Navy For those who have experience with Navy medicine, can emergency physicians request to be assigned with Marine/SEAL units?

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If not, what are some of the different ways a Navy physician can work with Marine/SEALs?

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[ValeRx]

Only enlisted hospital corpsmen are embedded with combat units. Never once saw an actual doctor.

 

[SirGecko]

If you want to work with SEAL units you can apply for UMO training but UMOs also take care of other divers and submariners. For marines you would also apply for the position now. (Recent change, used to be you would just ask your detailer for orders) Just be aware that operational medicine is probably not what you think it is most of the time. It’s very administrative heavy. There are a lot of threads about this on this forum if you are interested in this. (There is even a very recent one)

 

[armytrainingsir]

You don't look for SOCOM, SOCOM looks for you.

 

[pgg]

Go read this thread.

 

[TheEarDoc]

Yeah they don't imbed a doc in with those units. Usually a well trained corpsman and usually they all have so much first aid training that any one of them can be their own medic and serve as a medic.

You can be part of operational medicine (think dive school, etc.), but you'll be mainly taking care of soldiers completing the schools and making sure they stay green in their files to stay deployable. You will not be out in the bush with them. If you want something like that probably flight medic or PA working in a role 1 field site in the Army is the closest you will get to that type of adrenaline rush.

 

[BIGphysician]

always a navy medic that is transferred to the marines, etc and for all purposes from there on forward is part of the unit. My great uncle was attached to the 4th marine division during world war 2 in the pacific like this, spent his entire time with the marines with 90-95% causalities to the division (Siapan, Tinan, etc). When you die it still says Navy on the grave, even though the entire experience was with the Marines, sort of insulting.

Likewise, one of the first jobs I took there was a guy that did the medical school medical scholarship and was stationed with special forces in south america, told me basically the detail included just staying in a hotel in civilian clothes on the DL waiting around until they needed him to treat something. Never really knew any details of anything. Said was extremely boring, but was part of a special unit.

Was told by another former military physician that basically the closest you can get to the front as a physician is attached to a small boat in a forward position.

 

[Just Call Me Doc]

always a navy medic that is transferred to the marines, etc and for all purposes from there on forward is part of the unit. My great uncle was attached to the 4th marine division during world war 2 in the pacific like this, spent his entire time with the marines with 90-95% causalities to the division (Siapan, Tinan, etc). When you die it still says Navy on the grave, even though the entire experience was with the Marines, sort of insulting.

I would have to politely disagree. The title I will always be most proud of will be "Doc" to my Marines. And the only way to be Doc for Marines is to be a Navy Corpsman. While every other Navy sailor is a "squid" to them, Devil Docs always holds a special place in the hearts of Devil Dogs. The way I put it while I was in was: I am proud to be a Navy Sailor. But I thank God everyday that I'm with the Marines.

 

[Kingfisher]

I would have to politely disagree. The title I will always be most proud of will be "Doc" to my Marines. And the only way to be Doc for Marines is to be a Navy Corpsman. While every other Navy sailor is a "squid" to them, Devil Docs always holds a special place in the hearts of Devil Dogs. The way I put it while I was in was: I am proud to be a Navy Sailor. But I thank God everyday that I'm with the Marines.

Until you get the call at 2300 to go to berthing to patch up 10-15 Marines who came back off of liberty drunk and decided to get into a huge fight and roll around in piss and vomit. (True story) 😂