I've answered some of these questions on other threads, but I guess we'll consolidate.
1. Getting in: There are 20 spots per year for interns to apply for, 10 per class, one starting in January, one in July. You just apply for DMO, and get assigned a class later. Generally there are about 40 applicants for those spots, so you need to try to stand out. CAPT COhen, who runs the HPSP program, is a DMO who sat on many selection boards, and I'm basically going to reiterate what he told me...it works, everyone who's followed his rec's has gotten accepted.
He always said, everyone who applies is a good intern, and the scores don't matter all that much. They'll put you over the top all else being equal, and they won't accept a total bottom-feeder, but don't count on acedemics getting you in.
The Navy is largely about who you know and who remembers you. Stand out from the crowd. You said you're doing a transitional internship. I did mine at NMC Portsmouth, and at the time I convinced my program director to let me do a 2 week rotation in the fleet during one of my moonths of internship. I called the local submarine squadron and spent a week with that DMO (I ultimately got the job later out of NUMI), and I spent a week with the local SPECWAR (SEAL) DMO. This helped, because they knew people in this small community, and the SUb DOc wrote a letter for me. I also did a Diver PRT when I was there, and taught the Corpsmen on a small topic so he could say something about me being motivated and HOOYAH and all that. I would recommend this path to you. I had to fight for he time, now the transitionals are required to spend 2 weeks out there...I don't know Bethesda's policy.
Find DMOs in the Hospital...I talked to everyone I saw with the DMO pin on their uniform. DMOs love to talk about their time in the fleet, just ask. If you can't leave the hospital, hook up with one of these guys. Again, it's a small community, we all know each other.
Get yourself SCUBA qualified if you're not already. It doesn't mean much to the dive school folks, Navy diving is a lot different, but it does show that you can clear your ears and are water-compatible. I set up a SCUBA course at the hospital, the instructor came to us, and all of us interested in DMO took the class. Again, shows your interested.
Don't B*ll**** on your application. Say why you want it, what you've done to prove that and be done. 1/2 a page. Don't write a long poem about always wanting to meet Neptune while diving and saving someone's life and your longing for the sea...trust me, kiss of death in this community.
Get in shape, run the Diver PRT and have the results for the selection board. Even if you can't pass it before the board, it shows motivation. Find a DMO to give you the test, if you can't find someone PM me, I'll help out.
A DAy in the Life:
I'm on my second tour,and they've been very different.
Submarines: We were short one DMO so I was very busy. Department head, so lots of meetings, 13 subs each with an IDC so lots of patients (about 2000 people), lots of junior submariners regreting their decision so lots of disgruntled sailors with Psych issues, real or imagined/b*ll****ted. I went to work about 0700, PT 3 times a week which I organized and ran, with poor attendance because the CO didn't support it. Sometimes lunch, home by 0530. Chained to work by my Command cell phone, usually a call a night about something. Actually not as bad as the above sounds. I got underway for 30 days total, on several different boats, which was great. Quite an experience to be on a submarine. I was able to dive on the USS Monitor recovery, so 240 foot dives on heliox bringing up the turret...discovery channel stuff. I enjoyed the job but was ready to go.
Now at an EOD unit. Highly motivated group of people, the best I could hope to work with. I'm at work about 0645, PT everyday, command mandated from 0730 to 0900. Another Dept. Head job so meetings, etc. See sick call in AM and Physicals in the afternoon. I have some Independent duty Corpsmen who are great and see some of the more mundane sick-call. We do lots of field ops, so I take my turn covering Helo ops, jums, dives, etc. I recently covered an op with lots of live demolition, and we shot 4000 rounds in one day. I got to shoot the 9mm, full auto machine guns and a grenade launcher, so it was fun. Mainly, covering these ops means sittingin the ambulance in case someone blows themselves up, which they rarely do. Bring a book.
It's a great bunch of people, though, and as the Doc you are included. As a DMO, you are a fully trained Navy Diver, so you can actually do things with the dive teams. They'll give you a hard time, but they'll respect you if you go to work. I've had a blast...
The PT is not that hard, though I was certainly in the best shape of my life. At NUMI, you PT 2 hours every morning getting ready to go to Dive School. You will be in excellent condition. I got up at 0430 for 3 months at the end of my internship to PT each morning before rounds, but it was a nice diversion from the pain of internship. Don't worry about the PT.
Any more questions, feel free. Good luck, enjoy the rest of 4th year, I hear internship is still painful even with the 80 hour a week limit.
DD
