All Branch Topic (ABT) Army Reserves questions

[skiandraft]

Hello, I am an Internal Medicine resident and I am working on applying to the Army Reserves. I have some questions about how things might look once I finish my training and enter the reserves. One of the questions is I was told by my recruiters that I will need to complete two months of training once I finish my residency/fellowship.
My question is how this will work as I would at the same time need to prepare to take my boards? Considering I would need to postpone a start date for any job to complete my military training, would I need to be studying for my boards while finishing my military training? Or would I be able to start a civilian job and complete my military training at a later date? How do civilian employers adapt to a physician having to take time off for military commitments? Would I have the potential to consider leaving a practice?

The second question is that I was told that as a physician I would not be expected to have to physically be present for a drill once a month. That a scenario such as being able to work my civilian job as a reservist for one weekend or to use conferences or an online module would suffice as my monthly drill. Does this sound like what actually happens? What does a monthly drill look like as an Army Reserve physician? Thanks for any help clarifying these things?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[TheEarDoc]

Hello, I am an Internal Medicine resident and I am working on applying to the Army Reserves. I have some questions about how things might look once I finish my training and enter the reserves. One of the questions is I was told by my recruiters that I will need to complete two months of training once I finish my residency/fellowship.
My question is how this will work as I would at the same time need to prepare to take my boards? Considering I would need to postpone a start date for any job to complete my military training, would I need to be studying for my boards while finishing my military training? Or would I be able to start a civilian job and complete my military training at a later date? How do civilian employers adapt to a physician having to take time off for military commitments? Would I have the potential to consider leaving a practice?

The second question is that I was told that as a physician I would not be expected to have to physically be present for a drill once a month. That a scenario such as being able to work my civilian job as a reservist for one weekend or to use conferences or an online module would suffice as my monthly drill. Does this sound like what actually happens? What does a monthly drill look like as an Army Reserve physician? Thanks for any help clarifying these things?

As an Army Reserves physician/officer you will have to attend Direct Commissioning Course (DCC) which is about 4 weeks. This course they usually want you to attend within 1 year of commissiong.

Within 36 months of commissioning you will have to complete the online phase of basic officer leadership course (BOLC I or A) which is about 2 weeks of online training and then attend a 3.5 week in person BOLC II/B training. This must be completed within 36 months of commissioning or they could potentially boot you out as unsat (doubtful).

Also the whole drill thing is commander specific for your unit. Yes theoretically you could be attached to AMEDD professional management command (APMC) if your closest unit is too far away, but it's not a guarantee. That would be how you would be able to work in a hospital to get drill points/pay rather doing a normal drill, but you would still be attached to a unit somewhere in the US and if that commander wanted you there to drill each month that is their decision to make not yours.

As for taking time off to attend training or deployments. Yes by federal law an employer has to let you go to attend, but that doesn't mean someone doesn't have to pick up your work or lose out on your income you'd generate for a practice. A lot of military docs work for university programs, large hospitals, or the VA as they are usually a little easier to deal with when it comes to military leave.

As for what drill looks like for a physician? It's about what it looks like for most other soldiers. A morning of PT. Meetings and training in person and online. Officer evaluations. Etc.. You might have to write profiles for soldiers in your unit or run a soldier readiness program sometimes for evaluating soldiers and writing profiles. It really depends what type of unit you are assigned to to be honest.