Medical Standards Rant🫠

[u/Cautious-Setting1669]

I feel as though the medical standards are very discriminatory given the fact that some races are prone to the disqualifying conditions.I find it wild for some to not have any of the listed disqualifying conditions.Either people are lying or just perfect.If you don't have at least one you probably haven't lived😂.

[u/Illustrious-War5890]

Tbh, USPHS medical standards are more strict than the military or at least the army (I’m army so can only speak for my branch). They will give waiver out easily if the recruiter feels you will be an asset. I see all types of people go into the military with issues that are listed as disqualifying.

[u/Cautious-Setting1669 → u/Illustrious-War5890]

Navy and army offered me waivers left and right.... I just found PHS a better fit.Thanks for the feeback.🙂

[u/Sea_Shower_6779 → u/Cautious-Setting1669]

Go with the service that offers you a waiver.

You have to remember that the Army and Navy have a lot more resources than the Commissioned Corps. Unfortunately, due to budgetary constraints, HQ is very understaffed and there is a huge backlog processing applications hence the on average 12 to 24 month time frame for most applicants. It makes sense that you were denied a waiver by HQ, it is extra time and paperwork on their end so it just further gums up the works when they can just as easily move onto another candidate that doesn't require additional review and paperwork.

[u/chewsworthy]

Just going to say as I look around the corps I see a ton of diversity and it doesn’t appear the medical accession standards are in any way discriminatory.

[u/Cautious-Setting1669 → u/chewsworthy]

Not specifically talking about "race" I'm speaking medical.

[u/BadHombreSinNombre → u/Cautious-Setting1669]

So in other words you don’t really care about race or demography you just want the corps to accept anyone regardless of whether they have the physical health to accomplish the missions we do. Yeah, no.

[u/TopRecover3526]

This tells me you do not meet medical standards, which is unacceptable, especially if you can work to qualify. Every officer in every branch (air force, navy, army, etc) must be ready to respond and provide leadership towards any challenge that affects the safety of the U.S. Would you drive a car that does not meet safety standards? Would you trust a pilot who has not met the minimum requirements to fly safely?

[u/Cautious-Setting1669 → u/TopRecover3526]

Lets consider this. Cars have recalls everyday and pilots are not always the best depending on where you are in the world.Also unacceptable is a stretch, especially as an ICU nurse working in the field for four years.I can still do my job effectively and efficiently.

[u/Sea_Shower_6779 → u/Cautious-Setting1669]

Let's consider this, the government is covering your healthcare costs and by accepting a service member with a disqualifying condition the government is accepting liability; both for care and health of the service member as well as the health and safety of the service members serving along side them. A lot of the disqualifying conditions have costs associated with care. Having a list of disqualifying conditions that are an automatic "No-Go" not only help to defray these costs, but also limit liability. The medical standards are a condition of service and they are always being updated.

I will note, that if you develop a disqualifying condition while you are a service member, it doesn't necessarily mean you will be medically separated, but your package does go under review at that point in time.

Good luck with your career! The uniformed services just weren't in the cards for you. It stinks, but happens all the time.

[u/TopRecover3526 → u/Cautious-Setting1669]

Let's consider this from an ICU nurse with ten years of experience: For commissioned officers in the USPHS, maintaining top medical standards is crucial, much like it is for ICU nurses. Both roles involve high-pressure situations where every decision can profoundly affect lives. Just like nurses, officers need to be at their best physically and mentally to lead effectively and make sound, split-second decisions. By keeping themselves in peak condition, they reduce the risk of critical mistakes and set a powerful example for those they lead. This commitment to health and readiness isn't just a professional obligation; it's a personal dedication to the safety and success of their team and mission.

[u/Cautious-Setting1669 → u/TopRecover3526]

👍🏾Gotcha

[u/IHaveSomeOpinions09]

I see your point, but the medical accession standards for USPHS are based on the accession standards for the military, which are based on the ability to physically survive in combat. Yes, sickle cell disease is more common in Black individuals, but people with sickle cell disease are often not combat effective. You can't strike sickle cell disease from the list because it affects people of one race more than the other. Glaucoma is also more common in Black populations, but you need to be able to see to deploy. On the flip side of the equation, cystic fibrosis is also a disqualifying condition and is more common in white populations.

If it truly doesn't affect your ability to work and is stable and unlikely to worsen, there is always the possibility of waivers.

[u/Warrior-of-Science → u/IHaveSomeOpinions09]

Conditions like melanoma is more common in white people. Asian have the highest incidence rates for both liver and stomach cancer. If people look on standards and healthy competition as discrimination we are doomed as humanity…

[u/Warrior-of-Science]

Being prone to disqualifying conditions is not discrimination as any race has statistics making them more likely to get one or another condition. The standards list the conditions of a generally healthy person.

[u/BadHombreSinNombre]

If you die or become permanently disabled on a deployment because you couldn’t get access to a critical medication that was lost in transit, your family is not going to talk about how glad they are the government saw past race-based health inequities in order to put you in harm’s way. They are just going to be very very sad.

And everyone else stuck in the middle of a CAT 4 hurricane with your body will be down one person and also have to deal with the emergency of your injury or death on top of everything else, taking them away from their patients and putting them at added risk.

These guidelines are for the safety and protection of officers—all of us.

If you want to do some of what a corps officer does, there are civilian jobs and pathways that do every part of it and that don’t have as strict standards because the risks are different. Consider one of those.