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O-3 US Army Reserves AMEDD APMC
"To conserve the fighting strength!"
Posted by: Jay120171
Bobcast: the only ninja to operate an ER out of his mom's basement
There are a lot of variations between branches, billet, MOS, and enlisted/warrant/commissioned.
I know the Army Medical Corp well, so I'll discuss that in detail. As for the rest of the military I can only give generalizations.
For the medical corp, the primary driving factor for promoting is education type and level. For example, a nurse with an associates degree will not get promoted as fast as a nurse with a bachelors. In fact, a nurse with an associates cannot be promoted past captain (O-3) until they get their BSN. Physicians are typically promoted as soon as possible, to encourage retention.
I was direct commissioned as a Second Lieutenant (O-1) during medical school. Upon completion of medical school I was directly promoted to a Captain (O-3). I was never a First Lieutenant (O-2), and will never be one unless I get in trouble. Physicians are typically fast tracked to Colonel as long as they stay in, with most hitting O-6 in about 13-15 years. I'll likely get my Major (O-4) in 2015.
As for the rest of the Army a huge portion is time, recommendations, and continuing education.