OIS/OBC/COT info

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pgg said:
Believe me, nothing good can come of playing these games with the enlisted instructors at these courses, or any course for that matter.

If they try to go all Hartman Full Metal Jacket on you, take it in stride and not too seriously. After all, this isn't OCS ... you're already commissioned, you're not really being evaluated, and they can't really hurt you. If they're not being genuinely abusive or inappropriate, just play along and go with it.

Passive aggressive games with them will get the attention of the people who are really in charge, people who do outrank you, and they can give you more trouble than it's worth.
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Agreed. Cooperate and graduate. Do what you need to and when someone's screaming at you, just remind yourself that it's his/her job to yell at you, but how you react to it is up to you. Follow the instructions and don't let it stress you out. It's just part of the game and how much they yell at you for screwing up really doesn't matter.

I would also add that on the PT test, show up ready to pass with a wide margin. You take it early in the course, early in the morning after several days of sleep deprivation, and in hot and humid conditions. You don't really work out in the days before the test. Some people in my class found that they were ready to pass when they left home, but when they actually took the test they failed by 30sec on the run, 5 sit-ups, or a few push-ups. It won't kill you if you fail, but it's one more thing to stress about.
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pgg said:
Believe me, nothing good can come of playing these games with the enlisted instructors at these courses, or any course for that matter.

If they try to go all Hartman Full Metal Jacket on you, take it in stride and not too seriously. After all, this isn't OCS ... you're already commissioned, you're not really being evaluated, and they can't really hurt you. If they're not being genuinely abusive or inappropriate, just play along and go with it.

Passive aggressive games with them will get the attention of the people who are really in charge, people who do outrank you, and they can give you more trouble than it's worth.
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I guess that since I'm out now, I haven't had my regular dose of Kool-Aid.
 
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bluebird123 said:
You take it early in the course, early in the morning after several days of sleep deprivation, and in hot and humid conditions.
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this made me lol.....especially the sleep deprivation part:laugh::laugh:

i remember one kid crying after 8 situps....no joke. just come prepared, sure youre a med student and can rock that belly with no ill effect on your medical performance but come on, at least think a little about physical performance, it is the military after all. do a few push ups and situps and run a bit before the course even starts
 
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I still remember the prior-hmcs showing up at OIS in line in front of me in a Hawaiian shirt and flip flops. The gunny charged over and spit all over him. He smirked and changed into khakis with 8 ssdr's and what seemed like 10 rows of ribbons. He also failed the sit-reach the next day. He remained a wonderfully subversive force throughout July of 95.
 
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SemperJeff said:
Did anyone call out the Staff Sergeants for yelling at officers?
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probably not a great idea to call them out on yelling at you. they are there to help you. They may yell a little, but as someone else pointed out... YOU ARE A COMMISSIONED OFFICER and they cannot take that away. when they do these things it is not to be disrespectful its to put you under stress and see if you can perform. In these situations they have positional authority over you that is given to them by your training officer who can and will really yell at you if you were to attempt to call them out. I have seen this first hand and if I was your OIC (Officer in charge) and you acted like a child to one my NCO's who were training cadre you bet you and I would have a long conversation with you at attention. As long as when they yell it is not disrespectful or derogatory they are in the clear. They are there to make you a better officer.
 
SWATdocMD said:
probably not a great idea to call them out on yelling at you. they are there to help you. They may yell a little, but as someone else pointed out... YOU ARE A COMMISSIONED OFFICER and they cannot take that away. when they do these things it is not to be disrespectful its to put you under stress and see if you can perform. In these situations they have positional authority over you that is given to them by your training officer who can and will really yell at you if you were to attempt to call them out. I have seen this first hand and if I was your OIC (Officer in charge) and you acted like a child to one my NCO's who were training cadre you bet you and I would have a long conversation with you at attention. As long as when they yell it is not disrespectful or derogatory they are in the clear. They are there to make you a better officer.
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I think the only people who would do anything like mess with a training instructor would be the prior enlisted folks who thought they were done with that sort of treatment. Most med students (myself included) are obedient upon landing at officer school.
 
I don't see mouthing off to an instructor ending well.

th
 
If future students take anything away from this (mostly silly) discussion, it's this:

You're a commissioned officer already. They can't hurt you so don't be intimidated. There's no reason to be worried about failing. They probably won't yell at you at all. If they do, let it roll off like the silly drama that it is. Learn whatever it is they're trying to teach. This too shall pass.

Enlisted personnel aren't the enemy. There are times when you have to tell them what to do. None of those times are during the indoctrination course.
 
Orders for Navy OIS May11-Jun13 this summer. Anybody? Any extra advice that hasn't already been said here?
 
