In the first article of this series ("Considering the Options…"), I discussed my experiences in graduate school and why I chose military medical research as a career. In this second article, I describe my early experiences working in military research, some of the norms in my working environment, and how they differ from my graduate school experiences.

When I first arrived at Naval Health Research Center, two years ago, I had just completed Officer Indoctrination School (OIS) in Newport, RI. OIS is a 5-week basic training experience for newly commissioned Naval officers in the medical, scientific and legal fields. This course of training is different from Officer Candidate School (OCS) primarily in that OCS students are – as the name implies – candidates. That is, they have not yet been selected as Naval officers and their course of training is intended to help the staff determine who is most fit to serve as a Naval Officer, as well as give each candidate the opportunity to decide if the Navy is the right choice for him/her.

Most future Navy "line" (warfare designated) officers attend OCS, whereas most pre-commissioned legal, medical and science officers attend OIS. Unlike OCS, then, attrition is almost nonexistent at OIS and it has historically been considered to be less demanding. Recently, however, changes have been made to increase the intensity of training and, in turn, improve its credibility in providing future Naval officers with the tools they need for success in their careers.

At OIS, we were taught the sheer fundamentals of Naval officership, such as: how to wear the different uniforms properly, how to salute, who to salute and who not to salute, how to march, Navy core values, and the code of conduct. I lived in a barracks (like a dormitory) with one roommate, much like a college dorm. At OIS there is an emphasis on discipline and structure, and culturally it is much different than what one normally experiences in graduate school!

A typical day included an early morning wake-up (5:00), physical training, changing into uniforms, attending academic courses mid morning and early afternoon, a uniform inspection, cleaning one’s room in preparation for a room inspection, working with classmates on a group project, studying for tests, shining shoes, practical lectures in the evening, and going to bed at 11:00 or 12:00. For the first 2-3 weeks, we never had a day off and never received liberty; then in subsequent weeks, we received some free time on the weekends.

The last week of OIS included a capstone leadership course. We also participated in "battle stations," an overnight continuous training experience. With a good attitude, I found that most of the training experiences at OIS were fun, and it turned out to be a good break from the more academically rigorous experience of graduate school. Most people took OIS with a grain of salt, knowing that it is a relatively brief and finite course of training, after which one is able to work in his/her area of expertise.

After OIS, my wife Debbi and I took 10 days to travel cross-country and then I reported to Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) in San Diego, CA. I had been assigned a sponsor – a fellow researcher and Naval officer who was tasked with helping to make my transition to NHRC a smooth one. My sponsor helped me with the check-in process, introduced me to all of my colleagues, and showed me around San Diego. It was extremely helpful to have a sponsor.

The Navy has an official "sponsor program" to help new members adjust to their working environment and surroundings. This is one of the fundamental differences between working in the military and working in other environments. In the military environment, there is an emphasis on looking out for others. More senior officers, for example, are expected to take responsibility for the personal and professional development of junior officers as well as enlisted members.

Once I settled in, I was asked to start working on one project as a Co-Investigator, jumpstart another dormant project as the Principle Investigator, and to write grant proposals for other projects in areas where I would like to work. This brings to mind another norm in military research that may be more similar to than different from academia. Although we are a DoD entity, we operate on "soft money," and so Principal Investigators are expected to write grant proposals and procure research funding to support our work. If we don’t procure external funding, our doors close! So, for the first year, I devoted 60-70 hours per week managing projects, writing grant proposals, building my lab, and performing a number of "collateral duties."

What are collateral duties? As a Naval officer, I am expected to be a leader as well as a scientist. Although I have no teaching duties, I have been assigned several leadership roles at NHRC. Collateral duties, then, are additional jobs or roles that are assigned over and above one’s primary specialization, which in my case is biomedical research. Some examples of my collateral duties include, command fitness leader (responsible for the physical training and testing of 12-14 fellow officers at NHRC, building safety monitor (responsible for the safety of all employees in my building in case of fire or other events), and purchase card holder (manage the procurement of goods for 10-12 members of my department). These duties, of course, are not glamorous, and junior officers typically carry more collateral duties than their more senior counterparts. That said, if these duties are approached with a good attitude, I’ve found that they can occasionally confer unexpected rewards.

In sum, I’d estimate that as a research scientist and junior officer, approximately 50% of my time is devoted to advancement of my research program, about 30% is devoted to collateral duties, and the remaining 20% is devoted to additional military-specific events and duties. This may be a comparable division of time and workload to a junior faculty member who must juggle research, teaching, and community service responsibilities.

Another interesting norm in the military community which may differ from other communities concerns the emphasis on social involvement. This, of course, may differ from one military command to the next. In my command, there is an expectation that officers participate in social activities. This requires one to manage time very effectively and balance grant writing, data collection, project management and collateral duties with additional social commitments. With effective time management, one can manage these multiple responsibilities effectively.

In sum, I have described my early experiences working in military research, some of the norms in my working environment, and how they differ from my graduate school experiences. I have found military research to be a very unique and unrivaled opportunity to study human performance in extreme and complex environments, and thus far find it to be a very challenging and rewarding career.