eventually become a combat medical technician in the British army. My question is, is it possible for an Irish National to do so?. I've already had my assessment and interviews for this role and initially I was told I would have to live in the UK for six months, than I was told by a different recruiter I would have to live there for 3 years, now I'm being told I can't join as a medic full stop.

If any Irishmen or women who has been in the Royal medical corps or has known someone in the medical corps any information would be greatly appreciated. Also considering the fact I applied for the RAF medic role and they had no problem with my nationality makes me suspicious about my recruiters in the army. I feel like they just want me to join infantry.

Again any info would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.

Also I forgot to mention if I haved to live in the UK for 3 years I will be joining the Irish guards for those 3 or 4 years while I'm waiting.

pablomakaveli

One of the lads I was in Phase 1 training with was Irish and was joining the RAMC so unless somethings changed in the last few years you should be able to. The only roles Irish people cant join are the ones with high security clearance levels so stuff like the Int Corps or Sigs Corps. I cant imagine you need that for being a medic.

Recruiters can bull**** you sometimes so best get a second opinion if you can. Other than that the only other reason i can think of is ifs somethings been flagged up in your background check but if they're still letting you join thats unlikely.

discus

McGrath97 wrote: »

I feel like they just want me to join infantry.

Which they probably do. Don't let the sway you, and for the love of god, don't join the RAMC. Join the RAF. The BA is not in a great place right now, the RAF are getting the resources these days. If I could do it all again, I may even have gone RAF.

McGrath97

Thanks for the reply!. I've had a few people telling me to pick RAF instead of army, and while I'm aware it is a better job I hear it can be boring. At the moment I'm still deciding wether I should go army or raf, I know it's strange but I want to see combat and I don't think I will if I go RAF

McGrath97

Thanks for the reply!
It's interesting that you came across an Irishman going for the Ramc, I too came across an older Irish women as a nurse in the Ramc, this makes me even more suspicious about my recruiters telling me I can't join at all. But even if I can I'll probably still haved to live over in the UK before I do so.

Again thanks for the reply!

Edward Hopper

McGrath97 wrote: »

Thanks for the reply!
It's interesting that you came across an Irishman going for the Ramc, I too came across an older Irish women as a nurse in the Ramc, this makes me even more suspicious about my recruiters telling me I can't join at all. But even if I can I'll probably still haved to live over in the UK before I do so.

Again thanks for the reply!

Not too many nurses in RAMC, they are usually in QARANC. Well they used to be, maybe it's changed.

tac foley

Just as I was leaving the Army, our new doc was from Killaloe, and both the senior physiotherapist and practice nurse [one male one, female] were from the Dublin area.

My own unit Chief Clerk was a Kerry man. His wife was from the Donegal Gaeltacht, and was a total scream.

Go for it, lots of others have, and good luck to you.

tac

McGrath97

Do you know if they lived in the UK prior to joining the medical corps?

tac foley

The doc had gone to a London medical school before joining the British Army, but his was a historical thing - ALL his male family had been doctors in the British Army since the Boer War days. His great-grandfather had been highly-decorated in WW1 for his efforts at Gallipoli.

As for the other Irishmen and women, I have no idea.

Sorry.

tac

source

Op according to RAF.mod.uk Irish nationals can join but have to be resident in the UK for 5 years. If you don't meet the residency criteria they apparently look at other criteria.

Edit: the position of RAF medic was chosen to get to the page in my screenshot.

McGrath97

She probably is in the QARANC I assumed since she was a nurse in the British army that she was in the Ramc.

discus

McGrath97 wrote: »

Thanks for the reply!. I've had a few people telling me to pick RAF instead of army, and while I'm aware it is a better job I hear it can be boring. At the moment I'm still deciding wether I should go army or raf, I know it's strange but I want to see combat and I don't think I will if I go RAF

Listen to what people are telling you. If you want to see combat, join the Infantry. Read the press releases, watch Forces TV - The only people going overseas are RAF and infantry regiments. I know plenty who joined RAMC as medics. Medics do mundane **** like run hearing tests, act as receptionist in base medical facilities and run training days. They don't spend time dodging bullets. If they go on patrol, they are not out in front with the boys.

If you want an idea of how much ****ing around happens in the army, look at your current experience of the recruitment centre - they aren't even progressing your application, they are getting basic enlistment details wrong and they are putting you off joining.

And off I go.

McGrath97

Really?, I thought combat medics accompanied infantry out in combat?

pablomakaveli

McGrath97 wrote: »

Really?, I thought combat medics accompanied infantry out in combat?

They do on deployment though they're not going to be actually engaging the enemy because thats not they're job its the infantrys.

However given herrick has finished youre probably going to be stuck working in a med centre in some camp in the UK. If your lucky you might get a posting to Cyprus or somewhere like that but doing much the same thing nonetheless. Cant see anything of the scale of herrick or telic happening anytime soon.

You have to remember that 90% of what you do in the army will be mundane stuff.

tac foley

95% boredom and 5% sheer terror.

tac