OCS Blood Pressure Issues at OCS?

[ProbablyNotChuck]

Hi everyone,

I've put together a package for SWO and Intel, and have a question about how medical issues work at OCS. Like a lot of people, I had to do the 2-day blood pressure reading song and dance at MEPS, because I get nervous going to the doctor.

I fully expect to have to deal with this again at OCS, if selected, and am hoping someone can provide some color on what will actually happen. Worst case scenario, let's say the Navy says I actually have high blood pressure - would they send me home or would they put me on medication and let me commission since I'm not in aviation?

Really appreciate any clarity anyone can provide. I've searched high and low for information on this and can't seem to find anything non-aviation specific.

 

[WannaFlyHigh]

Anyone get back to you on this ?

 

[carviator]

It's called white coat syndrome and it's a real thing. If you have WCS and let them know, they will do what they can to get you to normal levels. Never been through ocs but have dealt with this multiple times active duty.

 

[WannaFlyHigh]

It's called white coat syndrome and it's a real thing. If you have WCS and let them know, they will do what they can to get you to normal levels. Never been through ocs but have dealt with this multiple times active duty.

Won’t you have to get evaluated by a doctor (white coat) to prove you have white coat?

 

[AllAmerican75]

Won’t you have to get evaluated by a doctor (white coat) to prove you have white coat?

Yes and no. Usually, the one performing the 3 day blood pressure screening is a Corpsman.

Hi everyone,

I've put together a package for SWO and Intel, and have a question about how medical issues work at OCS. Like a lot of people, I had to do the 2-day blood pressure reading song and dance at MEPS, because I get nervous going to the doctor.

I fully expect to have to deal with this again at OCS, if selected, and am hoping someone can provide some color on what will actually happen. Worst case scenario, let's say the Navy says I actually have high blood pressure - would they send me home or would they put me on medication and let me commission since I'm not in aviation?

Really appreciate any clarity anyone can provide. I've searched high and low for information on this and can't seem to find anything non-aviation specific.

I had this happen when I went in to get some blisters checked out. I did a three day screening and was fine. If they find you have an actual problem, then they will likely send you to a doc. The rest is up to Navy Medical.

 

[Meyerkord]

Won’t you have to get evaluated by a doctor (white coat) to prove you have white coat?

They can give you a take-home monitor that will record your blood pressure over the course of a few days. Buddy of mine had to do that because of his white coat syndrome

 

[number9]

Hi everyone,

I've put together a package for SWO and Intel, and have a question about how medical issues work at OCS. Like a lot of people, I had to do the 2-day blood pressure reading song and dance at MEPS, because I get nervous going to the doctor.

I went to MEPS for ODS (not OCS) and my experience with it was a bit of a shitshow. The first time they took my blood pressure they said "Oh it's 200/180, you're disqualified" and I said "I'm pretty sure that's wrong, you might want to try again" and they said "Oh yeah, you would probably be dead with such high BP".

They took it again. This time they said "Oh now it's 60/40, you're still disqualified" and I said "yeah, I'm pretty sure that's wrong too" and they said "Oh yeah, you would probably also be dead". Eventually the guy doing the testing realized he had used the wrong-sized cuff and lo and behold it was 120/80 or whatever it normally is.

White Coat Syndrome is definitely a real thing, but the reason I posted my anecdote here is if this test has the potential to make or break your career, make 100% sure that they're performing the test correctly and don't be afraid to (politely) ask questions if you have concerns.

 

[Mouselovr]

Had this happen when I went to NAMI for the first time. They just redid it.
Had another friend that they had him come back later in OCS to redo it.

 

[UInavy]

Make sure you have the cuff at heart level. The normal “Relax and put your arm at your side” can cause an inaccurate high reading by 10 points. Turns out that your mk1mod0 hm does not know this. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1120141/#__sec8title