Tell me more

[USN HM 350Z]

Sub IDC's please tell me more. I am currently attending school at NSHS Portsmouth for the dual NEC of 8483 and 8486, but I would like to become an 8402 in the VERY near future. Your feedback and experiences would be very helpful in guiding me. Thank you.

Peace,

HM2 Young

[crazycajun]

HM2 Young,

I'm currently working on getting a buddy of mine to join our forum. He is a former Sub IDC and I'm sure he can tell you about the Sub Life....even though he is now retired!

Semper Fi,

cracycajun

[USN HM 350Z]

Sounds great, Thanks.

Peace,

HM2 Young

[crazycajun]

HM2,

Sorry it's taking a while to get my buddy on here....though I'll give him a hollar tomorrow and see what I can find out!

Semper Fi

crazycajun

[KeepOnKeepinOn]

Good day,

I just finished 2 yrs on the USS OHIO (SSBN / now SSGN) with 1.5 of that working directly with/for the IDC(S) (my first doc rotated out in september '05 after something like 7 years!! on board), and did a patrol on the USS NEVADA earlier in '05 doing some work with their doc also.

The sub IDC community is nothing less than outstanding. The best analagy I could make to the job is that you essentially become a family practice physician: diagnose and treat within the limits of your training (and the law), and consult out the other stuff. Just figuring out where an ill patient needs to go in itself can be a challenge (i.e. physical, mental, malingering, ect.).

Make sure you study up on your rad health before / at numi.

My hand is about sore from this confounded pc so I'm goona stop writing now. If you have any specific questions, I can try to answer or get the answer for you if I don't know it. I learned about this site when I got here to corps school a few weeks ago so I may try to get my old bosses to join in.

VT,
SN(SS) RYAN TACKES

[kgpearce]

Petty Officer Young,

I was screening through this and other websites as I waxed nostalgic. I did three full length tours on 2 fast attacks and 1 Trident. I also rode a couple of boats for deployments to support a couple of colleagues. There are three qualities that a sub doc requires (in my opinion):

A desire to do perfect paperwork, but without being so compulsive you fold your trash before throwing it away. You cannot let the opinions of others hurt your sense of self (as with any microcosm, some nukes can be a pain).

A desire to continually learn. Not just the paperwork, but your expertise in technical medicine and your own personal professional development. That being said, you must always remember that the doc is a sacrificial anode. The lightning strikes him first.

Third, and the easiest of all skills, the desire to serve. That does not mean that you do not provide (or get)an ass chewing when deserved, but that you compassionately treat your shipmates. Especially after you are a Chief.

The stressors are different, but stressors nonetheless. Want more? Drop me a line or give me a call.

KGPearce, HMCS(SS) USN Ret

[DeeDee]

Thanks KGPearce - my youngest is talking about enlisting when he finishes high school and the career field he has decided on will put him on a sub or a carrier and he seems to prefer the sub.

Have a great day

[SubDoc]

I am about to finish up my career as a Sub IDC.

I graduated from NUMI in the spring of 1993 and have been in the Bremerton/Bangor area since then. 2 boats, a tour at the hospital and now a tour at the Strategic Weapons facility.

If you want to truly be an IDC, then subs are the way to go. Not taking ANYTHING away from our 8425 brothers and sisters, but the chances of them going out on a small ship and be independent are pretty slim.

As with any other career choice, you will get out of it, what you put into it.

A boat Doc is everything.... Mommy, dentist, pshrink, trauma surgeon, rad health officer, occ health coordinator, gas free engineer, Mommy.... and you will get razzed... Lord how you will get razzed....

You will be accused of being a rack-backed, san-tank filling, movie hound, chow grubbing, oxygen wasting, hollywood shower taking, free loader... That is until they need something, they are sick or they are hurt, then they don't mind that you are unencumbered with a watch and you can take care of them.

If you are married, it will be a challenge. Fast boats are gone- A LOT... Tridents are on a more set schedule and you can plan things. But while you are at school, you will be spending quite a bit of your time studying.

If you have any more questions, please e-mail me and I will help if I can

Richard Davis
subdoc79@hotmail.com

[DeeDee]

Thanks SubDoc - I imagine life on a sub would be VERY different from anywhere else.

Thanks Again
DeeDee

[old navy]

SUBDOC says,
"If you want to truly be an IDC, then subs are the way to go. Not taking ANYTHING away from our 8425 brothers and sisters, but the chances of them going out on a small ship and be independent are pretty slim."

The chances of being assigned to an IDC ship out of school are pretty slim but eventually the chances get better. I used to hear 8502's say that 25's were lesser IDCs because we always had the MEDEVAC available. Not always true. Some cases that come to mind that I had to hold on to for awhile are a female with abdominal pain and a positive pregnancy test, a BT1 with chest pain that actually had an MI, and a CHENG with a crushed hand. I've had opportunities to be independent of a medical officer with the Marines as well. Embassy protection mission in Africa, drug ops, and associated other fun things.

I highly recommend going the SUB IDC route. You get a boat right out of school. They will even short-tour an IDC from his boat just to put you there. More money, a better screened, healthy and educated crew, and better food I hear are a few reasons. The 8402 though I've noticed tends not to take orders to the FMF and I wouldn't have missed that experience for all the sub pay in the world.

[DeeDee]

Well - my other son (not the corpsman) is looking into the Nuclear Power Program and wants to go on a sub - so I thought this would be a good place to hear about life on a sub.
Thanks



? How is it possible for two Zoomies to raise two Sailors ???? :D

[gvbest]

Well if your son chooses that route, he will be in for several years of very long days. Pretty challenging program from the start like 18-24 months of schooling/training before he will ever see his first boat. Then once he reports onboard he will be pretty busy with ships quals (dolphins), and his in rate quals (watch standing), not to mention the regular maintence or work that has to be accomplished. It seems from what I see, that nukes put in long hours at sea with watch, maintence, drills, training (lots of training) and then long hours in port with for the same reason. And thats not even looking at the long hours during a refuel, or drydock type maintence period, I've seen MM's(Nukes) work like 15+ hour days for 30 plus days straight (no weekends) while inport. Although it sounds tough, one has to remember that they are paid very good, most put on 2d within 2yrs(STAR), 1st is usually pretty easy as well, their SRB's are at some ungodly levels (I believe without a cap) and through out all zones. From the people I know, they either love it or hate it, doesnt seem to be to many middle of the road types.
Hope this helps.

[DeeDee]

Thanks gvbest - appreciate the input - he is set on enlisting and, being a veteran myself, I am supporting it all the wayThanks againDeeDee