Scheduling DCC and BOLC as a practicing physician?

[jurassicpark]

Hi!

I'm giving strong consideration to joining the Army Reserve before I turn the big 4-0 for a myriad of reasons. But with the new DCC component being added which I believe is 3 weeks for the Reserve, added to BOLC, that's six weeks of training and then depending on the gods of fate and chance, a possible three+ deployment.

Are there any current practicing physicians out there who have recently joined willing to weigh in how they made this work with their practice? The BOLC component when I first started looking into this was manageable, doubling the training requirements seems to make it much more difficult for those in private practice to join unless you're in a large corporation or government entity.

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[armytrainingsir]

Yes, it is a pain.
And the army doesn't care about your civilian life or private practice.


That said, the time between DCC and BOLC could easily be 6+ months or even longer. You might be able to drag it out for quite awhile. I know a PA that has been in the reserves over a year and just finished DCC. And still not enrolled in BOLC (despite pleas with his training NCO) in the foreseeable future. Odd, since he is in a line unit and can't do anything medical for them until he finishes BOLC.

Deployment tempo depends on your specialty. If you're a general surgeon or orthopedic surgeon, you might walk from BOLC graduation to the flight line on your way to the Middle East. If your a radiologist, you might not go anywhere for a decade or more.

Finally, flash to bang on wanting to join and being in can take over a year. So, not sure how close you are to 40, but if you 38+, you should start the process now. You can walk away anytime up until you sign the dotted line at the end of the process.

Good luck

 

[jurassicpark]

Yes, it is a pain.
And the army doesn't care about your civilian life or private practice.


That said, the time between DCC and BOLC could easily be 6+ months or even longer. You might be able to drag it out for quite awhile. I know a PA that has been in the reserves over a year and just finished DCC. And still not enrolled in BOLC (despite pleas with his training NCO) in the foreseeable future. Odd, since he is in a line unit and can't do anything medical for them until he finishes BOLC.

Deployment tempo depends on your specialty. If you're a general surgeon or orthopedic surgeon, you might walk from BOLC graduation to the flight line on your way to the Middle East. If your a radiologist, you might not go anywhere for a decade or more.

Finally, flash to bang on wanting to join and being in can take over a year. So, not sure how close you are to 40, but if you 38+, you should start the process now. You can walk away anytime up until you sign the dotted line at the end of the process.

Good luck

Thank you! That does help tremendously to hear! Our group is in the midst of some major financial dealings and I'm trying to convince them this won't have any horribly major impact while the deals are underway. I just don't know how forceful the Army can and will be in scheduling those DCC and BOLC courses.

 

[armytrainingsir]

I just don't know how forceful the Army can and will be in scheduling those DCC and BOLC courses.

They can be very forceful.

Your CO can make getting you into both DCC and BOLC the most important thing and get your orders cut to do both nearly back to back within weeks or months of joining the unit.

That said, apathy is usually the XO at many reserve units and it is a fight to get into a .mil school.

Not trying to scare you, but they can always hurt you more.

 

[JamesL]

FWIW I am in the ARNG. Per my recruiter, you have 2 years, waiverable to 3 years to complete all phases of training. You are non-deployable OCONUS until after BOLC. There does not seem to be a time deadline between completing DCC and BOLC.

You could potentially do DCC one year, BOLC the following year which will spread out your absences with your group (aside from drill). DCC/BOLC time will likely count towards your AT requirement for that year as well.

That being said, I direct commissioned Oct 2019. I am trying to get to DCC/BOLC as soon as I can but my DCC status is stuck at the S1 level. I put in my DCC dates in November 2019 for April 2020 and still nothing has happened. My Company Commander has had to get involved. There are no other dates for DCC this year, so if I do not get the slot I would have to wait until 2021 to do DCC.

When I joined my group I was very upfront with them about my training/deployment requirements during my interview. Even though I was advised from other Army docs not to disclose my anticipated military service, my interviewers appreciated that I told them. I am in a shift based practice though so it is relatively easy for us to schedule shift changes.

 

[jurassicpark]

When I joined my group I was very upfront with them about my training/deployment requirements during my interview. Even though I was advised from other Army docs not to disclose my anticipated military service, my interviewers appreciated that I told them. I am in a shift based practice though so it is relatively easy for us to schedule shift changes.

