Military Deployment

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zubirix2k

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Deployment has only been mentioned a few times in this forum and I was wondering if someone can answer a few questions that I have about it.

When can you get deployed? During your residency or during your payback period? or both?

What makes one physician more likely to get deployed that another? Speciality, military school qualifications (i.e. dive doc or flight surgeon)?

If you do get deployed, where would it be to (i.e. a hospital or a Mash)? How far away from where warfare was going on?

I appreciate any input that you may have. Thanks.

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Originally posted by zubirix2k
Deployment has only been mentioned a few times in this forum and I was wondering if someone can answer a few questions that I have about it.

When can you get deployed? During your residency or during your payback period? or both?

What makes one physician more likely to get deployed that another? Speciality, military school qualifications (i.e. dive doc or flight surgeon)?

If you do get deployed, where would it be to (i.e. a hospital or a Mash)? How far away from where warfare was going on?

I appreciate any input that you may have. Thanks.

you won't get deployed during your residency.

i think there are no deployable pathologists. other than that, i think anyone is fair game, lol. i imagine primary care docs are more likely to get deployed, but i've seen subspecialists (one NICU doc in particular comes to mind) get deployed to deliver general primary care. with the PROFUS system, at least what it sounds like to me, is that you are assigned to a unit-- if that uinit gets deployed, so do you.

except for rare cases, most docs are in the rear with the gear. forward surgical hospitals and the like are close to the "front" but i would imagine are well protected assets. keep in mind, though, that with the new quicker, ligheter trend in the military that the classic "front" of battle isn't going to be nearly as clearly defined. in the recent Iraq war, the attacking units advanced so quickly that their support units had trouble simply keeping up, let alone do their job. also, with the new method of warfare used by terrorists the traditional "safe" areas or even areas protected under the geneva convention (which only *we* follow it seems, lol) aren't going to be 100% risk-free. it's the nature of the job.
 
The above is accurate. Physicians in training will not deploy. However, GMO's with very little training will be deployed. Junior physicians seem to get deployed a lot more. O-5 and O-6 level physicians seem to be able to get out of some of their share...although during this last war just about everyone got sent.

If you decide to stick it out....the last 5 to 7 years of your 20 years could be deployment free.
 
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Oh I forgot about a certain portion of the medical community that really pisses me off.....there seems always a percentage who develop "medical problems" when deployments come up.....the herniated disc that was never a problem that all of a sudden needs surgery.....well controlled asthma that all of a sudden is worse.....the GERD that all of a sudden needs a Nissen....oh, and this is probably not PC....but all of a sudden you become pregnant accidentally...

Unfortunately, I have no medical problems.

So, if you have some medical problems, you can milk them into a career that is relatively deployment free.
 
My recruiter for the guard says deployments can be no longer than 90 days. Is this true or not??
 
Originally posted by frmertd
My recruiter for the guard says deployments can be no longer than 90 days. Is this true or not??


LOL, NO!

I was deployed for more than 180 consecutive days in Desert Storm, and more than 18 months (with my concurrence) following 9/11.

After 180 days your status changes somewhat, but never forget that "the needs of the service ALWAYS take precedence".

Not that I'm complaining, mind you - I knew what the deal was when I signed up, and while I did my share of bitching and moaning during Desert Storm (especially, I had just started a consultancy business that was seriously impacted by my being in Saudi Arabia) I wouldn't change any of it now, even if I could.

And also remember that the recruiter won't exactly lie to you, he just won't tell you the whole truth (or may not know the truth). His job is to get you signed up, after all. If he lied to you, you'd have an out and he'd have a courts-martial, but the line is pretty thin sometimes.

BTW, I retired after 24 years of service. Next stop Med School!
 
I'll pitch in for the navy side.

Our major medical center (San Diego) has secondary platforms assigned to all personnel. If your platform gets deployed, you go with it.

Our assigned FPs/GMOs from outlying clinics went to USMC assignments for Iraqi Freedom. The majority of everyone else went to Fleet hospitals or USNS Comfort after Portsmouth NMC was stripped to fill her.

As MilMD stated, everyone went. NICU/Gen surgeons/peds/IM/Ortho...the list goe on and no one is immune the major deployments, except senior leadership. They stay behind to run the hospital and organize the reservists that backfill. People in training will not have their residency cancelled for deployment in the Navy.

Shipboard physicians will deploy at least once during a 2 year tour. All of the "cushy" normally non-deployable physicians are in Iraq for their second deployment in 12 months. Groups that piece out their units have a smaller chance of deploying their flight surgeon or diving medical officer.l
 
Thanks for the input. I was told it was "in writing." Sounds like bs.
 
The other part of the shipboard sked. (often overlooked) are the work-ups to deployment. We will actually be underway more days during workups than the entire deployment!
 
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