Military spouses, different branches??

[DHG]

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What happens if one person is a military dentist (army, navy, etc.) and the other is a pharmacist with the Public Health Service? Both are technically comissioned, but the PHS is not quite the same as the armed services.

1) If the PHS officer wants to transfer to the military branch the dental spouse is in, will their years of service and rank be transferrable?

2) Will the military dent's branch take into consideration the pharmacist spouse's PHS location when the dent requests a duty station, or vice versa?

I'm a pharmacy student graduating in 2010, very interested in the PHS (I did a COSTEP last summer and loved it). My husband is (maybe) going to dental school and we were discussing different scenerios if he ended up going the military route.

Any insight into this kind of situation? I wouldn't mind transfering out of the PHS after my obligation was up and into another branch (if that's even an option, not sure it is), but I also wondered about how much you are risking conflicting delpoyments/assignments when both spouses are military, or if one is PHS and one is military.

He's interested in PHS dentistry too, but the military incentives for students (no school debt) are pretty impressive, and PHS COSTEP, while nice, doesn't compare as far as short term benefits.

I'm thinking this might be too complicated. Any thoughts?

 

[krmower]

What happens if one person is a military dentist (army, navy, etc.) and the other is a pharmacist with the Public Health Service? Both are technically comissioned, but the PHS is not quite the same as the armed services.

1) If the PHS officer wants to transfer to the military branch the dental spouse is in, will their years of service and rank be transferrable?

2) Will the military dent's branch take into consideration the pharmacist spouse's PHS location when the dent requests a duty station, or vice versa?

I'm a pharmacy student graduating in 2010, very interested in the PHS (I did a COSTEP last summer and loved it). My husband is (maybe) going to dental school and we were discussing different scenerios if he ended up going the military route.

Any insight into this kind of situation? I wouldn't mind transfering out of the PHS after my obligation was up and into another branch (if that's even an option, not sure it is), but I also wondered about how much you are risking conflicting delpoyments/assignments when both spouses are military, or if one is PHS and one is military.

He's interested in PHS dentistry too, but the military incentives for students (no school debt) are pretty impressive, and PHS COSTEP, while nice, doesn't compare as far as short term benefits.

I'm thinking this might be too complicated. Any thoughts?

They will always try to keep you together or as close as they can if you are both officers. If you are a civilian employed by public health then they don't have to do anything.

1) Everything you have in PHS is transferrable laterally - rank and time in service.

2) Yes

For ease and less headaches I would have both in the same service. Even if you end up getting less financial incentives the less stress would be worth it.

 

[DHG]

They will always try to keep you together or as close as they can if you are both officers. If you are a civilian employed by public health then they don't have to do anything.

1) Everything you have in PHS is transferrable laterally - rank and time in service.

2) Yes

For ease and less headaches I would have both in the same service. Even if you end up getting less financial incentives the less stress would be worth it.

Thanks krmower. I just today found out that dental students can do NHSC. I thought it was MD/DO only. I was wrong! We'll have to look into that too.

I was concerned PHS might not be transferable to other branches since PHS is really under DHHS and not DoD. I hope that what you say is true as it would give us more options.

 

[krmower]

Thanks krmower. I just today found out that dental students can do NHSC. I thought it was MD/DO only. I was wrong! We'll have to look into that too.

I was concerned PHS might not be transferable to other branches since PHS is really under DHHS and not DoD. I hope that what you say is true as it would give us more options.

I have had many friends in PHS. It is considered a uniformed service with the same benefits as the other serivices. If at all possible though - I would try to keep both of you in the same service. There can be a lot of headaches trying to coordinate outside of your own service.

 

[AFDDS]

They will always try to keep you together or as close as they can if you are both officers. If you are a civilian employed by public health then they don't have to do anything.

1) Everything you have in PHS is transferrable laterally - rank and time in service.

2) Yes

For ease and less headaches I would have both in the same service. Even if you end up getting less financial incentives the less stress would be worth it.

