Residency Deployment Protection

[Handsome1]

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I've posted a couple of times. I've been selected for the Navy TMS reserve program during residency. I've talked to multiple people outside the recruiter. I am literally staying up a night weighing whether to sign or not. I want to serve either way.

This program: You "drill by what you are doing in residency" take the PFT twice a year, are non-deployable during residency and then you serve 3 years reserve after residency. You are non-deployable during two of those. The purpose of doing this now is being a part of something now and only being deployable for 1 year. This is all in the actual documentation.

My greatest concern is destroying my training.

1) The TMS documentation states exactly that all participants are exempt from mobilization until the completion of residency. They also drill by sending in their residency requirements. The program of course can be cancelled. It states that the individual may choose to go to the IRR or be a GMO if cancelled. How can this backfire? Can I get deployed and forced to drill? Despite this being in writing?

2) I know there is a hardship clause for reserve mobilzation. Is this a realistic "back-up." The other junior residents would be destroyed if I was deployed/mobilized not to mention the structure of the program/chief schedule would be dessimated.

Thanks

 

[DrMetal]

I've posted a couple of times. I've been selected for the Navy TMS reserve program during residency. I've talked to multiple people outside the recruiter. I am literally staying up a night weighing whether to sign or not. I want to serve either way.

This program: You "drill by what you are doing in residency" take the PFT twice a year, are non-deployable during residency and then you serve 3 years reserve after residency. You are non-deployable during two of those. The purpose of doing this now is being a part of something now and only being deployable for 1 year. This is all in the actual documentation.

My greatest concern is destroying my training.

1) The TMS documentation states exactly that all participants are exempt from mobilization until the completion of residency. They also drill by sending in their residency requirements. The program of course can be cancelled. It states that the individual may choose to go to the IRR or be a GMO if cancelled. How can this backfire? Can I get deployed and forced to drill? Despite this being in writing?

2) I know there is a hardship clause for reserve mobilzation. Is this a realistic "back-up." The other junior residents would be destroyed if I was deployed/mobilized not to mention the structure of the program/chief schedule would be dessimated.

Thanks

If the documentation specifically states that you wont be mobilized during residency, then that wont happen. So not you, nor your program and juniors, have anything to fear, in that regard.

The cancellation clause is probably included to protect the Navy's interests, should you decide to bail on your residency. So if you're 2 yrs into your gen surg residency (for example), and you decide to quit (or given the boot), the Navy will require you to serve 3 years. (They really give you the choice between IRR and GMO??? That's quite generous. I'd go IRR, in which case its highly unlikely that you'd be mobilized.)

 

[AF M4]

Is there a "the needs of the military come first" type clause in that contract anywhere?

It comes down to your personal risk tolerance. Realistically, the chance of you being called up during residency is vanishingly small. Impossible? Nah. But if the minuscule possibility is enough to keep you up at night, then what's the rush? Plus, are you clear on if there are any other annual requirements that you'd have to fulfill as well? Sucks to have a golden weekend stuck doing some random mandatory training. They have any surprises for your elective months?

I remember a high ranking guy in the AF was trying to sell me on the reserve flight surgeon gig one time, said the time commitment during residency was negligible. Even advertised that the place where I was going to be doing residency was near such and such base, which flew a bunch of stuff including UAVs 24 hours a day. I asked if there would ever be any chance that they'd call me in the middle of the night or when I was on call and say hey, you need to hop in your car, drive an hour down here and put Airman Snuffy back up on flying status because he popped a couple of Benadryl for his cold this morning. He said well.....he didn't think so, but he couldn't say that it wasn't a possibility.

I'm pretty sure that telling my program director that I'd be occasionally abandoning call at unpredictable times throughout my residency would not exactly bump me up the favorite resident list. I elected not to try and serve two masters; life is complicated enough already.

 

[Handsome1]

Thank you for the responses.

The documentation reads:

"TMS program participants are exempt from mobilization until the completion of their training"

"This program may be cancelled upon the needs of the Navy, should this program be cancelled prior to the member PRD, member may elect to be retained in the selected reversist status as a GMO or transfer to the Inactive Ready Reserve."

 

[Handsome1]

Sorry just one more general question and thanks everyone with military experience your insight is really valuable.
The military has special programs to entice residents and students to join that protect them.... So you sign up and get accepted for the TMS program; you are protected in that it's specifically noted that if this program is cancelled you can leave and go to the IRR. Can they find a way to squeeze you out of the program? In other words, do you get accepted to these programs when you join or can you lose your "TMS" status even if you do all the requirements of the program? Example: it says that to be eligible for TMS you must be in a critical wartime specialty residency. If your specialty drops off the critical warfare specialty list in 2 years are you out of luck because you would no longer be eligible for TMS? You would now be in the Navy as basically a GMO in residency? I would not physically be able to drill 1 weekend a month and 2 weeks a year. Is there any other protection that residents could evoke or other ways to drill. Thanks everyone. Obviously not everyone knows this program but just any help at all is awesome.

 

[Handsome1]

Sorry team anybody have any thoughts? For these programs you get accepted to can they change the rules and requirments to be the program. Can they disqualify you later from something you've been accepted to?