Let me amplify my views on being an ELT.
Its a very situation driven description of whether an ELT is an MM first or an ELT first.
For those of you lucky enough to have a fat division full of experienced ELTs, then the oppurtunity was probably there to gain more MM experience and do something mechanical other than stand ERF.
For those of you that had a division full of juniors and could not turn your back for a moment, then you might think ELT was a full time gig.
On my boat we were short an ELT and the command would not even consider qualifying an MM to be a Sec Chemist, so basically the ELTs were stuck in ERF. Our first LELT had his head stuck up the commands ass trying to make MMC and playing EDTA so he was useless, so basically the bulk of the divisional workload came down on one or two of us.
So basically I immersed myself in chem/radcon and didn't look back. Was I one of the guys in the eyes of M-div? Hell no, but could they audit any of my programs or support my schedule in any way? Could m-div back me up? Nope, hell it was pulling teeth just to get one m-divver to properly do a turbidity or work in a containment properly.
I have nothing against M-div, I really tried to gain more M-div experience, but my situation did not allow me to shift or expand my focus without something chem/radcon biting me in the ass.
In retrospect it set me up to be a Plant Chemistry Tech and a Health Physicist, and that's fine by me.