US Army Nurse Reserve

[808murse808]

Anyone with army nurse reserve experience "deployment" to the local military hospital to backfill the active duty nurses who actually get deployed. I am currently in the process of applying as a 66H med/surg nurse in Honolulu, HI and was told by the healthcare recruiter

deployment for us is usually backfilling Tripler Army medical center for the active duty personnel who will go for deployment? I don't see why an active duty nurse would get deployed first over a reservist?

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

Depends on the unit to which the reservist is assigned, the AOC, and what the deployment assignment is. A lot of hospital personnel deploy via the professional filler system (PROFIS) in which they are used to round out a unit such as an FST or CSH. If they have a standing PROFIS assignment to a unit that is deploying, they go with them and their position is backfilled. And remember, in the Army, a 66H doesn't just mean you work med/surg - it is a generalist AOC that can be assigned to any hospital area. You might be backfilling a specialty position that is specifically required by the deploying unit. Much easier to use the flexible AOC for the backfill.

To flip your question around, why do you think a reservist should deploy over an active duty servicemember?

[808murse808]

Thank you for the reply. Its not that i feel a reservist should deploy first its rather that i have experienced family and friends in the reserves who have deployed more frequently that those that are active. Keep in mind tho they are not medical and are NCOs in the infantry. So from experienced i have seen first hand many reservists deploy more.

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

I think you are seeing a small portion of people who deploy. I suspect if you were stationed near a post where a good portion of the resident division gets deployed, you would realize that the regular Army deploys more than the Reserves or National Guard. But medical is its own animal anyway!