I never had an NCO yell at me during OBC or any of the other ridiculous but ultimately enjoyable TDY-for-training summer camps. There will be jerkoffs who will bust your chops because screwing with an officer was on their bucket list, but most of these guys want you to come out of the training looking like less of a ******* than you were when you came in. Junior officers - especially medical officers with no prior experience - do a lot of things that look....well, ******ed to the "real" military. While I can guarantee that no 6 week course is going to break you of these habits, if you pay attention and realize that the NCOs have much more military experience than you likely do, you might learn something. At the very least, you'll learn to fade into the background when a senior line officer is around. I find that is an important skill when you're out of the towers of MEDCENs. Keep in mind that, at least in the Army, military life is a culture. A backwards, mouth-breathing, knuckle-dragging, third world culture full of rituals and superstitions and funny outfits and even its own horrible, gut-wrenching cuisine. If you are a physician with no prior military experience, it is already way too late for you to convert to that crazy-assed religion. But you don't want to be a total outsider either, and for that reason, and possible that reason alone, OBC is helpful.
 
My partner tells me that he did have to step in at one time when an NCO was getting a little out of line with his bullying an LT (Army), but my partner was already a field grade officer at the time and according to him the yelling had lasted long enough to give him a headache.

On the other side of the coin, I watched a co-resident come at our E-8 clinic NCO. I made a conscious decision (and the correct one, I believe) to stand back and watch the NCO feed my co-resident his own ass.

There are times for fighting and times for keeping your head down. I agree, OBC is a time to keep your head down.
 
Listen, this sticky is 8 years old, im sure this question has been asked, but how rigorous is the PT? The OP gave the miles, pushups, and situps, but what is the deal with this water training?

Is that only for the Navy's medical school? I had no interest in going there, so would I just have to do PT and be qualified? Thank you
 
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Gastrapathy said:
You are in high school. Constrain yourself to one thread.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I am asking a legitimate question about my future. I see it being a bright one and I should not be patronized by people I rely on to guide me. You guys have experienced it, I have yet to.
 
I will be attending COT this summer and I have been reading a lot of tips on these forums and other sites. I see a lot of people recommending that I get my uniforms before reporting to COT to spare me some grief on the first day and to ensure that all of my uniforms fit right. I am 6'6" so I suspect getting my uniforms tailored ahead of time will be valuable. Did anyone else do this? Is there any reason not to? Thanks
 
Ryu17 said:
I will be attending COT this summer and I have been reading a lot of tips on these forums and other sites. I see a lot of people recommending that I get my uniforms before reporting to COT to spare me some grief on the first day and to ensure that all of my uniforms fit right. I am 6'6" so I suspect getting my uniforms tailored ahead of time will be valuable. Did anyone else do this? Is there any reason not to? Thanks
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I did it and Im glad I did. Go with someone who makes sure you're getting the right stuff and it'll be fine.
Im 6'5" and didn't have to do anything extra in regards to tailoring, your dress blues coat and pant need to be tailored regardless of height and you'll have to have rank sewn onto your ABUs but the length of those shouldn't be an issue, the longs are long enough especially since you'll be blousing them.
I would recommend seeing if the RABU (the summer weight ABU) is acceptable wear at COT not...I dont see any reason mot to get those rather than the heavyweight. You'll be happier in Montgomery and most of our training locations are in warmer climates anyway.
 
teacherman84 said:
I did it and Im glad I did. Go with someone who makes sure you're getting the right stuff and it'll be fine.
Im 6'5" and didn't have to do anything extra in regards to tailoring, your dress blues coat and pant need to be tailored regardless of height and you'll have to have rank sewn onto your ABUs but the length of those shouldn't be an issue, the longs are long enough especially since you'll be blousing them.
I would recommend seeing if the RABU (the summer weight ABU) is acceptable wear at COT not...I dont see any reason mot to get those rather than the heavyweight. You'll be happier in Montgomery and most of our training locations are in warmer climates anyway.
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Good deal! Unfortunately I don't know anyone else in the AF so I'll be going it alone. I do have my uniform checklist and I called the uniform store on base and they said they would take care of it.

Did you get everything on the uniform checklist before COT or just dress blues and ABUs?
 
Ryu17 said:
Good deal! Unfortunately I don't know anyone else in the AF so I'll be going it alone. I do have my uniform checklist and I called the uniform store on base and they said they would take care of it.

Did you get everything on the uniform checklist before COT or just dress blues and ABUs?
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Check your PM
 
KinesStudent said:
Orders for Navy OIS May11-Jun13 this summer. Anybody? Any extra advice that hasn't already been said here?
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You picked the perfect time of year to go! May is beautiful in Newport! Not to hot, not to cold. The class size will be bigger than the tiny ones they have in the winter, but won't be huge like the ones they have in the summer.

Just go in with a good attitude and a sense of adventure and you'll have a blast!
 
Hey guys, anyone here headed to the May 27th COT date?
I'm the only AF HPSP guy here at UAMS in Little Rock. I'll be driving up the day before.

