Writing NCOER bullets for a 68W Combat Medic isn't just a paperwork exercise — it's a chance to capture the real impact of a Soldier who keeps others alive and mission-ready. The problem is that most medic bullets end up reading like a duty description instead of a performance record. Here's how to fix that.
Why 68W Bullets Are Different
The 68W MOS spans a wide range of duties — from sick call and sick call screening to trauma response, preventive medicine, and medical readiness management. That variety is actually an advantage when writing NCOER bullets, because there's no shortage of measurable outcomes. The challenge is specificity. Vague bullets like "provided quality medical care to Soldiers" tell a board nothing. Your goal is to show what this Soldier did, how much of it, and what it meant for the unit.
What Strong 68W NCOER Bullets Look Like
Strong bullets follow a simple formula: Action + Scope/Scale + Impact. Every bullet should answer the question: "So what?" Here are the attributes to focus on for a 68W and how to turn them into bullets:
- Medical readiness: Track numbers — MEDPROS readiness rates, Soldier records updated, physicals completed. Boards respond to percentages and results.
- Training and certification: First Aid trainer reps, TCCC instruction hours, CPR certifications maintained — these show initiative beyond sick call.
- Mission support: Number of range days covered, deployments, field exercises, or combat operations where this medic provided direct support. Include patient numbers or incident counts where available.
- Leadership and development: If the medic trained other Soldiers or mentored junior 68Ws, capture it — this shows potential for promotion.
Example 68W NCOER Bullets
Here's what the difference between a weak bullet and a strong one looks like in practice:
STRONG: Provided primary medical coverage for 14 consecutive field training days; treated 23 Soldiers for heat injuries, lacerations, and musculoskeletal complaints with zero medical evacuations
WEAK: Trained Soldiers on first aid techniques
STRONG: Trained 64 Soldiers on Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) fundamentals; 100% of assigned personnel achieved passing scores on practical exercises prior to deployment
STRONG: Maintained unit MEDPROS readiness at 97% for 12 consecutive months; identified and resolved 11 overdue immunization and physical exam records before annual readiness inspection
Notice how each strong bullet answers the "so what" — scope (how many Soldiers, how long), outcome (zero evacuations, 100% pass rate, 97% readiness), and implied competence. The rater doesn't have to fill in the blanks.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The most common error is writing bullets in passive voice or duty-description language: "was responsible for," "assisted with," "helped to maintain." These phrases bury the Soldier's actual contribution. Always start with a strong action verb — maintained, trained, treated, coordinated, established, reduced. A second mistake is leaving numbers out entirely. If your medic saw 300 patients this year, say so. If MEDPROS readiness jumped from 82% to 96% under their watch, put it in the bullet. A third trap is writing the same bullet template for every medic in the section — boards can tell, and it dilutes everyone's record.
Final Thoughts
A well-written NCOER is one of the most important things you can do for a 68W Combat Medic's career. Take the time to capture real numbers and real outcomes — not just duties performed. If you need help generating bullets quickly or want to see more 68W-specific examples, NCO Kit's free NCOER bullet builder can help you build polished, promotion-ready bullets in seconds.