News Files:Academy
From Star Trek: Gamma One
In the case of any discrepancy between the news files on the game and those here on the wiki, the news files on the game are correct version.
It should be remembered that all commissioned Starfleet officers of the current generation have attended Starfleet Academy. This was not always so -- even up until the mid-to-late 2200s it was possible to meet officers such as Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy who had not attended 'the Academy' and were instead enrolled into Starfleet's ranks via a direct commissioning program that relied on their skillsets and aptitude for leadership. This, however, is no longer the case.
With only the exception of SACOM (medical), the SFA program is 4 years long. Approximately three-and-one-half of these years, give or take a few months depending on elective studies and extracirricular activities, will take place 'at the Academy', by which is meant either the main Starfleet Academy campus in San Francisco on Earth, or a satellite campus. By tradition, all first year training, takes place at this main San Francisco campus, and about ninety-five percent of the second-year training. In the third year, it is possible for a cadet to be sent to a satellite campus; there are not many of these, and players who are writing character backgrounds should not assume they can make up the location of one willy-nilly.
During the fourth and final year, about six months in, a Cadet's formal academic coursework is deemed complete and he or she is sent out 'into the field' for the so-called 'Cadet Cruise.'
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Year One
As strongly implied in 'news academy', there is a very real breakdown to the average cadet's years at Starfleet Academy. The breakdown can be assumed roughly as follows:
First year: Cadet learns basic professional skills such as marksmanship, leadership, Federation history, Starfleet regulations, and some (in game terms) use the skills common to most or all Starfleet Officer overlays such as shuttlecraft piloting, generic 'console-jockeying', wilderness survival, and general fitness. Cadets who do not have strong language skills in Federation Standard take supplemental language and literature courses at this time. Cadets are rarely, if ever, permitted to deviate from a basic regimen of common core skillsets, though some elective variation is permitted in the expression of those skillsets. At the end of the first year, the cadet is permitted to declare a major branch curriculum (Command, Security, Operations, Engineering, Science, Medical) as well as a concentration within that curriculum, but is not required to do so unless he or she desires application to Starfleet Academy's College of Medicine. It should be remembered that during this time, the Cadet is watched rigorously by professional trainers, physicians, and counselors -- if the Cadet has some hideous flaw of character, some kind of mental illness or psychosocial issue of concern, it is usually noted at this time, and if not, there had better be a darned good reason for the failure.
Year Two
Cadet continues with those basic skills that were not nailed down during the first year, and begins branching into a major and a concentration if he or she so desires. If the Cadet has declared a major in either general medicine or psychiatry (to become a Counselor who is also an M.D.), then the first semester of this year will be spent taking basic non-medical bioscience and/or physical science classes to determine aptitude to enroll at SACOM. If the cadet has not declared a major, he or she is allowed to use the second semester of the second year to indulge in a few electives; if the cadet has declared a major, he or she uses the second semester of the second year to get a head start on that major. In such cases where a major or concentration is declared in a subject where a cadet already has a pre-Academy background, and an SFA Annex exists which specializes in that subject, it is possible to get posted to an Annex early, while still a second-year Cadet; it is very rare, however, and is usually a mark of distinction that should be reflected in the character's Merits and background. In either case, a major must be declared by the end of the second year. This is usually the first year a Cadet will be allowed to participate in competitive or high-profile extracurricular activities, and is usually the first year a Cadet takes up any minor leadership positions such as Squadron Clerk or Armorer, within the Corps of Cadets.
Year Three
The cadet moves almost completely away from a general core curriculum into a highly specialized one. The first semester begins an intensive fifteen to twenty months, depending on the specifics of the study, of immersion in a chosen branch, and perhaps a specific sub-field within that branch. Some advanced classes in a general core curriculum are still possible, but should be reflected by a PC having more than default levels in a common Academy skill, reflecting 'junior or senior level coursework' in law, or administration, or history, etc. For the most part, this is the year that a PC engineer studies 'applied matter-energy conversion physics' or 'advanced metallurgical chemistry,' while a PC security officer might study 'Single-squad infantry tactics' or 'Criminal forensics,' for example. These will, for the most part, be specialized classes in specialized subjects at the basic to intermediate (not yet truly advanced) level. Special projects, and short-term visits to special Annexes can take place during this time, but are still rare. Leadership development continues with the opportunity to take up more senior-level duties within the Corps of Cadets; a third-year cadet often is expected to take entire dorm floors of first and second year cadets on as 'subordinates.'
