volunteering for deployment

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Specializes in crit care.

does anyone know the process, or how easy it is to be deployed if you volunteer? i am attending reserve OBLC in August and already have the critical care designator 66h8a. i have heard they like you to have a year before you go, but i am prior service and was already deployed for enduring freedom from 2004-2005. i am currently IMA but am switching to the 344th CSH at Ft. Dix I think. any takers?

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Specializes in ICU- adults, Flight RN peds/neo.

Have you checked the AKO website forums? On page two of the forum listings, there is a thread about "volunteering for deployment". I couldn't pull it up right now, or I would have given you the person's name.

Anyway, at least 3 people wrote in and said they were deployed within a month of volunteering (if I remember correctly).

good luck

cindy

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Hello:

What is the difference between CSH and IMA and how did you guys decide what unit to join?? (I believe CSH is forward surgical team unit?)

JBRecon2::: Good luck to you and OLDerTD @ OBLC!!!!!!!!!!! Hope you can stay in touch a bit and let us know how you are doing....

I'm pretty sure they would welcome you to IRAQ quite soon....

TAKE CARE Thanks..

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Specializes in critical care: trauma/oncology/burns.

Hello

CSH= Combat Surgical Hospital

IMA= Individual Mobilization Augmentee

jbrecon2: well, once you come back after graduating from OBC {{have a ton of fun! I wish I could go back}} you will be in a better position to volunteer. You must complete and graduate from OBC before you will be considered for deployment. Having the 8A will give you a "heads up"

Since you are RC, as soon as you have that OBLC diploma in hand go to your TPU S1 and tell them you are looking to volunteer for Iraq and/or Afghanistan.

As OTD2 stated, look on your AKO account there is a tab to volunteer for the "current mission"

athena

Oh and sometimes the volunteering thing works, oftentimes it doesn't I know a few people who have volunteered [> 3 years now] and they are still waiting.....A lot of medical people would like to have that patch on their right shoulder, but the "needs of the Army" and all that.....

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Specializes in crit care.

thanks athena, your advice is always helpful and you are a wealth of knowledge. i truly appreciate it as do others i'm sure. well, i'm just concentrating on OBLC for now and will volunteer when the time comes. all i can do is everything they ask, an i can only go everywhere they tell me to go. being excited to get back in the mix, all i know is soldiers are my favorite people and i would love to be taking care of them....in the desert if possible.

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Specializes in crit care.

itsarythm: as athena said CSh is a combat support hospital. it would most likely be a reserve unit in which you drill once a month. the IMA or individual mobilization augmentee is just kind of a pool of available nurses from what i understand. they assign you to a medical facility here in the states in which you drill two weeks in the summer, and if they need you for assignment they mobilize you. whether it be here in the states or over seas. i chose this route because i was told it was my best chance to volunteer for deployment.

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Specializes in Ortho, Med surg and L&D.
does anyone know the process, or how easy it is to be deployed if you volunteer? i am attending reserve OBLC in August and already have the critical care designator 66h8a. i have heard they like you to have a year before you go, but i am prior service and was already deployed for enduring freedom from 2004-2005. i am currently IMA but am switching to the 344th CSH at Ft. Dix I think. any takers?

Hello,

There are two routes to volunteering that I know, (and have utilized both, yet, after discussing it with my COC...ah hem, after the fact...was corrected into 'un' volunteering from the second larger system which you can pick a CSH or IMA).

Route one, through your own COC.

Route two, through the HRC website...once you select officer/active duty/health services/nurses, you will be brought to a new page each selection, finally you'll see a page that has a lower left hyperlink for volunteering...also a special choice for H8 qualifiers. Good luck,

Gen

p.s. make sure to first discuss with your chain of command before you choose the second route...lesson learned...thing is, if your COC knows you are interested, they can put you on the top of their own list and when they are asked for people, you will be prominant on the list...get it? So, cough, cough...communicate with THEM primarily.

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Specializes in emergency/trauma.

I've been looking at all the posts and have a question that's not covered by any of them. I hope someone can help.

I joined the Army Reserves and just recieved my orders to my reserve unit. I haven't inprocessed yet, but found out that my unit is being deployed in March. I would not mind deploying but the timing sucks! my husband is deploying in Feb!

My question is, would the Army Reserves deploy me with only 2 weekends of training and not having been to OBLC? I don't know anyone else in this situation. To me it would be ridiculous to send someone who doesn't even know the different rank structures of the Army.

Any response would help and would really be appreciated.Thank you!

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Specializes in ICU- adults, Flight RN peds/neo.
I've been looking at all the posts and have a question that's not covered by any of them. I hope someone can help.

I joined the Army Reserves and just recieved my orders to my reserve unit. I haven't inprocessed yet, but found out that my unit is being deployed in March. I would not mind deploying but the timing sucks! my husband is deploying in Feb!

My question is, would the Army Reserves deploy me with only 2 weekends of training and not having been to OBLC? I don't know anyone else in this situation. To me it would be ridiculous to send someone who doesn't even know the different rank structures of the Army.

Any response would help and would really be appreciated.Thank you!

Nope, I believe you MUST have completed OBLC before you are "deployable". In fact, you are even "discouraged" from attending the ECT (2-3 weeklong drill) before OBLC......

Do you know if your unit needs any 66H (nurses) on this deployment? I am looking to go........ (I am a 66H8A).

Good luck

c.

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-Making the 'assumption' that you will attend OBC and then either be on rear-d of unit or deploy at later date. If you don't have kids - its kind of nice to be dual deployed and not having to worry about overlapping deployments which is far worse...

;)

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Specializes in emergency/trauma.

Thanks for the info.

I actually don't know how many 66h's we have in the command. That's how out of it I am.

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Specializes in emergency/trauma.

I actually would love to go but my husband worries about our dog being left without us. I know that sounds stupid but he is our baby.

We knew when I joined that there was a possibility but the unit just changed it's status and it wasn't slated to go. I'm in a quandry and no one can answer my question.It's really scary thinking that I have no clue what I am doing military wise. But If it wasn't for our pup, it would be the perfect situation.

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