Navy Reserves while in medical school ?

[prone2xl]

I've applied for the HPSP, but haven't been selected yet, and my package hasn't gone to board. (getting close)
I'm currently a LTJG in the Navy Reserve and there is a reserve center close to where i'll be going to school, and i'm wondering if I should keep drilling (or trying to) while in med school and just see if I get the HPSP and switch over then? or would I be better off just trying to transfer into the IRR?
any advice would be great.

has anyone done the drilling thing while going to med school and not been on a scholarship/HPSP plan? is this a good idea ?

it would be great to keep my rank and possibly advance while in school, even if I wasn't on the HPSP plan. could I transfer into the medical corps as a reservist after I was done with residency, etc? or after med school via FAP?

thanks!

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[DeadCactus]

The only way the Reserves/Guard are a wise idea if if you switch your job title to Student. I don't know what the medical student programs the Navy Reserve offers or whether they will let you hold a student MOS without entering such a program.

Drilling under your old MOS would be a terrible decision, imo. A deployment is not what you want to have to worry about during medical school and residency...

 

[DrMetal]

I've applied for the HPSP, but haven't been selected yet, and my package hasn't gone to board. (getting close)
I'm currently a LTJG in the Navy Reserve and there is a reserve center close to where i'll be going to school, and i'm wondering if I should keep drilling (or trying to) while in med school and just see if I get the HPSP and switch over then? or would I be better off just trying to transfer into the IRR?
any advice would be great.

has anyone done the drilling thing while going to med school and not been on a scholarship/HPSP plan? is this a good idea ?

it would be great to keep my rank and possibly advance while in school, even if I wasn't on the HPSP plan. could I transfer into the medical corps as a reservist after I was done with residency, etc? or after med school via FAP?

thanks!

Dont do it. I was AD for 4 yrs plus another 4 in the SELRES before going to med school. I cant imagine drilling while in school; you just cant spare a weekend. Go IRR, do the NKO courses (or do some volunteer drills for points). You can easily earn a 'qualifying year' that way and advance in rank and time. If you decide to join the MC later on, youll come in as an O3, with your current yrs of service (good for purposes of pay, not promotion).

 

[prone2xl]

thanks for the advice, so would that mean I'd need to go ahead and put in for IRR and just do the correspondence courses, etc ?

when would you recommend doing this? I was thinking perhaps trying to finish out my drills for the fiscal year and then putting in or going ahead and putting in for the IRR and just trying to finish my drills before it actually takes effect. ?

will it complicate things with me getting picked up for the HPSP being in the IRR or would it actually matter either way ?

thanks again!

 

[DrMetal]

thanks for the advice, so would that mean I'd need to go ahead and put in for IRR and just do the correspondence courses, etc ?

That's right. Make sure you do the NKO courses that have a positive # of reserve points ascribed to them (many course have zero, not these!).

when would you recommend doing this? I was thinking perhaps trying to finish out my drills for the fiscal year and then putting in or going ahead and putting in for the IRR and just trying to finish my drills before it actually takes effect. ?

That all depends, how concerned are you about being mobilized sometime in the next 2 months (I presume you're starting med school in Aug/Sept)??? As long as you're in the SELRES, you can be mobilized. It would suck if that happened right before you start med school. But as soon as you drop your papers for IRR--for instance, if you walked into your NOSC this afternoon and submitted your paperwork--then today would be the effective date of your IRR status (thus, you'd become non-mobilizable). So, if you really want the time/money, and you wanna knock out the rest of your drills/AT, you can do so . . .but keep in mind that you can still be mobilized during this time. (Honestly, if you don't need the money, I'd recommend you go IRR right now).

will it complicate things with me getting picked up for the HPSP being in the IRR or would it actually matter either way ?

thanks again!

It should be easy. Whatever designation you are now, you will be transferred to the medical student IRR status, which is a '1975'.