Fourth Year: By now, the cadet is truly learning advanced subjects and sub-fields within his or her chosen field. He or she is also permitted to take up the highest level leadership positions within the Corps of Cadets. This only lasts for six to nine months, however, before the Cadet is moved into the Cadet Cruise phase of his or her training.
Cadet Cruise
The Cadet Cruise is the period of six months to a year, give or take a few weeks for transit time and paperwork processing, that a Cadet spends 'spaceside,' away from Starfleet Academy's main or annex campuses, to learn in the field. During the Cadet Cruise, a cadet receives hands-on opportunities to do live work at a console or station, handle emergency alerts and drills, command enlisted crew, and so forth. It is, effectively, an extended 'final exam' before a Cadet is permitted to graduate from Starfleet Academy and accept an Ensign's commission in Starfleet. At least one, and possibly more than one, officer in the chain of command of their temporary post will be assigned to watch over, inspect, and proctor the field education of cadets on their cruises. Cadets who cannot handle the stresses of field work, or rely too much on the excuse of their youth and inexperience to make or cause trouble, can be flunked for disciplinary reasons at this time, even if they are academically brilliant. In short, the standards of behavior do not relax here.
At the end of the cruise, the cadet, if he or she passes, has a recommendation sent to the Commandant of Cadets from the senior command staff of their assigned cruise posting, requesting that they be listed as graduates, awarded their pended degree, and sworn in as commissioned officers of Starfleet. Usually, the local officers on the cruise posting are the ones who then are granted permission to proctor the oath of service:
"I, <insert name here>, do solemnly swear: to support and defend the Constitution of the United Federation of Planets and the charter of its Starfleet; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take up this obligation freely, and without reservation; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of my commission as a Starfleet Officer, and of the subsequent offices which I will enter through that commission."
Starfleet Academy College of Medicine
As noted earlier, individuals who want to serve Starfleet with an 'M.D.' degree under their belts attend the Starfleet Academy College of Medicine. Effectively, they transfer into SACOM after their second full year at the Academy, i.e., after the end of their general professional officer's training as well as some basic work in the preparatory sciences.
At that point, SACOM cadets attend their specialized education center for four more years -- making the program six years instead of four, from matriculation at SFA until the Cadet Cruise. All four years are spent learning mostly medicine or related biosciences, with some elective leeway allowed, but not much. At the end of this time, they serve a six month cadet cruise as a medical corpsman, and then if successful are commissioned as an Ensign, awarded their undergraduate credentials as Bachelors of Medical Science, and then assigned for a two year internship/residency, making their total education commitment eight and a half years, instead of the four to four and a half years expected of a non-Medical Officer.
At the end of this two year internship and residency, a doctor is promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade and awarded the Medical Doctor degree. Only at this point is the doctor capable of treating or prescribing to patients without the day to day supervision of an attending physician.
Note that Counselors who wish to dual-track as M.D.s, usually with a specialization in Psychiatry, undergo this same regimen; in this case, their six month cadet cruise is usually spent as a psychiatric 'nurse,' and their two year internship and residency as a junior or assistant counselor. Non-M.D. Counselors undergo the usual four-to-four-and-a-half-year track.
It should be noted that Psychiatrists train as Medical Interns and Residents, not Counseling Interns, regardless of whether they intend to fill a final billet as a Medical Doctor or a Counselor. This is because they are Medical Doctors who specialize in psychiatry, not Counseling Officers with medical skills. This is an important distinction. This is mostly important to remember for writing backgrounds and SRs, but can be very important for individuals who wish to come in as Medical Branch cadets or ensigns with an eventual goal of being an M.D.-trained Psychiatric Counselor. These cadets will have to fill a Nurse billet first, for their cadet cruise, then a two year Medical Residency, and then, as LTJGs, simply move into a Counseling Officer or Ship's Counselor billet rather than a Medical Officer billet.
See Also
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