December
30, 2006: The U.S. Navy, as part of its downsizing effort, is cutting medical
personnel more sharply than other specialties. Some 20 percent (1,400 people)
of corpsmen ("medics", who serve with the marines, as well as providing a lot
of the medical care on ships and in military hospitals) will be cut, in
addition to 700 medical officer (doctors) jobs (some of them unfilled at the
moment). Some of these people will no longer be needed because of the general
downsizing of the navy, but most will be replaced by civilians, who will
provide care for dependents and bases in the United States.
This
will mean a higher proportion of remaining medics and medical officers will be
assigned to ships. This new plan also recognizes the long-standing problems
recruiting enough doctors. When the draft ended thirty years ago, that meant
that the military could no longer draft doctors (which was common for newly
minted MDs.) Since the draft ended, the military has offered scholarships to
medical students willing to serve in the military after graduation. But even
this has not been enough to get all the doctors needed. The military has had to
pay expensive bonuses to persuade doctors to stay in the military. Cutting a
lot of MD positions, and using more civilian doctors, eases up some of this
recruiting and retention pressure.
