I am a Submarine IDC and I am retiring in a few months.
After reading quite a few of the posts here, I have a few questions:
What type of employers would be looking for the type of skill sets that a SubIDC brings to the table. IE: dosimetry supervisor, decon, ASST Radcon officer (at a nuclear weapons facility), radcon training?
Are there many former submarine IDC's in the commercial radcon field?
I a going to get a "bit" of disability from the VA (~50%), so I can get some "vocational rehab" education taken care of, if needed.
This is the start of my questions, so thank you for your time and tolerance.
You can probably start off as a Senior Rad Protection Tech. if you stick with dosimetry type stuff. Otherwise, you could work as a junior tech and become a senior in far less than the normal 3 years - maybe 6 mos.
It's a bit of a stretch to come out of the Navy and be a supervisor of anything right away. Things are just too different here. We have REAL radiation and contamination here. Dosimetry is a lot more complex (though not really more complicated if that makes any sense to you).
I know of a few corpsmen who work in Health Physics/Rad Protection, especially in dosimetry. Of course, in the old-old days the HM did radiation surveys on the boats too.
As far as employers go, there are lots. No need to limit yourself to nuke power plants. There is DOE, Radiopharm companies, hospitals, dosimiter manufacturers, and some other really cool places. I once interviewed at a place which manufactured a device that clears restenosis in heart patients who had stents in their arteries. I forget who they were, or what the treatment was called, but the device stored a row of small Sr90Y90 sources and pumped them up through a catheter to the stent.
Hey if you need any advice on how to deal with the VA just PM me. I have to deal with them all the time due to broken elbows.
Mike
Government and Quasi-government (TVA, USPS, Bonneville) have preferential hiring policies for disabled vets. Look closely at some of those policies. If you don't see them via Google, let me know.
And thanks for your service!
I think you should become a PA and work at a nuclear power plant so you can continue to "check" sub nukes for the rest of your life. ;)
Thanks for your service.
You also might try shipyard rad-con and hanford if ya want to stay in Wa. Shipyard has very preferential treatment for vets.
Mike
A post was removed because it conflicts with the policy that all specific job postings be restricted to the job's section of the site. I know we all like to help out our shipmates, but please do so privately.
R/
Jason