P-38 Naval Reserve program

[alaurin]

Hi all,

My brother in law is prior enlisted and is interested in securing a position as an officer. He is currently working on a PhD at a research institution in what would fall under the category of public health or social work, similar to social psychology. He was looking into different positions to apply for and expressed an interest in a program that allows him to finish his PhD with funding while serving in some capacity similar to a reservist (that two weekends a month type of thing).

Today he asked me about the P-38 program http://www.onr.navy.mil/Science-Technology/Naval-Reservists-p38.aspx and I can't really find much information on how you get into this program other than it seems you apply for it after you're in as a reservist. Does anybody know about this program?

 

[RiseR 25]

Hi all,

My brother in law is prior enlisted and is interested in securing a position as an officer. He is currently working on a PhD at a research institution in what would fall under the category of public health or social work, similar to social psychology. He was looking into different positions to apply for and expressed an interest in a program that allows him to finish his PhD with funding while serving in some capacity similar to a reservist (that two weekends a month type of thing).

Today he asked me about the P-38 program http://www.onr.navy.mil/Science-Technology/Naval-Reservists-p38.aspx and I can't really find much information on how you get into this program other than it seems you apply for it after you're in as a reservist. Does anybody know about this program?

It looks like Program 38 is entirely under the umbrella of ONR. Unfortunately I don't' believe a PhD candidate in psychology would be able to find a research project with this program. ONR focuses entirely on science and technology advances for the Navy. A professor I took a couple of required classes from has a couple of projects under ONR, but I don't know if any of them fall under Program 38. None of his grad students are Navy Reservists so my guess would be no.

 

[alaurin]

It looks like Program 38 is entirely under the umbrella of ONR. Unfortunately I don't' believe a PhD candidate in psychology would be able to find a research project with this program. ONR focuses entirely on science and technology advances for the Navy. A professor I took a couple of required classes from has a couple of projects under ONR, but I don't know if any of them fall under Program 38. None of his grad students are Navy Reservists so my guess would be no.

I saw a couple of things regarding health research under their departments, maybe that's what he was looking for. It looks like they do some research fellowships, but I'm not exactly sure what he was looking for since it looks like most of their stuff is concentrated in physics and engineering work. The recruiter he talked with had mentioned working on some research for the Navy while he finishes his PhD, but I think the program he's looking at is a senior billet for scientists already working at the Naval Research Laboratory or other institutions under the Navy.

 

[Flash]

Your brother may want to look at the US Public Health Service, it is actually one of the seven uniformed services with just commissioned officers and sounds much more suited for his background. There are some USPHS officers that serve with the US Coast Guard and NOAA as medical support.

 

[alaurin]

I think he had his heart set on the Navy since he saw how the officers on the Nimitz lived. Every time we talk about the Navy, he reminds me that officers don't have to clean their own rooms. The Navy Health Professionals has a couple of options he liked, so I'll direct him towards that (http://www.navy.com/careers/healthcare/healthcare-sciences/research-psych.html). We'll see, I guess.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

Have him talk to a Medical Officer Recruiter, they can look at the goals and what is available, there are many jobs that have one or two spots a year, in some cases the OR can send the CV to the medical program manager to see what would be a good fit.

 

[Renegade One]

I think he had his heart set on the Navy since he saw how the officers on the Nimitz lived. Every time we talk about the Navy, he reminds me that officers don't have to clean their own rooms.

Seriously? That's his primary motivation?

Reading your original post, I was going to recommend that your brother (the old "I have a brother/friend" ploy…) join the site and do his own research and ask his own questions.

Now? Tell him not to bother. This isn't the career field he's looking for.

 

[alaurin]

Renegade, I don't think that's his primary motivation but I have to admit I wonder why he'd want to join up again because from the stories he told me it seemed like he didn't enjoy being a sailor (mostly guys getting sick all over quarters after port leave, there was also the guy who died during tour who was kept in the freezer story too). I think right now he's just looking at career options since it's difficult to get a job with behavioral health.

 

[Halfpint]

1. He needs to make sure he wants to be an officer, first and foremost.
2. Career options really depend on what his actual degree is in; there are options for provider-type positions in the clinic as well as some research positions (Research Psychologist and Aerospace Experimental Psychologist are two that come to mind, but it really depends on his specific degree).
3. The Air Force and Army also have options for some of these career fields (FWIW, Air Force gets maid service during COT, so they don't have to make their beds; if he goes Navy, will have to make his rack at ODS; these are the USAF and USN officer training programs for ative duty direct commission). But I sincerely hope that's not really part of the decision.
4. USPHS, as mentioned by Flash, does sound like a better option. Tell him he will still get saluted like any other uniformed officer, if that's important to him (but make no mistake that it's not the same as being a military offier).
5. He really needs to make sure he wants to be an officer first, not a scientist.

 

[Renegade One]

Renegade, I don't think that's his primary motivation but I have to admit I wonder why he'd want to join up again because from the stories he told me it seemed like he didn't enjoy being a sailor (mostly guys getting sick all over quarters after port leave, there was also the guy who died during tour who was kept in the freezer story too). I think right now he's just looking at career options since it's difficult to get a job with behavioral health.

Okay…off my soapbox. I'll give you and the prior-E BIL a pass…but it was YOU who said "he had his heart set on the Navy since he saw how officers…lived…"

Now…to the heart of the matter. Getting a PhD is "a good thing"…he'll be able to put "Dr. Bagadonuts" on every business card and resume from then on. But why did he choose a study/career field in which he probably knew "it's difficult to get a job"? Choices…choices...

Way too much of that going around…and far too many colleges and universities perfectly willing to take the money.

I concur with the reccos above to look into the USPHS. Why they wear Navy-like uniforms I have NO idea…probably had some strong linkage to the whole "Immigration Health Screening" stuff…like at Ellis Island, and Maritime Quarantine role (like on Staten Island, last century ago), etc….

 

[alaurin]

Renegade, I agree with you that there's too many universities willing to take money and give degrees which have absolutely no feasible application outside of academic (most notoriously degrees like medieval literature and gender studies). Part of it is also the sentiment of "Follow your heart and everything will magically line up, nevermind that it's all a pipe dream!"

But I do think I have misrepresented my brother in law, who is a very professional and dedicated worker that deeply cares about people. I don't think he should be mistaken for a person who looks for an easy way out or wants all the perks without working hard. And I agree with Halfpint that people who join the military as an officer really should prioritize being an Officer first. It's not a civilian job and that level of dedication is definitely not something you can or should compromise on.