- Joined
- Oct 25, 2015
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Looking for ideas about who I could talk to that might somehow be able to get me into the Army Reserves.
I'm an ex-Army GMO and current Prev Med resident (Prev Med is supposed to be on the critical wartime shortage list btw). Been trying to sign up for Army Reserve STRAP since Dec 2016 when I got my letter of acceptance into the residency program. Have done everything I could to get my packet to the board as fast as possible, but the wheels have been turning very slowly. Every month the recruiter has told me that it's about to get approved, then there's some hiccup or, more often, just nothing happens. I did finally get board approval back in Oct last year and signed a contract for STRAP. But then the orders never came.
I'll graduate this summer and at this point STRAP doesn't make sense for me, since it's a minimum 1 year payback and at most I'd only get a couple months of benefits. So I requested to be removed from the STRAP program. Now am told that means I will have to go back to the board for direct commission, which is basically starting back where I was 2 years ago.
I'm inclined to try calling around and find some reserve commander that might want me in their unit enough to intercede on my behalf that might magically get my packet pushed through, but I'm not sure even where to start to find a unit that needs a Prev Med doc or a GMO. I'd move if I needed to. Would even be happy to deploy.
For folks with more experience, would it help to try to find an assignment? Any idea how I might find a unit? Are there reserve Prev Med and/or GMO consultants?
Am I being slow-walked by the reserve medical command because they are waiting to see what happens with DHA taking over MEDCENs?
I'm an ex-Army GMO and current Prev Med resident (Prev Med is supposed to be on the critical wartime shortage list btw). Been trying to sign up for Army Reserve STRAP since Dec 2016 when I got my letter of acceptance into the residency program. Have done everything I could to get my packet to the board as fast as possible, but the wheels have been turning very slowly. Every month the recruiter has told me that it's about to get approved, then there's some hiccup or, more often, just nothing happens. I did finally get board approval back in Oct last year and signed a contract for STRAP. But then the orders never came.
I'll graduate this summer and at this point STRAP doesn't make sense for me, since it's a minimum 1 year payback and at most I'd only get a couple months of benefits. So I requested to be removed from the STRAP program. Now am told that means I will have to go back to the board for direct commission, which is basically starting back where I was 2 years ago.
I'm inclined to try calling around and find some reserve commander that might want me in their unit enough to intercede on my behalf that might magically get my packet pushed through, but I'm not sure even where to start to find a unit that needs a Prev Med doc or a GMO. I'd move if I needed to. Would even be happy to deploy.
For folks with more experience, would it help to try to find an assignment? Any idea how I might find a unit? Are there reserve Prev Med and/or GMO consultants?
Am I being slow-walked by the reserve medical command because they are waiting to see what happens with DHA taking over MEDCENs?
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