Also, my recruiter and I purchased all my uniforms and etc back when I signed all my papers. I haven't had a chance to put all of my blues on at once but even so they seemed a bit baggy even after tailoring on the length.
Is this common? I'm used to dress suits that are a bit more tailored for my frame. Are we authorized to have them tailored for a better fit?
 
SESmithPhD said:
Hey guys, anyone here headed to the May 27th COT date?
I'm the only AF HPSP guy here at UAMS in Little Rock. I'll be driving up the day before.

Also, my recruiter and I purchased all my uniforms and etc back when I signed all my papers. I haven't had a chance to put all of my blues on at once but even so they seemed a bit baggy even after tailoring on the length.
Is this common? I'm used to dress suits that are a bit more tailored for my frame. Are we authorized to have them tailored for a better fit?
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I got my uniforms tailored on the base where I bought them (Wright-Patt). They said that you can get them altered as long as it doesn't "change the appearance of the uniform". I would suggest not getting them tailored at a civilian place since they don't know all of the uniform standards but yes, you can get them altered.
 
I am going to COT June 29, 2014.... Is that when you're going too Ryu17?
 
Although there's not a lot of activity on it, there's a FB page dedicated to our COT class: US Air Force COT 14-05

I thought we had to arrive one or two days prior to the 30th? Did you receive your orders yet? I don't know about you, but I am really excited to get started with all this.
 
futurenavaldoctor128 said:
Listen, this sticky is 8 years old, im sure this question has been asked, but how rigorous is the PT? The OP gave the miles, pushups, and situps, but what is the deal with this water training?

Is that only for the Navy's medical school? I had no interest in going there, so would I just have to do PT and be qualified? Thank you
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Why did this post start with "listen"? The Navy doesn't have a medical school. There is a joint one called USUHS.

All Navy doctors are highly trained frogmen commando warrior assassins who must undergo drownproofing annually. If you don't like to swim with your hands tied behind your back, Navy medicine is not for you.
 
SAKAGIRL said:
Although there's not a lot of activity on it, there's a FB page dedicated to our COT class: US Air Force COT 14-05

I thought we had to arrive one or two days prior to the 30th? Did you receive your orders yet? I don't know about you, but I am really excited to get started with all this.
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"COT 14-05 (30 Jun 2014 - 1 Aug 2014)
Trainees attending Commissioned Officer Training (COT) class 14-05 must report to Bldg 1425 (Ritchey Learning Center) between the hours of 0900-1500 (CST) for in-processing on 30 June. Please make sure to have lunch if you are arriving after 1200. "

I guess we have to report on the 30th so I will probably fly down on the 29th. I just requested to join the facebook group so thanks for the link! I am definitely excited too but a little nervous since I am not prior service and really don't know what to expect. Ready to get my feet wet though!

Edit: I haven't gotten my orders yet. Have you?
 
Oh cool. Glad you found the FB page! No, I haven't received my orders yet either, although a lot of my psychology cohort have. I'm a little bit jealous to say the least. I'm also not prior military, but many of my family members have served or are serving. I think being a little nervous is to be expected :)

I did commission this past Monday, so that was definitely exciting. I will probably go down the day before as well.
 
Ryu17 said:
Yes! I am flying down on June 30th.
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I will be in the July COT class as well! I got my orders about a week ago or so. I booked my flight already too through Carlson Wagonlit. They put me on for a direct flight from Knoxville to Maxwell for June 30th. I assume they will probably do the same for you.
 
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Knoxville TN? That cant be more than a 4-5 hour drive away from Montgomery...if given the choice I would drive. Much less hassle getting to and from the airport and on the weekends youre allowed to have base privileges or off-base privledges youll be so glad you have a car. Even before you have privledges youre allowed to leave base on Sundays for a few hours to attend a church service...it nice to get away from that place for a while
 
teacherman84 said:
Knoxville TN? That cant be more than a 4-5 hour drive away from Montgomery...if given the choice I would drive. Much less hassle getting to and from the airport and on the weekends youre allowed to have base privileges or off-base privledges youll be so glad you have a car. Even before you have privledges youre allowed to leave base on Sundays for a few hours to attend a church service...it nice to get away from that place for a while
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I was thinking about that.. However, would I get reimbursed that gas money?
 
Hello.
FAP, PGY2 Psych residency.
Was wondering how does COT and board exams work? Finish residency on June 30. Boards in September. Is there an option of going to COTS after boards?
 
housemd? said:
Hello.
FAP, PGY2 Psych residency.
Was wondering how does COT and board exams work? Finish residency on June 30. Boards in September. Is there an option of going to COTS after boards?
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Are you joining after residency? You would have to talk to your recruiter, but depends on your start date with the military. If they have you starting July 1, they will probably want you to go to COT pretty quickly thereafter, as you need to do that before going to your first duty station....
 
Don't think so.
Just study for boards best you can before and after officer training. You will need to go to COT either before or after residency graduation. Then immediately to your first duty station. This is something that your Detailer is likely working hard on.
 
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