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.

[ivorygates]

This one I need to research. My gut instinct tells me you're right: the doctors drafted to work in Korea came in as Captains (instead of as Lieutenants) for precisely this reason: their MDs. But that was wartime, the draft, and the Army, of course.

Since we see Janet enter the SGC as a Captain, yet she's obviously somebody with enough mojo to be the CMO of a top sekrit MajCom facility, my guess is that she was Out and in civilian life and the USAF pulled her back in for the SGC. They'd have the option of doing so at the rank of her separation (like Jack, the eternal Colonel).

This would fit in with what little we have on her background from "Hathor" -- divorced and entered the Air Force after her divorce. We can presume therefore that the USAF may well have paid for medical school.

Yeah okay, rambling. I'll do some research on that Captaincy thing and get back to you...

[neiths_arrow]

For those interested in military compensation for MD education, I found a very informative link. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to paste the link here, so ask and I will send it to you.