NOAA and USPHS Service

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KeiranHalcyon

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Lesser known post-graduation service options for Kings Pointers are commissioned officers in The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or US Public Health Service Corps.

Anyone familiar with service in either of these organizations?
 
Would be extremely difficult to go PHS as those are almost all folks who are in the healthcare field. I believe they do have some engineers, but I’ve never met one.
 
I know someone whose graduated daughter is with NOAA. She was an engineer at KP. I know she likes it a lot. Any particular questions you might have and I can ask her? PM me if you'd like. :)
 
azmilmom said:
I know someone whose graduated daughter is with NOAA. She was an engineer at KP. I know she likes it a lot. Any particular questions you might have and I can ask her? PM me if you'd like. :)
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This isn't really working for NOAA in the obligation fulfilling capacity. NOAAs engineers are MEBA, their equivalent of deck officers are commissioned in the NOAA Corps.
 
beyond said:
azmilmom said:
I know someone whose graduated daughter is with NOAA. She was an engineer at KP. I know she likes it a lot. Any particular questions you might have and I can ask her? PM me if you'd like. :)
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This isn't really working for NOAA in the obligation fulfilling capacity. NOAAs engineers are MEBA, their equivalent of deck officers are commissioned in the NOAA Corps.
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You know more than I as I only know she works for NOAA and was an engineer at KP. She is also Naval Reserve so that is most likely how she fulfills her obligation. I also have no idea of her position at NOAA except that she goes out on their ships. :)
 
From the USMMA website:

"This approval is automatic for two categories of service/employment: (1) employment as a merchant marine officer sailing aboard U.S.-flagged vessels; and (2) service as a commissioned officer on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States or as a commissioned officer of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Corps or the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Corps."
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We are new to the KP family and USMMA but can you explain how this relates to the statements above?

​
 
New@This said:
From the USMMA website:

"This approval is automatic for two categories of service/employment: (1) employment as a merchant marine officer sailing aboard U.S.-flagged vessels; and (2) service as a commissioned officer on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States or as a commissioned officer of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Corps or the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Corps."
​
We are new to the KP family and USMMA but can you explain how this relates to the statements above?

​
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I'm not sure what you're asking... how what relates to what...?

What I think you're getting at is "Why is everyone saying it's impossible to get PHS or NOAA slots if they are offered as options?"

The answer is that they are only options. The service has to want you. PHS probably interested in Doctors, and NOAA tends to favor scientists. The service has to have a slot available and you have to have the skills that they need, KP doesn't set you up well in this regard. If you can get in, it is obligation fulfilling, but getting in is the hard part.
 
The Unites States has seven federal uniformed services that commission officers. These are the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, NOAA and the PHC. NOAA and PHC have the same officer uniforms and rank structure as the Navy (or CG if assigned there) bit with their own service emblems.

KP will accept a commission from any of them to fulfill the active duty option service requirement.

NOAA has less than 400 commissioned officers and PHS has over 6500 but most are medical as stated above.
 
beyond said:
New@This said:
From the USMMA website:

"This approval is automatic for two categories of service/employment: (1) employment as a merchant marine officer sailing aboard U.S.-flagged vessels; and (2) service as a commissioned officer on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States or as a commissioned officer of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Corps or the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Corps."
​
We are new to the KP family and USMMA but can you explain how this relates to the statements above?

​
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what you're asking... how what relates to what...?

What I think you're getting at is "Why is everyone saying it's impossible to get PHS or NOAA slots if they are offered as options?"

The answer is that they are only options. The service has to want you. PHS probably interested in Doctors, and NOAA tends to favor scientists. The service has to have a slot available and you have to have the skills that they need, KP doesn't set you up well in this regard. If you can get in, it is obligation fulfilling, but getting in is the hard part.
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NOAA isn't just interested in scientists. Their vessels need mates, engineers, deckhands, cooks, etc. just like any other fleet.
 
cmakin said:
NOAA isn't just interested in scientists. Their vessels need mates, engineers, deckhands, cooks, etc. just like any other fleet.
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Yes, but to fulfill your MSO with NOAA you need to commission in the NOAA corps... the engineers and unlicensed are not commissioned. The Deck Officers are commissioned in the NOAA Corps, but if you look at the BOTC website you can see that they overwhelmingly have science backgrounds. Commissioning in NOAA is kind of a reach, the last KP'r I saw on the BOTC website was a Naval Aviator who left the Navy to fly P-3s for NOAA.
 
So sailing as a licensed engineer with NOAA does not fulfill your MSO? Interesting ?!?!?
 
KPEngineer said:
So sailing as a licensed engineer with NOAA does not fulfill your MSO? Interesting ?!?!?
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It does, just not in the way I think the OP is asking about.

Basically two ways to fulfill your MSO:

1)Sail and be an SSO

or

2)Go active duty.

Sailing as a "Mate" (commissioned officer in the NOAA corps) for NOAA uses option 2. The engineers on NOAA ships come through MEBA, so if you were an engineer you'd be fulfilling your obligation via option #1... does that make sense?
 
beyond said:
KPEngineer said:
So sailing as a licensed engineer with NOAA does not fulfill your MSO? Interesting ?!?!?
Click to expand...

It does, just not in the way I think the OP is asking about.

Basically two ways to fulfill your MSO:

1)Sail and be an SSO

or

2)Go active duty.

Sailing as a "Mate" (commissioned officer in the NOAA corps) for NOAA uses option 2. The engineers on NOAA ships come through MEBA, so if you were an engineer you'd be fulfilling your obligation via option #1... does that make sense?
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It makes sense to me, but its not what you originally said. I presumed you just mispoke and was confirming.
 
KeiranHalcyon said:
Lesser known post-graduation service options for Kings Pointers are commissioned officers in The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or US Public Health Service Corps.

Anyone familiar with service in either of these organizations?
Click to expand...
The NOAA Corps is an odd ball organization which is constantly being scrutinized for elimination. The manner in which it crews its vessels is unusually strange ... uniformed civilian "officers" and non-uniformed "civilians". Frankly I'm surprised that the NOAA "fleet" hasn't already been replaced by private charter operators and vessels from the various oceanographic institutions, e.g., Wood Hole ... another issue that comes up all the time. The NOAA Corps evolved from the old Coast & Geodetic Survey ... another artifact.

Re USPHS, that's composed principally of doctors (MD's) and other health professionals. I believe there still are a few civilian engineers running around in uniform too (mostly civil engineers overseeing USPHS facilities), but that's a tiny number.
 
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