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Welcome
Welcome to the Army Medical Department (AMEDD), and congratulations on your commission! The Basic Officer Leaders Course Branch trains initial entry AMEDD officers who are agile, competent, professional and able to lead in any operational environment. We produce leaders for our Nation and believe that our responsibility is to the American People and the Constitution of the United States of America. We are responsible to and entrusted by Mothers and Fathers of this nation to fully prepare and train their sons and daughters to become competent Soldiers and Leaders. |
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Announcements
The Basic Officer Leader Course (BOLC) is conducted by two organizations - Alpha Company, 187th Medical Battalion, 32d Medical Brigade and the Leader Development Branch, Leader Training Center, Academy of Health Sciences. Alpha Company performs and is responsible for all administrative actions (in-processing, lodging, ID cards, pay, etc.). The Leader Development Branch conducts and is responsible for all training requirements and academic issues.
Computer resources are limited at Fort Sam Houston and students that have personal computers are highly encouraged to bring it with them to BOLC, for use in their quarters. Additionally, students will be issued course material (on CD) that they will be required to read, study, and learn, while they are attending the course.
Due to ongoing uniform shortages at Fort Sam Houston, students are strongly recommended to make arrangements for uniforms prior to arriving at the BOLC course.
Direct Commission Officers that are new to the U.S. Army Medical Department should visit the U.S. Army`s FutureSoldiers website. It is packed full of useful information that should assist future students in beginning their transition into army life.
Chaplain services are conducted on a weekly basis during BOLC`s Field Training Exercise (FTX).
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Instructions
Click on each of the links to the right, under the content and resources tabs, to review the pertinent class information for the course.
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General Information
This course is designed to instruct students on the basics of being an Army and Army Medical Department (AMEDD) officer. It will assist the student in making their transition into the Army a smooth one. This course will provide the student with an increased understanding of the U.S. Army, its various missions and most importantly, how to contribute to the success of those missions. Students will be assigned to Alpha Company, 187th Medical Battalion for the duration of their Basic Officer Leaders Course (BOLC) training. The student`s focus here at the AMEDD Center & School should be discipline, teamwork, basic soldier skills, tactical medical doctrine, and learning the principles behind becoming an effective, agile leader.
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Reserve Component Information
Any student attending BOLC-B (RC) Phase 2, must hand-carry their DA Form 705, Army Physical Fitness Test Scorecard. The DA Form 705 must show a passing score and be current within the past six months.
If a student does not arrive witli a current DA Form 705, he/she will be required to take a record APFT. Any USAR or ARNG student who does not have a passing record APFT score prior to graduation will be processed from the course for failure to meet graduation requirements and returned to their parent unit. The student will be required to submit a personnel action requesting constructive credit through their Human Resource Command once they pass their record APFT.
All Reserve Component students are instructed to read and comply with the DA Form 705 Requirement for BOLC Reserve Component Students memorandum, which can be downloaded and viewed by clicking on the RC APFT Requirement link, located in the resources section of our site.
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Reporting Information
Students must report to Building 592, 2350 Dickman Road, Fort Sam Houston, Texas 78234, (210) 357-2705, no later than 1600hrs on your report date. Upon check-in, students will be provided instructions pertaining to the in-processing time, location and uniform for that day. It is highly recommended that students arrive early on their report date in order to begin in-processing and get settled into lodging. Class begins very early the following morning.
Students in the Army Enlisted Commissioning Program (AECP) that have orders to report prior to the start of the course should click  to email and inform Alpha Company of their arrival date. Alpha Company will reserve their lodging, beginning on the date your orders start.
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Lodging Information
Upon check-in at BLDG 592, students will be assigned a room on Fort Sam Houston at no cost to them - No reservations are necessary. Students permanently assigned to Fort Sam Houston are not authorized lodging.
Officers arriving early will be charged for all nights prior to their reporting date. This cost may be reimbursed upon arrival at their permanent duty station.
Due to limited space, officers in the rank of captain and below will be housed - two officers per room. Students may choose their roommate at time of check-in, provided they are both present and of the same gender.
Officers in the rank of major or above should contact lodging (210) 357-2705 to secure a room at BLDG 592 or in distinguished visitor quarters.
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Driving Information
Automobiles
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Fort Sam Houston is considered a walking campus. Parking directly adjacent to the AMEDD Center and School is for staff use only and is not authorized for BOLC students. For inprocessing, students are strongly advised to park across the street from the AMEDD museum to avoid being ticketed. Students will be given more information regarding authorized student parking areas when they in-process.