 

[prone2xl]

you've been INCREDIBLY HELPFUL- can't thank you enough for the detailed advice. I go to drill this weekend and am going to see if I can go ahead and knock out the rest of my drills for the fiscal and then immediately drop my papers

 

[Cooperd0g]

prone2xl,

Look into VTU vice IRR. It is the Voluntary Training Unit. You drill for free (non-paid), but still accumulate points and progress in rank. You are also non-deployable. Plus you can pick up AT or ADT as you desire and that is both points and paid if you have some time off from school, want some extra cash, and the timing works out.

I have plenty of active time so if I go to a civilian school vice USUHS then I will use the GI Bill and not HPSP. I will either stay in SELRES or VTU. Frankly I'm not worried about being deployed for several reasons. I'm single. I most likely won't be deployed because I'm in med school. If push comes to shove and I am deployed then I take a leave of absense from the school and finish later. It isn't like any school would deny your LOA request.

 

[prone2xl]

Look into VTU vice IRR. You drill for free (non-paid), but still accumulate points and progress in rank. You are also non-deployable

now that's something I hadn't considered!
just curious, but do you have to work in your field in the VTU, or can you just affiliate with ANY NOSC?
That'd be something to really consider... I could just go to the drills and get my points and you said that would count towards advancement where if I were just in the IRR it would not? so basically I would get credit later on for the years service for promotion sake.

Being in the VTU is basically being in the IRR right? so if I did get picked up with the HPSP, it would be the same as if I were in the IRR it sounds like.

Hope i'm understanding this right.

 

[Cooperd0g]

For the VTU you would ideally stay with your unit or another one in your field. Then cross assign out to your local NOSC for regular drills. You drill at the NOSC on drill weekend, but don't get paid. You have to do the two weeks of AT though. You can do other AT and ADT at will and get paid, but that is why you need to be in your field. You get points and promote on timeline with other guys who are regular SELRES. To me it seems like the difference between SELRES and VTU is the non-paid regular drills and for that you are non-deployable.

In the IRR you get points, but only if you stay on top of your coloring books. You also do not advance, but basically freeze in time and rank. You cannot do AT or ADT either so you can't earn any money on the side.

 

[DrMetal]

For the VTU you would ideally stay with your unit or another one in your field. Then cross assign out to your local NOSC for regular drills. You drill at the NOSC on drill weekend, but don't get paid. You have to do the two weeks of AT though. You can do other AT and ADT at will and get paid, but that is why you need to be in your field. You get points and promote on timeline with other guys who are regular SELRES. To me it seems like the difference between SELRES and VTU is the non-paid regular drills and for that you are non-deployable.

In the IRR you get points, but only if you stay on top of your coloring books. You also do not advance, but basically freeze in time and rank. You cannot do AT or ADT either so you can't earn any money on the side.

The only problem with the VTU (from the viewpoint of a medical student) is that you have to physically be somewhere, at some time (just like drilling as a SELRES). Now, if you're VTU units allows you just sit around and study--as was the case at NOSC NASNI San Diego a few years back--then great, you can take your books and read. However, if they have you running around doing actually Navy stuff (imagine that!), and thus eating up your whole weekend . . . then that can be problematic during the school year. I'm really not kidding when I say that you don't have a weekend to spare during medical school (and if you have one to spare, the last thing you want to be doing is drilling . . .as SELRES or VTU).

The advantage of the NKO courses, of course, is you can do them any time of year, in the comfort of your own home, consuming your favorite beverage (aged whiskey for me).

If you can find a VTU unit that'll let you do whatever the hell you want (ie drill whenever you want, and do whatever during those drills), then it's worth giving it a try. On the other hand, if your NOSC and its VTU is very regimented (say forcing you to come in on official drill weekends, putting you to hard labor), I'd advise not to do it.

 

[prone2xl]

Yeah Dr.Metal the more I think about it, you're right about the no free time in med school thing. last thing I wanna be worrying about is "damn do I have to go to drill this weekend..."

bad feeling and kind of messes with your head if you have a big test coming up. I have had that happen during pre-reqs.

I'll talk to my CO this drill weekend and see what he's willing to let me do drill wise for the rest of the fiscal and then probably drop my IRR papers soon after.

like you said, don't wanna risk being called up to MOB... especially when i've worked this hard and spent this much money to get in this year.

