Navy Medical Mission Prep

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

Perrotfish

Has an MD in Horribleness
15+ Year Member
Joined
May 26, 2007
Messages
7,527
Reaction score
4,514
Has anyone here ever been on the Comfort/Mercy/similar? Any advice on how to best prepare (academically) for what I'll see? Textbooks to read through, etc?

Members don't see this ad.
 
Would it be worthwhile to have you remember STD testing and Tx as well as initial pregnancy management strategies while underway? <snicker>
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Buy your own sat phone. Rent it. Profit.

It's all PR. Very little lasting benefit.

Sweet gig if your SL counts it as a deployment. Sucks otherwise ( see general surgery circa 2010).
 
Buy your own sat phone. Rent it. Profit.

It's all PR. Very little lasting benefit.

Sweet gig if your SL counts it as a deployment. Sucks otherwise ( see general surgery circa 2010).

What do you mean counts it as a deployment? How do deployments count? Do you just mean that the SL keeps you from going on a different deployment for a year?
 
What do you mean counts it as a deployment? How do deployments count? Do you just mean that the SL keeps you from going on a different deployment for a year?

not sure about the navy, but in the army if it doesn't reset your "dwell time" to zero it doesn't "count" as a deployment. even if it's a month or two long. for us it is what they look at for the order of merit list for deployment taskings. in general, TDYs don't count.

--your friendly neighborhood if I buy you a sat phone and you rent it we can split the profits after the sat phone is paid off 50/50 caveman
 
These deployments did not reset your dwell time but were still "counted" for Internal Medicine and its subspecialties (ie the IM SL and the subspecialty SLs considered 4 months on the Mercy as equivalent to 9 months in the sandbox). One cycle in which there were 2 CAPT Cardiologists in the Navy had...you guessed it... 2 CAPT Cardiologists on the ship. The surgeons, OTOH, viewed this as TAD (TDY) and it did not protect you.
 
Develop a Family care plan. ANYTHING could happen while deployed with family. Prepare for the worst hope for the best.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
These deployments did not reset your dwell time but were still "counted" for Internal Medicine and its subspecialties (ie the IM SL and the subspecialty SLs considered 4 months on the Mercy as equivalent to 9 months in the sandbox).

ouch. at least from the perspective of the 9 month crew. from the IM side that's a pretty sweet deal. i've always thought total deployment time should count -- i.e., my 13 month deployment should trump someone who did a single 4 month or even two 4 month deployments, even if they did theirs more recently. but that's a fight i'll never win. i say this as i prepare for NTC next month and a "deployment" to kuwait next jan-- unless something changes, of course.

Develop a Family care plan. ANYTHING could happen while deployed with family. Prepare for the worst hope for the best.

i found more often things happened to families at home than the service members who were deployed. so this is a good point- make sure you address this from both ends. plan ahead for financial issues, medical issues, car or house problems, etc. *broadly* over generalizing (don't report me to the EO police), but i did find most physician spouses tend to have their **** together so this is less of a problem than, say, some E5 with a stay at home spouse. paying bills, medical care, renewing plates/registration on vehicles, what to do when the washer/dryer/fridge/water heater/etc break, all the typical adult responsibilities than the SAHM was shielded from for the past however many years would suddenly turn into a huge family stressor that would then impact the deployed individual. i was sympathetic, but i'm not writing for a profile because your dog is sick or the ac went out and you "need to deal with it." there may be an argument from the psych side, but this is squarely an administrative issue-- go talk to your command (which typically they had, which is why they would take the "go see if the doc can do anything about it" approach).

--your friendly neighborhood where do i sign up for a mercy cruise caveman
 
Top