Navy Reserve Operational Medicine

[Handsome1]

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I was wondering if anyone had any experience with operational medicine on the reserve side (Navy).

There are billets for UMO,FS, and green side going out all the time. I would love to go after these opportunities and would be happy to activate 6months for the opportunity to train (FS. UMO). My understanding however from asking around is that if you do this they want you to activate for a typical post training 2 year active tour. Does anyone have any experience with this? Also, I know the green side is mostly GMO but there are some ortho/CT surgeon billets as well. Are they looking for a broader range of surgical specialties that could fit into their mold? ie neurosurgery?

 

[friedtomato]

Wow, I have identical questions. Hopefully someone will answer soon, as I'd also like to do FS/UMO time as a reservist, and am wondering what other surgical specialties besides general/ortho (esp neurosurgery) are used greenside.

 

[DrMetal]

I would love to go after these opportunities and would be happy to activate 6months for the opportunity to train (FS. UMO).

I'm not aware of a reservist ever filling a FS or UMO billet. There just doesn't seem to be a need for that. There's plenty of active duty folks that want to do these, and each comes with a 3-years commitment (including the 6- or 9-month long school). Am I wrong here, are reservists doing this?

I think as reservist, the Navy is more likely to employ you at a CONUS facility, possibly back-filling for an AD member deploying forward. You yourself could deploy too, as an IA, but those opportunities will likely be going away soon (as per budget cutbacks and the wars ending).

 

[friedtomato]

There are several reserve aviation squadrons in both the USN and USMC (which presumably have reservist flight surgeons) as well as reserve EOD, Marine Recon units (which presumably have reservist UMOs). I would assume that most of those reservist FS/UMOs probably were trained and did their first tour active duty before switching over to the reserve side. (I know that is how it works for the pilots themselves). However, I haven't seen that written as a policy anywhere, so was wondering if anyone had any concrete info to confirm that suspicion.

 

[Handsome1]

I appreciate the responses. I have seen in writing that FS/UMO requires an active duty tour for two years following completion of the 6mo courses. I have yet to find anyone, talk to anyone, or find any sort of policy that allows a reservist to complete the schooling and then return to reserve status. I think that all the reserve billets would have to be filled by former active duty guys/gals. I have seen the billets go out for reserve FS and UMO positions. They exist. All the people I have talked to have been former active duty. There are reservists going green side as strictly GMOs to marine reserve units.

 

[SuperSoccer19]

you might consider this close to operational, but there are a lot of reservist filling billets in Afghanistan right now. I imagine that's almost as fun as dive and flight.