I'm in my fifth year
as a psychologist for the Navy. Right now, I'm working as
one of 15 female officers aboard the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, the
Navy's oldest active ship. We are in constant motion.
The
ship is about 1,000 feet long and is essentially a floating
airport. It has everything that a small town has-including
two stores for necessities like candy, soda, and toiletries.
There are barbershops; several cafeterias; medical, dental,
and legal services; and educational services to help sailors
complete their education while underway. The ship is mostly
made of steel, which makes for achy knees and feet. And there
are 18 levels with steep, steel ladders in between to make
your knees feel that much better.
My office is an eight-by-eight-foot hole that I am very fortunate
to have. As a psychologist, a private office is a necessity,
but the majority of the ship is not so lucky. The office is
a lifesaver for me because it gives me a place to get away
from my seven roommates and the other 5,000 people onboard.
We've been deployed six of the nine months that I've been
assigned to the Kitty Hawk. Being deployed, or underway, is
difficult only if you can't establish a routine. It is much
like the movie Groundhog Day, which the media department often
shows for "morale."
My typical day begins with morning meetings at 7 AM We have
endless meetings to keep everyone informed about the plan
of the day. Between 8 and 9 AM, I supervise cleaning stations,
where sailors clean the ship for an hour daily.
At 9 AM we have sick call, when I see patients. As the ship's
psychologist, I not only evaluate and treat mental illnesses
but I also act as a high school guidance counselor, mother,
and best friend to the sailors. I rarely see major mental
disorders because the military screens sailors before they
go to ships. But there is the occasional sailor who has a
psychotic break underway, major depression, or an anxiety
disorder. Unfortunately, many of my sailors are malingering:
many do research and try to convince me that they have Bipolar
Disorder, a psychotic disorder or major depression. Navy psychologists
can recommend separation from the military and many sailors
believe that if they threaten suicide they will be sent home.
In the afternoon I am occupied with administrative duties
and other shipboard responsibilities. On the ship I am a sailor
first and a psychologist second. I have the same responsibilities
as other officers to inspect the material condition of the
ship, to supervise maintenance, and perform other duties as
assigned. The ship is always going through some inspection,
so all hands are involved in making the ship inspection ready.
My additional duties include supervising the alcohol rehabilitation
program onboard, which is obviously a busy job. Alcohol-related
problems are common as the tolerance for misconduct is low
and sometimes sailors who work 18 hours a day see alcohol
as their only way to relieve stress.
After dinner-did I mention that meals are the centerpiece
of everyone's morale?-we have evening sick call to provide
treatment to those who work the night shift.
We have drills several evenings a week. Everyone on the ship
must be prepared to fight fires, stop flooding, recover a
man overboard, treat patients in the event of a mass casualty,
and obviously fight a war. During drills I am the Officer
in Charge of a Battle Dressing Station. I coordinate the care
of casualties with the help of medical assistants, dental
technicians, chaplains, and stretcher bearers.
At the end of the day I take time to study to earn my Surface
Warfare pin, which will signify that I've learned everything
about the ship from deck seamanship and combat systems to
weapons, navigation, and engineering. I never thought with
a Ph.D. in psychology that I'd be able to tell you about an
engineering plant or steering an aircraft carrier, but here
I am!
Inevitably, around 11 PM a sailor will stop by because he
or she is homesick and wants to talk. There's also the occasional
sailor who cuts his wrist or overdoses because of the stress.
The sailors endure a lot, especially at 18 years old, fresh
out of high school. They work incredibly long hours, and there
is no such thing as a weekend when we're underway. The only
break is the occasional port call when we visit new countries
to refuel and restock our supplies.
The foreign countries we visit are wonderful. I've been fortunate
to see Hong Kong, Korea, Guam, Australia, Singapore, and Malaysia.
Somewhere around midnight I hit my rack and say goodnight
to my roommates.
But sleep isn't easy. Try sleeping with the sound of the
ship's engines, the planes, the sailors working, and shipboard
announcements. The minute you step off the ship you are overwhelmed
by the silence.
Tara Smith (PhD '02 - Counseling Psychology), originally
from Philadelphia, earned her bachelor's degree in psychology
and Spanish from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania in
1995. She joined the U.S. Navy in 1999, originally for a one-year
internship. She's now in her fifth year with the Navy and
says her best assignment so far has been working at the Naval
Medical Clinic in Pearl Harbor for three years.
Smith climbed Mt. Fuji this summer while on a short break
from the Navy.
