Just graduated from ODS!

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I just graduated from ODS! Yay! If anyone has any questions I'll try and answer. I'm stationed at Portsmouth Naval Hospital and going through the check-in process right now. Whew. Paperwork-city!

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Congratulation!!

I am suppose to go in November, but who knows. I do have some questions.

1. Any helpful hints, things to bring/not to bring, any advice on ODS?

2. How much time were you given between ODS and getting settled in at Portsmouth?

3. How much did you bring to cover costs until you got paid? How much were the uniforms?

4. How was the physical training at ODS?

Again, congratulations and I wish you the best of luck on the East coast. I'm scheduled to go to the west coast, but still haven't received anything official yet.

-recent BSN

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Congrats!

1. Any helpful hints, things to bring/not to bring, any advice on ODS?

-lets see, have you checked out the website (OTCN or something)? it has a list of useful things to bring. I would bring some civilian clothes since you get to wear them after week 3 I think on liberty (assuming you don't screw up!)

-typical stuff like an iron (unless you want to use the ones there), laundry detergent, dryer sheets (to clean dust off the floor), padlock, pens, shoe polish, white t-shirts

-check out the room with the irons, etc. when you get there...usually the previous classes leave tons of stuff they don't want to take with them. It's like a free walmart!

-Try and take care of your household goods ahead of time too. (smartwebmove is the website I believe). That'll save you time. Pretty much the first 2 weeks is a bunch of admin paperwork nightmare...so if you have all this done, you can sit easy and relax. There were some people going to Japan who didn't even have passports yet! So they were in trouble.

2. How much time were you given between ODS and getting settled in at Portsmouth?

-you have 2 days to travel I believe, but my orders said to report NLT Nov, so I technically had almost a month, but that would count as leave. I reported after 4 days and requested house hunting leave, which is 9 days. So now I'm on a little break before I start and getting things taken care of.

3. How much did you bring to cover costs until you got paid? How much were the uniforms?

4. How was the physical training at ODS?

-we had group PT maybe twice, but then they got rid of it and said to workout on your own. We did the PRT 3 times while we were there and that was pretty fun. You have time in the evening and on weekends to workout. There is a track and gym and a cool running trail that is 4 miles long.

One big thing that I recommend is trying to find an apt, etc ahead of time at your duty station. I know it might be hard not living there, but it saved me alot of stress.

Also bring a bunch of copies of your orders, you'll need them.

Bring cash because you might not be able to get to an ATM at times and you'll need money for the galley. Once you get liberty, you'll have more chances. We had on-base liberty after the first week, so that was nice.

It helped having a spiral notebook to take notes for all the classes.

I'm trying to think of stuff that was helpful...

Oh, if you can maybe try and get your id ahead of time or your uniforms. That was a long process! You can apply for a STAR card and use that to pay for your uniforms and you get 10% off, which is nice since my uniform bill was $1400 or so!

NKO! Try and do all the NKO courses now...that'll definitely save you time. The list of courses in the ODS website.

Good luck!! Not sure if I was any help, but if I think of anything else, I'll post back here.

ODS wasn't all that bad. I got yelled at a few times, but no big deal. If you are a coffee drinker, i'd start tapering off now. We didn't get coffee until week 4 or so. You can have it if you go off base, but not during the week.

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Oops, I skipped your question 3.

3. How much did you bring to cover costs until you got paid? How much were the uniforms?

I initially had $300 in cash. Someone was assigned to handle money, so you give $20 or $40 or whatever to him/her and then every day they pay the galley the group total at each meal. Once things get started, we couldn't go to an ATM until the weekend. So make sure you have at least $10 a day for 5 days. But after the first 2 weeks it was more lenient.

We had other expenses like company t-shirt, Chief's dinner, Chief's gift, Class officer gift...seemed like there was always something to pay for!

My uniform total was about $1400. I paid it off with a STAR card which you can open at the NEX there.

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Specializes in Pediatrics: Neuro/Ortho/Trauma, Now ER.

Oh my goodness! Thank you SOOOO much for your post! I will be going to ODS in November (if they hurry up with the paperwork!!!!) and will be stationed at Portsmouth. I can not thank you enough for the info. :bowingpur Congrats on making it through and good luck with the mounds of paperwork!

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Cool! Good luck!

Oh, by the way, when you get to ODS and have your PSD brief, they'll give you a form to fill out so you can get an allowance for food, etc. while you are at ODS. You get about $430 which shows up during week 2.

The big thing to remember is to just play the game and graduate ;)

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smattles1of2,

Thank you so much, All you info was so very helpful!!!

Hey wanttobeanavynurse,

we will probably be at ODS together, that is if they get my paperwork done. We are suppose to leave in two weeks and still no orders, etc. Kind of a little worried...

-recent BSN

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Specializes in Pediatrics: Neuro/Ortho/Trauma, Now ER.
smattles1of2,

Thank you so much, All you info was so very helpful!!!

Hey wanttobeanavynurse,

we will probably be at ODS together, that is if they get my paperwork done. We are suppose to leave in two weeks and still no orders, etc. Kind of a little worried...

-recent BSN

I'm worried too, but I have a feeling it will all work out somehow.

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Specializes in Neuro, Surgical, Trauma and ICU..

thanks smattles,

I have a question for all of you who plan to go to Portsmouth or have orders for anywhere else. Is anyone considering on-base housing. If so does anyone know the availability.

Smattles, I have a few questions to?

1. I am hoping to go to ODS in January and I'm a straight southern gurl! :mad: Was the dorms really cold? What about the Pt gear was it thick. I am trying to start running in the mornings when its cold because I am stiff as a brick when its cold?

2. Do you need a formal civilian outfit for the Chief's dinner or will you be in uniform?

3. Did you put your personal household items in storage before you left for ODS?

Thanks soo much!

ps: I put on my dream sheet Portsmouth but of course I don't know for sure.

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WanttobeaNavyNurse and Midwesternboy:

Any news on your orders for ODS yet?

MiltM

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I'm headed to the Nov ODS and then to San Diego,

I will probably have many questions once I figure out how to read these orders.

recent BSN

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Specializes in Neuro, Surgical, Trauma and ICU..

Congratulations!!!!!

:yeah::yeah:

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