Rank is not always transferable. Most of the time it is, but some exceptions do exist.

 

[Destiny11]

What if you are a dentist in the military and your wife is another health professional (e.g. pharmacist, optometrist) in the civilian sector? How likely is it for your wife to find a job every time you move to a new location, especially overseas in another country?

 

[krmower]

What if you are a dentist in the military and your wife is another health professional (e.g. pharmacist, optometrist) in the civilian sector? How likely is it for your wife to find a job every time you move to a new location, especially overseas in another country?

In the Army that is definately something to consider as you take assignments. The military will not consider your spouses profession as they make assignments unless they are military also. It will therefore fall upon you to take that into consideration as you look at what is being offerred to you. You may have to take assignments that put you in areas with a larger population (Ft. Bliss (El Paso), Ft. Hood (Kileen/Austin), Ft. Jackson (Columbus, SC), etc...)

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

Krmower is right. Your spouse is not even considered if they are not military. What are the chances of your spouse getting a job wherever you get stationed depends on where you are going and what type of healthcare professional they are. Some states are harder to get licensed in than others. Some professions are harder to just get up and move. My wife is a civilian pharmacist. The hardest state for her to get licensed in will be California. Being able to practice overseas is pretty much non-existent. So, when I entered dental school, we planned for these difficulties. She got an MBA from a top tier MBA program. Now, she will have more options. Some places will allow you to be a non-practicing manager without having to get licensed that state. So, with her previous management experience and the MBA, she has opened up her options of staying in the pharmacy sector while keeping her high income. Overseas, with her MBA and the other training she has, she will have the option of consulting for pharmaceutical companies and companies that develop and manufacture pharmaceutical dispensing machines.

Basically, we planned ahead of time for being faced with getting stationed in some locations where getting licensed will be more difficult or job opportunites will be limited. If this is something you and your spouse are able to do, I highly recommend it or plan on possibly living on a more limited income.

 

[Destiny11]

Krmower is right. Your spouse is not even considered if they are not military. What are the chances of your spouse getting a job wherever you get stationed depends on where you are going and what type of healthcare professional they are. Some states are harder to get licensed in than others. Some professions are harder to just get up and move. My wife is a civilian pharmacist. The hardest state for her to get licensed in will be California. Being able to practice overseas is pretty much non-existent. So, when I entered dental school, we planned for these difficulties. She got an MBA from a top tier MBA program. Now, she will have more options. Some places will allow you to be a non-practicing manager without having to get licensed that state. So, with her previous management experience and the MBA, she has opened up her options of staying in the pharmacy sector while keeping her high income. Overseas, with her MBA and the other training she has, she will have the option of consulting for pharmaceutical companies and companies that develop and manufacture pharmaceutical dispensing machines.

Basically, we planned ahead of time for being faced with getting stationed in some locations where getting licensed will be more difficult or job opportunites will be limited. If this is something you and your spouse are able to do, I highly recommend it or plan on possibly living on a more limited income.

Thanks for the advice! Definitely a lot to think about. Do they hire civilian health professionals in military hospitals?

 

[krmower]

Thanks for the advice! Definitely a lot to think about. Do they hire civilian health professionals in military hospitals?

Yes. They hire both contractors and civilians that work directly for the government (GS). Availability will vary greatly. www.usajobs.gov is the website where the GS job openings are posted. I don't know how you would go about finding out about the contractor jobs.

 

[vellnueve]

I specifically only know of one inter-service couple - AF/Navy. They try to stick you in the same places but nothing is guaranteed.

 

[vinnie83]

I know of a few military couples (both in the same service) who were unable to be assigned to the same base. It can happen even if you are both in the same branch, but is much more likely if you to happen if you are in different branches.

In regards to your spouse finding a job overseas- my father in law was an MD in the army and got stationed in Germany, his wife (a nurse) had no trouble getting a hired as a civilian at that time in the base hospital. So it is possible, but not sure how easy it would be to swing that these days.