Students must utilize a hands-free telephone device when talking on cell phones while driving on Fort Sam Houston. TEXTING while driving is NOT authorized within the city of San Antonio or on Fort Sam Houston.
Student are not required to have a Fort Sam Houston Department of Defense (DOD) registration sticker on their vehicle to obtain access to the base. For more info on accessing Fort Sam Houston, please refer to the FAQ page attached.
Motorcycles
Students will be asked to identify themselves at the beginning of the course and be validated by the command prior to riding. They will be required to provide the following:
- Valid state motorcycle operator`s permit
- Proof of insurance
- Proper helmet, eye protection, high-visibility garment, and other required safety gear
- Basic / Experienced Rider`s Course Motorcycle Safety Foundation certification
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Medical Information
Medical and dental screenings will be completed at Fort Sam Houston for all Active Duty personnel PCSing to their first duty assignment. Every effort will be made to facilitate the student`s completion of PHAs and Well Woman exams, if needed. Keep in mind, however, that some individuals may be exempt based on data from their records or in the medical (MEDPROS) and dental computer database.
Bring a copy of immunization records or proof of immunity, as well as, medical and dental records, to include a copy of any well woman exams completed within the past 12 months. If the student does not have documentation and the exams are not already in the system, the student may need to get them done again while at Fort Sam Houston.
Students that wear glasses will need to bring 2 pairs of professional style eyeglasses in accordance with AR 670-1 (i.e. no adornments or labels on the frames, conservative color) with them to Fort Sam Houston. Contact lenses cannot be worn during the field training exercise (FTX). Students that have a copy of their eyewear prescription should bring it with them.
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Pay Information
For students that are new to the Active Duty Army, or the U.S. Army Reserves, including Individual Ready Reserve and National Guard, it can take up to 30 days before their pay is established. Students should report to Fort Sam Houston with enough money to cover their expenses, such as purchasing uniforms.
Once the student`s pay is started, they will receive monthly Leave and Earning Statements (LES) which will show all their entitlements, deductions and net pay. Once established, they can access this information online at myPay.
Alpha Company, 187th Medical Battalion will provide lodging at no cost to the student. Meals are provided at government expense Monday - Friday and on federal holidays with their meal card (issued at inprocessing). Students are responsible for paying for their meals on the weekend. They will be reimbursed for their weekend meals at the Fort Sam Houston per diem rate once they complete their travel at their final duty station.
Active duty officers who have not received a previous Clothing Allowance are authorized $600 for uniforms. It may take up to 30 - 45 days before the clothing allowance is paid. It is highly recommended that students have enough funds in advance to purchase their uniforms prior to or upon arrival to Fort Sam Houston (approximately $1,000.00).
Depending on their orders, students may be authorized to receive full BAH, BAS and family separation pay while at the course.
- Soldiers without dependents will receive BAH at the CONUS "T" Rate (active duty)
- Soldiers with dependents typically receive BAH w/dep rate based on their spouses/children`s location
- All USAR/ARNG are paid BAH based on their home location regardless of dependent status
- Students that are separated from their dependents by more than 250 miles for longer than 30 days are entitled to Family Separation Allowance. This will not be processed by finance until day 31 of the course.
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Physical Conditioning Information
Please report to BOLC in good physical condition. Students will be required to take and pass the Army Physical Fitness Test and meet the height / weight standards in order graduate from the course. Officers who fail to meet these standards by the course graduation date may be chaptered out of the Army. Unfortunately, BOLC doesn`t have the time to "get you in shape when you get here". If the prospective BOLC student is not currently participating in a physical fitness regimen, it is highly recommended that they begin one immediately.
Students need to bring a copy of their permanent profile with them, to be turned in, on Day 0. Pregnant female students that have received notification of BOLC attendance need to contact their recruiter or HRC in order to reschedule this class. Students cannot attend BOLC if they are on a Temporary PROFILE or injured. Please contact respective recruiter, HRC or S-1 in order to be rescheduled for a later course date, if necessary.
During the course, a Field Training Exercises (FTX) will be conducted at Camp Bullis. The BOLC staff takes every precaution to reduce or eliminate the risk of heat/cold weather injuries during training. Risk factors that contribute to heat/cold injuries include: being in poor physical condition, medications, prior heat/cold casualty, among others. In addition, some students may not become fully acclimated to the south Texas climate during the short period of time before the field training begins. Students that have any of these risk factors, should let the BOLC staff and/or cadre know upon their arrival.
Camelbacks are not required for the course, but are strongly recommended for hydration; as the course will involve a significant amount of walking, marching, and running, both with and without combat loads. Black, OD Green and ACU print are authorized.
