Submarine Base, Groton, Conn. REPORT NUMBER 579 BACKGROUND AND MOTIVATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MEDICAL OFFICER CANDIDATES FOR THE SUBMARINE SERVICE

A Medical Officer Questionnaire (MOQ), the Strong Vocational Interest Blank (SVIB) and the Allport-Vernon-Lindzey Study of Values (SV) were administered to 134 Prospective Submarine Medical Officers (PSMO's) and 105 Medical Officers (MO's) who had not volunteered for this branch of the service (NSMO's). All MO's in both groups held the rank of Lieutenant. The NSMO's were somewhat senior and had been on active duty for a longer time. Many of the NSMO's were in medical residency, an option not immediately open to the PSMO's. Moreover, most NSMO's who had not taken residencies planned to do so in the Navy, while most PSMO's planned to take residencies following their active military service. Compared to the NSMO's, the PSMO's had interest patterns more similar to physicians, engineers and physical scientists on the SVIB. It is possible that a program designed to apprise PSMO's of the professional and educational opportunities in the Navy early in their careers might be useful in promoting a more favorable retention situation.