Health Care Opportunities

Serving part-time in the Navy Reserve allows you to pursue the advantages of civilian life while enjoying the camaraderie, challenges, and many benefits the military offers. Whether or not you have prior service in the military, as a Navy Reservist, you will proudly serve your country as you increase your overall opportunities for success. In exchange, you’ll be rewarded with benefits designed to help you succeed in both your military and civilian lives.

Health Care in the Navy Reserve
Perhaps nothing is more gratifying than saving the life of a dedicated Sailor who has pledged to defend America, its citizens, and its shores. As a health-care professional, you know how rewarding service and caring for others can be. And, as an Officer in the Navy Reserve Nurse Corps, Medical Corps, Dental Corps, or Medical Service Corps, you can extend your scope of healing to include the brave men and women of the Navy, its Reserve component, the Coast Guard, and the Marine Corps.

In our force, you will do what you do best. You’ll have the opportunity to practice within your specialty – most specialties are represented in the Navy Reserve and, in some cases, you could even work in the same civilian hospital or setting you work in now. With flexible training options, members of these Corps are able to maximize both their civilian and military experiences. Depending on your specialties and the needs of the Navy Reserve, you can perform your Annual Training close to home or around the world.

You will also encounter unique experiences that will improve your skills and increase your knowledge as you enjoy a sense of teamwork that’s often hard to find in the civilian world. What’s more, you will enjoy an unrivaled sense of pride and fulfillment known only to those who serve.

Nurse Corps
If your specialty area lies in anesthesia, operating room, medical/surgical, or critical care nursing, your skills are highly valued in the Navy Reserve, and your service will be rewarded accordingly. You will work with state-of-the-art equipment, top physicians, and other medical professionals on everything from family practice to advanced surgery. And, as an Officer in the Nurse Corps, your opportunities will span the complete range of academic, clinical, and operational settings. Financial incentives may also be available for nurses in critical specialties.

To qualify, you must be a graduate of a U.S. education program granting a bachelor of science degree in nursing (if you do not have a BSN, you may still qualify for an opportunity within the Navy Reserve enlisted health-care community).

You must also be accredited by the appropriate state board of nursing or the National League of Nursing. All applicants must be licensed, in good standing, and currently engaged in nursing practice. You should be at least 20 and no older than 35 years of age at time of appointment – maximum age limits may be waived on a case-by-case basis, depending on qualifications and the needs of the Navy Reserve.

Medical Corps (Physicians)
Serving as an Officer in the Medical Corps, you can dedicate your talents to exciting and unique types of health care, such as aerospace, aviation medicine, submarine operations, surface warfare operations, and the Fleet Marine Force. You will also have the opportunity to work in state-of-the-art medical facilities alongside top medical professionals from across the country. Financial incentives may also be available for physicians in critical specialties.

To qualify, you must be a graduate of a medical school approved by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education or the American Medical Association or be a graduate of a school of osteopathy approved by the American Osteopathic Association.

Foreign medical graduates must have completed a residency program approved by the AMA, be board-certified in a specialty considered critical to the Navy Reserve, and have at least two years of experience following completion of residency. Consideration is on a case-by-case basis.

All applicants must be currently licensed to practice medicine, surgery, or osteopathy in the U.S. or District of Columbia. To be considered, you must be currently engaged in clinical practice of the specialty being considered. You should be at least 21 and no older than 40 years of age at time of appointment – maximum age limits may be waived on a case-by-case basis, depending on qualifications and the needs of the Navy Reserve.

Dental Corps
As an Officer in the Dental Corps, you will undergo training, experiences, and challenges that extend far beyond the scope of a civilian dental practice. Serving in our force, you will provide care to Navy and Marine Corps personnel, their families, and retirees while enjoying the flexibility to perform in a wide variety of academic, clinical, and operational settings.

Typically, you may serve in well-equipped shore facilities or even aboard large ships at sea. In times of national emergency, you may be called upon to augment the Medical Corps by providing mass casualty and trauma care.

To qualify, you must be a graduate of a dental school approved by the Commission on Accreditation of Dental and Auxiliary Educational Programs of the American Dental Association. You must be currently licensed to practice dentistry independently in any of the United States, Puerto Rico, or the District of Columbia. And you should be at least 21 and no older than 40 years of age at time of appointment – maximum age limits may be waived on a case-by-case basis, depending on qualifications and the needs of the Navy Reserve.

Medical Service Corps
Serving as an optometrist, you could prescribe contact lenses to an Admiral. Or, if you’re a radiologist, perhaps you’ll study the thermal stress and magnetic force of a submarine’s nuclear reactor. You could even serve as an aerospace physiologist, correlating the aerodynamics of the new F/A-18 Super Hornet. These are just a few of the many jobs and duties that can be found in the Navy Reserve Medical Service Corps.

As an Officer, you’ll become part of a highly diversified medical team consisting of clinical care providers, health-care administrators, and health-care sciences personnel. Working with highly advanced equipment in state-of-the-art facilities, you will enjoy training on levels unrivaled in the civilian world. Whether you find yourself involved in direct patient care or environmental support services, or researching new techniques to combat bio warfare casualties, you will find yourself advancing your career and life.

The Navy Reserve offers a number of specialties within the Medical Service Corps including:



Physician Assistant

Pharmacy

Optometry

Clinical Psychology

Physical Therapy

Dietetics

Social Work

Audiology

Occupational Therapy

Podiatry

General Health Care Administration

Plans, Operations, and Medical Intelligence

Financial Management

Medical Logistics

Patient Administration

Information Management

Manpower Systems Analysis

Education and Training Management

Medical Construction Liaison

Operations Research

Industrial Hygiene

Environmental Health

Medical Technology

Aerospace Physiology

Radiation Health

Microbiology

Biochemistry

Entomology

Aerospace Experimental Psychology

Research PsychologyEducation qualifications vary by discipline. In order to be eligible for a commission as an Officer in the Navy Reserve Medical Service Corps, you must be fully licensed in your particular specialty and in good standing. And you should be at least 20 and no older than 35 years of age at time of appointment.To learn how you can pursue Medical opportunities as an Officer in the Navy Reserve, contact your local