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Privately Owned Weapons (POWs) Information
Students are highly discouraged from bringing any POWs to BOLC. There are no opportunities for students to use them during the course and they will be required to store them in the unit`s arms room. If you bring a Privately Owned Weapon (POW), it must be registered on post immediately. Contact Alpha Company before you bring the weapon on base by calling (210) 221-8335.
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Uniform Information
Please review the BOLC packing list, located under the resources tabs, thoroughly and get as many of the uniform requirements met as possible, prior to arrival at Fort Sam Houston.
It is important that students arrive at Fort Sam Houston with as many required uniform items on-hand as possible. Some uniform items, particularly Army patrol caps, Army Improved Physical Fitness Uniforms (IPFUs) and some Army Combat Uniform (ACU) items may not be available in all sizes or are in extremely limited supplies at Fort Sam Houston Clothing Sales store.
Uniform standards are listed in AR 670-1 and on the Army G-1 website. The authorized headgear while wearing ACUs is the patrol cap with sew-on rank. Students still need to bring their beret for their ASUs and their graduation.
It is the student`s responsibility to ensure that they obtain the proper uniform items so that they can be in the correct uniform at the beginning of, and throughout, the course. If necessary, BOLC will provide the student with an opportunity to obtain uniforms items upon arrival at Fort Sam Houston.
At a minimum, it is recommended that students purchase a good pair of authorized boots prior to their arrival to the course. The advantage of having a pair of boots that have already been "broken in" cannot be stressed enough.
All Soldiers, regardless of component, are required to have the Army Combat Uniform (ACU) and the Improved Physical Fitness Uniform (IPFU). Students attending the Long Course or USUHS Course are also required to have the Army Service Uniform (ASU). Students attending the Short Course, HPSP Course, or the HPSP RC VC64 Course are not required to have the Army Service Uniform (ASU). Uniforms can be purchased from a Military Clothing and Sales Store located on most military installations or online at AAFES or Marlow White.
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Mandatory Training Information
Students are required to complete two online courses prior to graduating the course (not prior to arrival). The deadline for completing these courses is within three weeks of arrival. Certificates of completion can be turned into their Platoon Advisor/Instructor once the student moves into the classroom setting.
The first course is Antiterrorism Awareness Level I (ATL 1), which is available online here:
The second is Composite Risk Management (CRM) Basic Course, which is available online here (AKO username and password are required):
Additionally, all students that are projected for follow-on assignments to United States Forces Korea (USFK), require additional training. The required training can be found here:
Students being assigned OCONUS must have a current AT level 1 and/or USFK training certificate. The certificate must not expire until at least 60 days after reporting to their OCONUS duty station.
All BOLC courses are required to implement the Global Assessment Tool - Initial Military Training (GAT-IMT) and the VIA Survey of Character Strengths as part of their Comprehensive Soldier Fitness (CSF) Program. In order to complete the GAT-IMT, students are required to have an active AKO account. Once students have created an AKO account, the assessment is available online here:
It will take the student to the Soldier Fitness Tracker website and also link the student to the GAT-IMT based on the Alpha Company Unit Identification Code (UIC is W3VZCC).
The VIA Survey of Character Strengths questionnaire is available at the University of Pennsylvania`s "Authentic Happiness" website. In order to complete the questionnaire, students are required to register and create an account which can be done by clicking register. Once students have created an account, the questionnaire is available online here (in the Engagement Questionnaires section):
The Army established Comprehensive Soldier Fitness (CSF) to increase the resilience and performance of Soldiers. Based on the CSF, the GAT was developed to assess the dimensions of emotional, spiritual, social, and family fitness. All officers in training are required to complete the mandatory GAT-IMT training and VIA Survey of Character Strengths questionnaire.
Students should complete this training prior to reporting to Fort Sam Houston and bring a copy of each with them. Students that encounter technical issues and/or problems will have another opportunity to complete the survey upon their arrival - but it is highly encouraged.
Students will also be afforded the opportunity to complete the online training during the course at the end of the training day. Typical days will be from 0500hrs until approximately 1745hrs. AMEDDC&S has computers available at their library and computer labs. Students may choose to bring a laptop computer for use at your quarters as well.
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Still Have Questions?
Please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). If you still have questions, once you have read through our FAQs, you can email us here and we will reply to you as soon as possible. Additionally, you can contact Alpha Company for administrative issues and questions at (210) 221-6707/6319 or the Leader Development Branch for academic issues and questions at (210) 221-8223/7471 between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday (CST).
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