Ok, so let me try to summarize my husband's experience to sort of paint a picture for you...though, of course, depending on who you interview with, much of your experience will be different.
First, though, I want to give a few details about the ebola situation that they mentioned. There were 2 current officers in the waiting room (a conference room for times between interviews and where you first gather in the morning) who were really informal and able to answer a lot of general questions about the program. It seemed like officers who are able are taking half-day blocks at the interviews to kind of host interviewers. A couple of them had already been over to Africa, one was leaving that evening. They're doing 4 week details and quite a few officers are actually in neighboring countries--particularly those who have language skills like French. They also said that if you're in next year, at this point you can absolutely expect to spend a month in Africa. And basically when you're on detail, it's 7 days a week, 16 hour days. In fact, they said that even some of the people who are manning the...ooh, forget the name, but the office in Atlanta where they're putting together support materials and coordinating all the different details (so, it's on a priority level system--Polio has been Level 1 for over a decade, Ebola is currently a 10 or something) are pulling 16 hour days just doing things like booking flights, making copies, and developing powerpoints for physician education over there.
At least a couple of interviewers specifically asked if he was willing to go to Africa. And, actually, if I was supportive even though he may be over there at risk for many weeks at a time. (For the record, I am supportive, but I keep teasing him that I'm taking another life insurance policy out on him =) They did say, though that only 1 EIS officer has ever died on duty and he was in a plane crash, so it wasn't that he caught something and died.)
So, Africa is very much on everyone's mind. Several of the people who would normally be there interviewing, and even the person that usually gives the opening remarks each day, are overseas. Got the impression that we can absolutely attribute all this delay with the applications to Ebola because it appears that pretty much every EIS alumni still with CDC has either been over there or is going. One person who interviewed him and who is the head of a branch is going over in December because she doesn't have small children and wanted the younger people to be home for Christmas. I thought that was really really thoughtful. It sure seems like everyone who is involved in EIS has a deep commitment to service. For all the media coverage that makes Frieden look like a political tool, and by extension the EIS, we came away feeling strongly that the boots on the ground in the CDC are bending over backwards to do the right thing and help as many people in as many countries as possible.
Wow, this is gonna be a book. Sorry, I'm not a brief writer...I've gotta switch computers, so I'll post this and then keep writing. Hope that won't be too annoying.
(but I agree with all of you, a little bit of info or updates from them wouldn't hurt!)