Thankfully I live still in a good old boy town. But I have to have timing down to do the least amount of damage while the group is still privately owned but to at least get in a year or two before 40, having to wake up once or twice during DCC or BOLC per night to pee because of that prostate sure won't be fun

 

[TheEarDoc]

Hi!

I'm giving strong consideration to joining the Army Reserve before I turn the big 4-0 for a myriad of reasons. But with the new DCC component being added which I believe is 3 weeks for the Reserve, added to BOLC, that's six weeks of training and then depending on the gods of fate and chance, a possible three+ deployment.

Are there any current practicing physicians out there who have recently joined willing to weigh in how they made this work with their practice? The BOLC component when I first started looking into this was manageable, doubling the training requirements seems to make it much more difficult for those in private practice to join unless you're in a large corporation or government entity.

I did DCC in September. I completed the online phase I of BOLC in November. I tried for the February course for BOLC phase II and it was full, then April and it was full, and now I am going in July.

You have 3 years from date of commissioning to complete BOLC Phase II. So you could commission and then do the DCC. Then you have a year from the time you complete phase I of BOLC online to complete BOLC Phase II.

Yes it's a lot of time away, but you can easily space it out, but don't be surprised if your commander wants you to do them both within the first 2 years of commissioning because until you complete BOLC phase II you are not AOC qualified meaning you aren't much use to your unit or the Army.

 

[TheEarDoc]

FWIW I am in the ARNG. Per my recruiter, you have 2 years, waiverable to 3 years to complete all phases of training. You are non-deployable OCONUS until after BOLC. There does not seem to be a time deadline between completing DCC and BOLC.

You could potentially do DCC one year, BOLC the following year which will spread out your absences with your group (aside from drill). DCC/BOLC time will likely count towards your AT requirement for that year as well.

That being said, I direct commissioned Oct 2019. I am trying to get to DCC/BOLC as soon as I can but my DCC status is stuck at the S1 level. I put in my DCC dates in November 2019 for April 2020 and still nothing has happened. My Company Commander has had to get involved. There are no other dates for DCC this year, so if I do not get the slot I would have to wait until 2021 to do DCC.

When I joined my group I was very upfront with them about my training/deployment requirements during my interview. Even though I was advised from other Army docs not to disclose my anticipated military service, my interviewers appreciated that I told them. I am in a shift based practice though so it is relatively easy for us to schedule shift changes.

Yeah they don't make it easy to get registered for these schools! I registered in ATRRS for BOLC phase II at the beginning of December. Followed my application all the way to HRC with constant badgering for updates and told "oh yes there are seats you will have a seat". Finally start badgering HRC and then just last week I got my rejection notice stating "April course is full. Submit for another course".

So frustrating. Some of us have patients scheduled months out and are trying to be good civilian employees and good to our patients and still try and get our training knocked out ASAP so we can be useful to our units.

 

[jurassicpark]

I did DCC in September. I completed the online phase I of BOLC in November. I tried for the February course for BOLC phase II and it was full, then April and it was full, and now I am going in July.

You have 3 years from date of commissioning to complete BOLC Phase II. So you could commission and then do the DCC. Then you have a year from the time you complete phase I of BOLC online to complete BOLC Phase II.

Yes it's a lot of time away, but you can easily space it out, but don't be surprised if your commander wants you to do them both within the first 2 years of commissioning because until you complete BOLC phase II you are not AOC qualified meaning you aren't much use to your unit or the Army.

thanks for the reply and insight! As a primary care doc, it's already humbling to beg my partners to try to make this work. I can't imagine what it's like for surgeons in their practice to get coverage.

 

[medlife crisis]

Does anyone know the duration of DCC and/or BOLC? Is BOLC still partially online?

What is the pay while completing those courses?

Thanks!

 

[TheEarDoc]

Does anyone know the duration of DCC and/or BOLC? Is BOLC still partially online?

What is the pay while completing those courses?

Thanks!

If you are reserves/guard DCC I think is 4 weeks still for MSC and MC and Dental and Vet and Nursing

BOLC is still phase 1 online for reserves/guard and then 3.5 weeks (might as well say 4!) short course.

Pay is your typical officer pay for years in service plus BAH type II (which is around 1100-1300 with dependents) plus any incentive pays you get.

