What civilian jobs fit an Army 68W Combat Medic?
The Department of Labor's military crosswalk maps Army 68W Combat Medic Specialist to Paramedics, a real civilian occupation, so Career Backstory's free lookup gives the same answer. Tick “I led a team” and it adds Medical and Health Services Managers and Training and Development Specialists. Treat these as a starting point: working as a civilian paramedic takes state certification, and what you did in uniform is what gets you hired.
What the lookup shows for a 68W
This is what the free veterans lookup returns for Army 68W, as it stands on the date above. The government's answer is shown as it is, next to ours.
| Government crosswalk | Our match |
|---|---|
| Paramedics (29-2043.00) | Paramedics (29-2043.00) |
The codes are O*NET-SOC occupation codes.
Our rule is simple. When the crosswalk names real civilian jobs, as it does here, our match is the crosswalk's. We add our own only when it stops at a military-only category or a catch-all, as it does for an 11B or 0311 infantryman. No AI picks anything, and nothing about you is stored.
If you led a team
Tick “I led a team” in the lookup and it adds the roles a leader also fits. For a 68W those are Medical and Health Services Managers and Training and Development Specialists. A senior medic who ran an aid station, supervised other medics or trained soldiers in combat lifesaving has done the kind of work both describe.
What it takes to work as a civilian paramedic
The title is a match, not a license. Working as a paramedic in a civilian job needs state certification or licensure, and paramedic is a level above the EMT certification many medics already hold. Check your state's requirements, and what credit your military training earns toward them, before you apply.
A title is a starting point
A specialty code tells an employer what you were trained for. It says nothing about what you did: the casualties you treated, the aid station you ran, the soldiers you trained, the supplies you kept stocked. Those are what open health jobs beyond this one, and they are what a hiring manager reads. Write them down in plain civilian words, with numbers where you have them.
Common questions
What is the civilian equivalent of an Army 68W?
The Department of Labor's crosswalk maps 68W Combat Medic Specialist to Paramedics, a real civilian occupation. Career Backstory's free lookup uses the same answer.
Why is your match the same as the government's?
Because the crosswalk names a real civilian job. Our rule is to use the government's answer whenever it does, and to offer our own only when it stops at a military-only category or a catch-all.
What does “I led a team” add for a 68W?
It adds Medical and Health Services Managers and Training and Development Specialists.
Can I work as a paramedic as soon as I leave the Army?
Not on the title alone. Working as a civilian paramedic needs state certification or licensure, and paramedic is a level above the EMT certification many medics already hold. Check your state's requirements.
Do I need to share my DD-214?
No. The lookup asks only for the specialty code in block 11 of your DD-214. Never upload or share the form itself: it carries your Social Security number.
Look up your own code
The veterans lookup is free, needs no sign-up and stores nothing about you. Enter your branch and the code from block 11 of your DD-214 to see the government's answer next to ours. When you are ready to turn what you did into a resume, Free Start builds your career library from your current resume at no cost, military service included.
Look up your codeThis page is general guidance about military-to-civilian job matches. It is not career advice for your situation. It includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. “Our match” is Career Backstory's own and is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.