I am a 68K with a research identifier P9. You should make sure that you really want to be a medical lab. specialist. School is long with lots of studying, and if you later decide that is not for you and quit, then you will have your contract set for the needs of the Army. You can be reclass to any Army job for the entire period of your contract, and lose your bonus/GI bill, etc. The deployment varies, and I know people in research that barely deploy (P9 identifier), and I know some people that deployed once in the last 3-4 years. It basically depends on what kind of unit you are send after AIT. Promotion is difficult after the Sergeant rank.
I'm not trying to take over this thread, but I had a question about the P9. I have a BS and very much want to do research. Was the P9 hard to get? How do you ask for it? What should I bring to AIT? Sorry about all the questions, but my recruiter doesn't know anything and any info would be wonderful.
My BS was in biology with an emphasis on microbiology and molecular. I asked my recruiter about OCS, but he said that the chances of me actually seeing a lab are nil without a master's degree. I figured the 68KP9 was the next best thing, but my recruiter keeps getting that blank stare every time I ask. Thanks for the reply!
