Best Navy GMO tour to do if married...

[SquidDoc]

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I will most likely be getting married before internship, which will obviously lead to a geographical separation for GMO. What might be the best GMO to shoot for to minimize length of separation before coming back for GME2? I know that I do not want to do flight surg or dive, so I am thinking that a tour with the marines or a ship might be best. I head out for internship summer of '08Your thoughts?

I am a prior-service corpsman turned HPSP. I am totally unsure of what I want to do, but anesthesia, medicine (eventually gastro), ENT, and derm are still possibilities...not sure if a GMO tour in a particular area will be advantageous, but thought I should mention my intentions.

thanks!
-bryon

 

[DiveMD]

For a family guy...dive is the way to go...

 

[pgg]

For a family guy...dive is the way to go...

Unless, as the OP said, there's geographic separation involved during the tour, in which case a 3 year dive/flight tour ought to be at the bottom of the list. Marine billets at Kaneohe are 3 years too, I think.

There used to be a few 1 year hardship / unaccompanied billets out there. If not, I'd just go for a 2 year tour with the Marines or on a ship. You can always apply for GME again after just 1 year, but you don't get the full # of GMO-points on the application.

If you end up choosing medicine, apply as an intern. With some prior service time you could end up going straight through. No chance of skipping a GMO tour if you want anesthesia, ENT, or derm ... but apply as an intern anyway, because when you reapply later, most of your docs will be on file. It's more difficult to apply for GME while deployed, and it helps if all you need to do is update your file.

 

[SquidDoc]

Unless, as the OP said, there's geographic separation involved during the tour, in which case a 3 year dive/flight tour ought to be at the bottom of the list. Marine billets at Kaneohe are 3 years too, I think.

There used to be a few 1 year hardship / unaccompanied billets out there. If not, I'd just go for a 2 year tour with the Marines or on a ship. You can always apply for GME again after just 1 year, but you don't get the full # of GMO-points on the application.

If you end up choosing medicine, apply as an intern. With some prior service time you could end up going straight through. No chance of skipping a GMO tour if you want anesthesia, ENT, or derm ... but apply as an intern anyway, because when you reapply later, most of your docs will be on file. It's more difficult to apply for GME while deployed, and it helps if all you need to do is update your file.

Thanks for your responses.
People seem to really love Dive, but I am not much of a swimmer, which really cuts out both dive and FS.

Since I am still only a third-year med student, I still have a ways to go before GMO, but I think it would still be best to have something to shoot for.

As a corpsman, I went through the field medical service school with the USMC. I wonder if that means that I am going to get put on GMO with the Marines for sure? Some people have indicated this.

 

[Croooz]

8404 follows you into the O ranks. It's like a case of herpes. 😀

Thanks for your responses.
People seem to really love Dive, but I am not much of a swimmer, which really cuts out both dive and FS.

Since I am still only a third-year med student, I still have a ways to go before GMO, but I think it would still be best to have something to shoot for.

As a corpsman, I went through the field medical service school with the USMC. I wonder if that means that I am going to get put on GMO with the Marines for sure? Some people have indicated this.

 

[SquidDoc]

8404 follows you into the O ranks. It's like a case of herpes. 😀

Damnit! So if I start taking acyclovir now, there will be a decreased likelihood that someone will see 8404 on my record??


If I remember correctly, overseas orders for an officer when married and unaccompanied are either 1 to 2 years. I would not mind heading back to Japan with the Marines again...that was a great time!

 

[Croooz]

Take orders to 3rd anything and you'll be back on Oki.

Not 100% how it works but I recall a few docs taking tours to Oki for a year unaccompanied, extending a year, and then head to LeJeune. There they were placed with a battalion that didn't deploy or that didn't deploy with the doc.

Of course this was....dare I care to remember 😳 13 years ago.....so things might have changed but somehow I doubt it. Here's one...try to do a DMO tour in Oki. 😎

Damnit! So if I start taking acyclovir now, there will be a decreased likelihood that someone will see 8404 on my record??


If I remember correctly, overseas orders for an officer when married and unaccompanied are either 1 to 2 years. I would not mind heading back to Japan with the Marines again...that was a great time!

 

[usnavdoc]

Take orders to 3rd anything and you'll be back on Oki.

Not 100% how it works but I recall a few docs taking tours to Oki for a year unaccompanied, extending a year, and then head to LeJeune. There they were placed with a battalion that didn't deploy or that didn't deploy with the doc.

Of course this was....dare I care to remember 😳 13 years ago.....so things might have changed but somehow I doubt it. Here's one...try to do a DMO tour in Oki. 😎

DO NOT count on this. Everyone (except females) including returning GMOs (from oki or elsewhere) deploy from Lejeune. And have for the last several years. Some of us with multiple extended deployments.

 

[SquidDoc]

DO NOT count on this. Everyone (except females) including returning GMOs (from oki or elsewhere) deploy from Lejeune. And have for the last several years. Some of us with multiple extended deployments.

So are you saying that the INCONUS parent command for USMC units deployed to Japan are from Lejeune? When I was active, the units were coming from Camp Pendleton, CA...which makes more sense geographically and financially for the dept. of the Navy.

 

[GMO_52]

8404 follows you into the O ranks. It's like a case of herpes. 😀

This really isn't true in my experience. The detailer has all the power. My advice is to train in SD or Portsmouth, so that there are local GMO tours (that way your fam doesnt have to move). As for what tour, at the moment, the shipboard billets are mostly going to women who cant deploy with the marines, so 8404 or not, I'd probably count on a greenside billet but things change in 3 years

 

[SquidDoc]

This really isn't true in my experience. The detailer has all the power. My advice is to train in SD or Portsmouth, so that there are local GMO tours (that way your fam doesnt have to move). As for what tour, at the moment, the shipboard billets are mostly going to women who cant deploy with the marines, so 8404 or not, I'd probably count on a greenside billet but things change in 3 years

Good point. A friend of mine in SD is headed to an LSD after internship, and he said that he was extremely lucky to get it.

 

[Gastrapathy]

Are there Marine GMO tours in Portsmouth?

My wife is a civillian med students in my class and our biggest concern is staying in the same city for about three years so she can finish residency. We are looking into Portsmouth. San Diego may be too competative for civilian programs.

No, closest is Lejune. There actually aren't that many GMO slots in Portsmouth. Way more in San Diego (if you count Camp Pendleton as part of San Diego).