Truth about deployment

[cobernavy]

I know there are lots of threads about it but I really need to know for planning things for my family...being a navy subspecialist just starting a 4 year payback after civilian residency, how many times will I be LIKELY be deployed if things remain as they are?

Am I looking at 6 months out of EACH of the next 4 years spend in the sandbox?

I would be glad to hear from anyone who might know

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[NavyFP]

I know there are lots of threads about it but I really need to know for planning things for my family...being a navy subspecialist just starting a 4 year payback after civilian residency, how many times will I be LIKELY be deployed if things remain as they are?

Am I looking at 6 months out of EACH of the next 4 years spend in the sandbox?

I would be glad to hear from anyone who might know

I apologize if you have mentioned it in previous posts, but what kind of subspecialist are you? The death is in the details.

 

[cobernavy]

anesthesiology

 

[pgg]

I know there are lots of threads about it but I really need to know for planning things for my family...being a navy subspecialist just starting a 4 year payback after civilian residency, how many times will I be LIKELY be deployed if things remain as they are?

Am I looking at 6 months out of EACH of the next 4 years spend in the sandbox?

I would be glad to hear from anyone who might know

I'm a Navy anesthesia resident and just had this conversation with a recently-deployed attending a couple days ago. In general, it seems most of the anesthesia staff around here (Portsmouth) have deployed once in the last 3 years. Some have zero trips. I can't think of any who have two, but that doesn't mean there aren't any. The "goal" passed on via the specialty leader was 1 deployment q3 years, and an "effort" is made to protect all new staff just out of residency until they've taken their orals. That is in fact what has happened here this year.

Whether this pattern continues is anyone's guess; retention within the field isn't zero but it's awfully close. Despite that I think "anesthesiologists in" is expected to equal "anesthesiologists out" for the forseeable future.

But this is what I'd expect, if you arrive in July with a 4 year obligation: work stateside until you take your orals April 2008, good chance of getting deployed for 7-8 months immediately after that. You may get your time done before a second deployment; you may have to go twice.

There is talk (as there has been for a long time) about making Navy deployments 1 year. My magic 8 ball has no opinion on this matter.

I'd bet $ you won't make 3 or 4 trips in 4 years. Two at most, provided WWIII doesn't break out.

Where are you headed this summer?