 

[j2000es]

Can some one provide details on the current DCC/BOLCI/BOLCII courses for (hopefully) new Army Reserve physicians (commissioning in 2024)? When are they offered in 2024? How long is each course? How long does it take to get into each course?

 

[armytrainingsir]

DCC is 3 weeks at Ft Sill for reservists, 4 for AD

Phase 1 of BOLC is online, it must be completed before you’re allowed to enroll in phase 2 at Ft Sam. Last I read, that is 4 weeks.

When you get to your unit, the training NCO will be your point of contact to get all this approved and scheduled.

Google and watch recent YouTube videos for the latest info is my suggestion.

And I will go ahead and warn you ahead of time that you are worthless as a physician to the army until you’ve done all that. However, you will quickly realize the Army seems to have no motivation to get you through those courses in any reasonable, rational way. So good luck and welcome to a new, dysfunctional relationship.

 

[j2000es]

Was told BOLC was 2 weeks, by AMEDD recruiter. I assume he means BOLC II is 2 weeks....which is after DCC for 3 weeks. Sound right? I've been combing the internet and it's very difficult to find these simple answers. I feel like asking people on here is the best source of information. Always taking what the recruiter says with a grain of salt.

Can I ask - what do you mean some one is worthless as a physician until DCC/BOLC1/BOLCII are done? Do the weekend drills look different for a physician before/after the three trainings are done? If it takes a couple of years to get scheduled & through the three trainings, what does that mean for those couple of years?

Thank you in advance.

 

[Asklepian]

I have to do DCC this year. They told me there is now the option for physicians to do the 4 week DCC (no thanks). In addition, there are two three-week courses being offered, but they don't yet know which one of the two we are supposed to attend. That leaves me less than 6 months to find out and try to make/change appropriate coverage for my clinical duties. Yikes.

 

[CCM-MD]

I have to do DCC this year. They told me there is now the option for physicians to do the 4 week DCC (no thanks). In addition, there are two three-week courses being offered, but they don't yet know which one of the two we are supposed to attend. That leaves me less than 6 months to find out and try to make/change appropriate coverage for my clinical duties. Yikes.

I’m doing DCC this year as well.

 

[j2000es]

What are you doing in the meantime, with regard to the Reserves? Do you have monthly drills? If so, what do they entail since you haven't completed the DCC training?

Are you able to complete BOLC 1 before DCC?

BOLC 1 - is the online version self paced?

 

[DMBandFan86]

You’re not deploying if you haven’t completed your basic training courses. So that’s what they mean by being worthless to the military. But yeah, if you delay long enough, all you can really do is drill.

When I did bolc phase1 it was 80 hours (so 2 full weeks). Phase 2 for RC was 4 weeks. Usually the bolc website has basic information.

 

[TheEarDoc]

I have to do DCC this year. They told me there is now the option for physicians to do the 4 week DCC (no thanks). In addition, there are two three-week courses being offered, but they don't yet know which one of the two we are supposed to attend. That leaves me less than 6 months to find out and try to make/change appropriate coverage for my clinical duties. Yikes.

Welcome to the Army. Always plan to leave within 72 hours. It is the nature of things. I had to re-do my schedule multiple times when I was going to BOLC phase II due to issues with scheduling. It was insanity.......

 

[TheEarDoc]

What are you doing in the meantime, with regard to the Reserves? Do you have monthly drills? If so, what do they entail since you haven't completed the DCC training?

Are you able to complete BOLC 1 before DCC?

BOLC 1 - is the online version self paced?

You should have a unit you are assigned to. You are on someone's books. Your recruiter should have this info for you. I would get the unit information and make contact with your unit. If you unit is close by I would suggest you start drilling with them monthly while waiting to get into DCC. This will help you learn some of the basics of the Army so you won't be brand new when you get to DCC (how to wear the uniform, basic physical fitness exercises, etc.) and also you want those drill points to make it a good year. Do not sit idle and do nothing because without a good year it doesn't take time off your contract.

Are you attached to APMC?

 

[armytrainingsir]

My comment about being worthless was explained well above. You’re not deployable as a physician ergo, worthless.

Unfortunately, your recruiter led you astray. It is a total of 7 weeks on AD orders. Most folks will split that up over period of two years to avoid being out of work two months in one year.

I’m sure this is all overwhelming and I’m guessing it is a bit disheartening as well Take courage; it will get easier and better as time goes on and you get more acclimated to the military.