General Medical Officer (GMO) Manual: Administrative Section

Overseas Screening

Department of the Navy
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery


Assignment

Assignment to a facility outside the continental United States or to foreign shores can be a very rewarding and culturally rich experience. Preparation for transfer to such a duty assignment is critical and should not be taken lightly. Unfortunately, one of the most important and overlooked procedures is the medical overseas suitability screen.

Military treatment facilities (MTF)

Military treatment facilities located overseas often have limited medical capabilities and do not have certain medical specialties. Assignment of active duty military personnel or their family members with chronic or acute medical conditions places an extreme hardship on the receiving command, his or her fellow shipmates, and the actual family. Absence from duty and early return to the United States cause unplanned expenditures on both the Government and the active duty families. Additionally, overseas commands are burdened by the marginal performance and increased demands of those members who should not have been assigned overseas. When an early return becomes necessary this unplanned loss creates a gap and replacement does not normally take place for at least 6 to 8 months.

Medical suitability screening

Medical suitability screening for service members and family members should be thorough. Conduct a complete interview with each family member and review of health records with emphasis on the following conditions:

NOTE: BUMED is in the process of revising the overseas suitability screening instruction to include operational and remote duty suitability screening.

References

    1. OPNAVINST 1300.14 series.
    2. NAVMEDCOMINST 1300.1 series.

Reviewed by LCDR Robert A. Rahal, MSC, USN, Assistant Specialty Leader for Patient Administration, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Washington, D.C. (1999).

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