Janet Fraiser's rank

[neiths_arrow]

Is it true that Janet Fraiser would have come in as a Captain because she is an MD?

Also, could she be in the military early on, leave, and then come back? I'm trying to account for a gap in service.

I'm signed up for a Janet fic and want to verify my facts.

This site is awesome BTW. Though I work near an AFB, I can't exactly ask these questions. My guess is that they all know who Janet Fraiser is, though. (g)

Comments

[fanofall]

Professionals (doctors, lawyers) who come in to the service start as an O-3 (Captain) in the Air Force, once they've graduated OTS (Officer Training School) and completed all the required tests and certifications.

She could, theoretically, have left the service and then reentered later. In real life, it probably doesn't happen, but that's not to say it couldn't.

[neiths_arrow]

How long is OTS? Since she was born in 1965, it doesn't give us a lot of time to graduate HS, get a medical degree, get an advanced medical degree, and get experience enough to warrant this high-responsibility position. I'm hoping we can make a Janet career timeline. I'll research the medical front later this evening.

[fanofall]

After graduating from high school, she would have needed to complete a bachelor's degree somewhere in some pre-med major. Medical school would be four years (two in class and two in rotation) and OTS is three months.

FYI, to give you my credentials, I'm former military and a lawyer, which has the same kind of entry rank and requirements (bachelor's degree, then professional school) as a doctor.

[neiths_arrow]

Thank you fanofall. That really helps.

So far, we have:
1965 - Born
1983 - Graduated HS at age 18 (assuming she was born at the beginning of the year)
1987 - Bachelors degree
1991 - Medical degree
???? - Officer Training School - She could have gone anytime after earning her Bachelors, but I'm assuming she would have waited until earning her MD. That way she would have come in as a Captain.
1997 - Assigned to the SGC as a Captain.
Her divorce would have taken place sometime before 1997 as well.

Also, I'm thinking that she would have gone beyond what a usual doctor would have done - in the same way that an ophthalmologist or psychiatrist has more than 4 years of medical schooling. She might have done another rotation in a specialty.

Of course, Janet might have been military before she went to medical school. In that case, my timeline is completely wrong. These gaps are what fanfiction is all about. (g)