 

[DeadCactus]

Frankly I'm not worried about being deployed for several reasons. I'm single. I most likely own't be deployed because I'm in med school. If push comes to shove and I am deployed then I take a leave of absense from the school and finish later. It isn't like any school would deny your LOA request.

I would take a very detailed look into how my specific medical school would handle my deployment before signing up for even a remote chance of deployment. Medical education puts you on a highly structured and regulated training path that is generally unnecessarily intolerant of interruptions...

 

[Perrotfish]

I most likely own't be deployed because I'm in med school. If push comes to shove and I am deployed then I take a leave of absense from the school and finish later. It isn't like any school would deny your LOA request.

Be careful with this:

1) your school's LOA policy might not match the length of your deployment. They might grant your request, but decide that you can only come back at the start of the next full academic year. If you get a 6 month deployment starting in March it could mean 2 full years off from medical school.

2) some schools have a hard and fast time limity for how long you can take to graduate, regardless of your reason for delay. Say your school has a 6 year limit and the policy I mentioned abovee. If you get two deployments you're outta luck.

 

[Cooperd0g]

Thanks for your concern, but as I stated I'm not worried about being deployed during med school. Delta airlines has excess baggae rules and look at the storm brewing around them right now. There is absolutely no chance a person would get kicked out of med school because they did a deployment and it violated or was outside the LOA rules. Any school that tried would end up with a PR nightmare worse than Delta has right now. You guys worry too much.

Having said that, I'm not suggesting others not be worried about it. But worry because you don't want to interrupt your schooling or leave your family.

 

[backrow]

Thanks for your concern, but as I stated I'm not worried about being deployed during med school. Delta airlines has excess baggae rules and look at the storm brewing around them right now. There is absolutely no chance a person would get kicked out of med school because they did a deployment and it violated or was outside the LOA rules. Any school that tried would end up with a PR nightmare worse than Delta has right now. You guys worry too much.

Having said that, I'm not suggesting others not be worried about it. But worry because you don't want to interrupt your schooling or leave your family.

Let me know how the VTU option works out for you during 3rd and 4th years

 

[prone2xl]

yeah I think i'm gonna put in my papers for IRR this drill weekend just to be safe.

I'll do the 50 points or whatever in the IRR just to keep good years if I don't get picked up for the HPSP

want to stay on good terms just in case I want to switch to medical corps later on in the reserves.

but of course I will ask my CO nicely if I can flex drill for the months of July, Aug, and Sept just to finish out the fiscal and get paid!!

 

[lankin4]

Sorry for resurrecting this, but I've been scouring the references because I thought there was a DoD exception to mobilization while in training, and several threads raise the same points. From BUPERS 1001.39F:

1004. Health Care Students
1. Reserve Officers with 19XX designators who are students,
interns, residents, or fellows in the health care profession are
not allowed to be SELRES but rather are assigned to the IRR.
2. Reservists with designators other than 19XX who are
medical, dental, or nursing students may remain in the Ready
Reserve; however, per DOD Directive 1200.7, upon mobilization,
they either may be deferred or shall be mobilized as a student,
intern, resident, or fellow status until qualified in the
applicable medical specialty, as prescribed by SECNAV. Order-
issuing authorities should be cognizant of members' student
status and be aware of their restricted mobilization. SELRES
assignments should be limited to medical units where their
skills can be used upon mobilization.

What on earth is mobilization as a student to a medical unit? WW3 type scenario? And it sounds like a student-designator isn't required for student status (i.e. 1975). I'll be entering the reserves as a former line officer before heading to med school, and I keep hearing about the mobilization risk. Don't the annual reserve questionnaires ask about medical/dental student status? Still learning the ins-and-outs of the reserves, so if the real world operates differently I'd appreciate input.

Edit:
Found it, RESPERSMAN 1001-020 was changed to force you to sign a page 13 remaining mobilization-eligible in your original community if you want to stay in SELRES. No free lunch.