Boondoggling

[MonkeyBread]

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I'm an MS4, HPSP, Navy,and plan on doing a GMO. During my GMO, one of my goals is t boondoggle as many schools as possible. (For all non-prior service folks, boondoggling in the military is going to a school where you have no earthly needs-of-the-Navy reason to be there.) Can anyone tell me what my chances are of getting orders to jump school? Anyone else done it as a medical officer?

Also anyone know of anyone who did a GMO as an FS and then a second one as a UMO? Just curious.

Thanks,
-mb

 

[BomberDoc]

The Air Force holds a class, Global Medicine, every spring that is a total boondoggle. It had loads of Navy docs in it. Classes from other services are great because nobody that runs it knows exactly what you do.

 

[sethco]

The Air Force holds a class, Global Medicine, every spring that is a total boondoggle. It had loads of Navy docs in it. Classes from other services are great because nobody that runs it knows exactly what you do.

Global Medicine, while it may be "boondoggling", was extremely useful for the doc that finds himself deploying to various regions in the middle east and SE Asia. Heavy emphasis on Malaria and Leishmaniasis, but overall I thought it was a very good course compared to some of the other relatively useless crap I have had to attend.

Now, C4 is a totally different story. Aside from the ATLS portion of the class, I found this completely useless and a total waste of time. AMIP was the same story. I actually went on my first Accident Investigation Board (AIB) before I even went to the class!

 

[colbgw02]

I think it's relatively hard to go to jump school nowadays as a doc, mostly because of the war and funding issues, etc. Or at least that's what I've been told vis-a-vis air assault slots.

C4 was pretty useless, but I wouldn't classify it as a boondoggle. Camp Bullis is a wasteland, you don't get the weekend off, and they don't allow you to drink.

I think there is an NBC course for docs around Norfolk that's supposed to be a decent boondoggle.

 

[BomberDoc]

If you are interested in outdoorsy stuff, go to as many survival schools as possible. Arctic survival is a lot of fun and a total gentleman's course. It can be chilly up in Alaska during the winter though. Water survival at Pensacola is a blast, but make sure you go during the warmer months otherwise you'll be wet and cold. Occupational Medicine is a week or two of classroom hell, but your nights and weekends are free to have fun in San Antonio.

 

[njaqua]

Is there a list anywhere of the different courses available to us? And any service can attend courses at other services?

 

[Gastrapathy]

Is there a list anywhere of the different courses available to us? And any service can attend courses at other services?

The cold weather medicine and wilderness medicine courses at Bridgeport, CA are pretty fun. I was pretty sure I was going to drown at least twice.

 

[MonkeyBread]

I've heard cold weather SERE in Maine is a blast too, if you enjoy shivering and suffering.

So how open are most commands to allowing docs to boondoggle survival/outdoorsy schools, when clearly it won't make you any more capable at your job?

 

[BomberDoc]

I've heard cold weather SERE in Maine is a blast too, if you enjoy shivering and suffering.

So how open are most commands to allowing docs to boondoggle survival/outdoorsy schools, when clearly it won't make you any more capable at your job?

If you are a flight doc it is an easy argument that you need to be able to understand the stressors of a survival situation in order to better treat your aviators should one ever bailout. Flight docs are responsible for so many things that you need an enormous amount of training. A lot of it involves going TDY/TAD. Plus, most of these are centrally funded so your unit doesn't have to foot the bill. Honestly, that is the most important thing they care about. I had to fight like crazy to get local money for one TDY (Operational medicine symposium in Vegas. Fantastic boondoggle by the way) and all the rest have been central funds.

 

[MonkeyBread]

Thanks, Bomber:
That's a strong argument for Flight giving me the kind of excitement and variety I want. Can that be said for Dive, too?