<p>I was notified by my Congressman that I had been appointed. I am waiting on the package from the Academy. It should be here any day. I have done some research and found there is much left to do in order to secure a "permit to report". So I have a couple of questions. First, when actually are you "appointed". It would seem to me that can only occur at some point after your permit to report has been issued. It seems your first letter may only be an "acceptance" letter. Once you receive that and successfully complete the very extensive process of returning the necessary information to the Academy the "permit to report" arrives. Maybe you are appointed once you drop your hand after being sworn in on I-day. Look, I know this may be much about nothing but I was wanting to nail down the actual process. I am not worried, I am going to be there I-day, but I am into details, sometimes to a fault.</p>
<p>w/your appt should come several forms: body alterations, accept/decline, proof of citizenship, police record check, and dental records are the ones i can remember off the top of my head.
you'll need to fill those out and send them in asap. to prove your citizenship you can just send your birth certificate along with your accept/decline form, so that's pretty easy. the police record check is a bit more tedious (especially if you board at school outside of your municipality of residence). the dental form simply asks for x-rays and dental records to be sent to a certain address.</p>
<p>Plebes will receive an Appointment Certificate during plebe summer after they are sworn in. The certificates are signed by the Secretary of the Navy. </p>
<p>Midshipmen are appointed by the President.</p>
<p>My son's appointment certificate came to our home just after being appointed. It was then presented to him again at awards night by his BGO. There was nothing that came home either after plebe summer or academic year that was an appointment certificate. The only one he has is the one issued by the academy at the time he received his appointment. (Class of 2010)</p>
<p>Hershebear has the paperwork correct as to what comes with the Appointment. Many forms will come later with the Permit to report package, it will come around the 15th of April. Start early on completing all of those forms and get your appointment for shots for late April. May need to schedule that now as there are also many kids trying to get in around that time frame for camp physicals etc. We waited until we got the permit to report package and it took my son 5 weeks to get an appointment for the shots. </p>
<p>Hopefully someone will chime in with what the required immunizations are as I do not recall.</p>
<p>It would be very beneficial if anyone knows which shots we must get because I may have actually already gotten the required ones, but I would really like to know for sure. Thank you.</p>
<p>"shots" include all of the usual suspects-</p>
<p>polio, DTP, DT, MMR....Varivax if you have not had chicken pox itself-
make sure you have a tetnus booster (they are good for 10 yrs)-</p>
<p>add to that:
hep b (series of 3 shots, so if you do not already have, get started on them)
meningitis (now required by most states and well worth it)</p>
<p>consider:
pneumovax (good for 5 yrs)
and annual flu shot</p>
<p>Your pediatrician should give good guidance - </p>
<p>now they give the Hep A - a 2 shot series -
Females should get started on Gardisil - this is a 3 shot series. If you get started and don't finish then you can probably finish at the academy or when you are home for Thanksgiving.
Tdap - if I am not mistaken is adult dpt &tetanus and you must be 18 years old.
You also might want to conisder getting your shot record from your physician and bring it with you.</p>
<p>TdaP is the "new" tetanus (and diptheria) plus the adult pertussis vaccine for whooping cough. This shot is recommended once (in place of Td) for all those 11 years or older. If you already got a Td after age 11, it isn't recommended unless you live in an area where whooping cough has had a big resurgence.</p>
<p>I would think all midshipman would want the two-shot Hep A (hepatitis) immunization because of world travel. They could get the first now and the next one after a minimum of 6 months (Thanksgiving break). They should already have had Hep B. The meningitis vaccine (Menactra) is now recommended for all college freshmen (and younger teenagers). As far as I know, the pneumococcal pneumonia shot (called Pneumovac and given at age 65) would only be for those with immunocompromising health conditions...and I doubt they would have gotten an appointment with one of those.</p>
<p>marine2bdad, MD</p>
<p>My daughter got the Tdap as a routing vaccine last year at age 18.
She had received he Td at age 11 and perhaps she got the Tdap because we live in Eastern PA and pertussis is making a comeback here. thanks for that info - for some reason I thought you needed to be 18 to get it.</p>
<p>She also got the Hep A as routine.</p>
<p>Another medical concern that can be considered is getting your wisdom teeth removed before I-day. The dentists here send some stuff in the acceptance packet that says that even if they're not impacted now, it is wise to get rid of them. The Academy will have them removed, but usually not until the Ac-Year. I would rather have to deal with the agony of having them removed and spend the time recovering at my own home rather than at the academy. Just a suggestion for any considering going through with this before I-day.</p>
<p>What GoNavy said + 5.</p>
<p>If they're impacted, its 10x worse than if they're erupted, and there's a chance there can be a VERY long and painful recovery (ask me how I know). Pain was so bad I needed Vicodin for a few days (effectively knocking me out), then 18 Ibuprofen and 6 Advil a day for 10 days after. Had to set the alarm for 2am to take the pain pills because otherwise I would wake up at 3am in agony. Then I got an infection, and needed to be placed on a round of Penicillin.</p>
<p>In all, it was a 2 month recovery. Not saying this is common, but I was absolutely miserable in my own home. I can only imagine being at the academy and being yelled at during the ordeal.</p>
<p>Leave your wisdom teeth alone unless you're having problems with them.</p>
<p>Ibuprofen and Advil (and Motrin) are the exact same thing. 2400 mg (12 OTC 200 mg pills) is the maximum prescription dose per day. I'm sure it was painful, but you better be careful. You'll be taking lots of ibuprofen in the days ahead. You need your kidneys!</p>
<p>marine2bdad, MD</p>
<p>about wisdom teeth - if i'm planning on getting those out over spring break should i wait to send in the dental panorex information until after i get them out?</p>
<p>
[quote]
Ibuprofen and Advil (and Motrin) are the exact same thing. 2400 mg (12 OTC 200 mg pills) is the maximum prescription dose per day. I'm sure it was painful, but you better be careful. You'll be taking lots of ibuprofen in the days ahead. You need your kidneys!
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Yeah, I always get them mixed up - was taking Ibuprofen and Tylenol. I was afraid to overdo it, so I was only taking 8 a day (which did next to nothing), at which point the doctor told me to up it.</p>
<p>GNBA: Here are the vaccinations that were required for 2011:
DTP doses 1-5 (give dates...should have been as a child) (at last 3 are req'd. Tdap (Adacel) booster is req'd instead of Td if it has been 2 years since last Td booster.)
Tdap booster (date)
Polio doses 1-4 (at least 3 doses are req'd to complete the series. IPV booster is req'd as an adult dose for all mids/cadets age 17 or older as travel reqm't in addition to the series as a child)
MMR doses 1 & 2 (At least 2 doses of MMR req'd) or ll 3 vaccines individually w/the last dose given on or after the 4th birthday)
Varicella (date of test to determine immunity)
HAV (Hepatitis A) at least one dose (At least one dose prior to attending USNA)
Memomune or Menactra (they are specific on this one. Menactar is preferred.) Immunization w/in the past year against meningococcal meningitis is req'd.
HBV (Hepatitis B) At least one dose is req'd prior to attneding.
Must indicate if Twinrix (a combination vaccine) is used for HAV and HVB immunization. </p>
<p>All vaccines were finished 2 months before I-Day (nearly to the day). From what he recalls on I-Day, he received one vaccine, and that's it. (We think it was the HAV second dose). Others had several more... And, sore arms weren't the most fun for that first week or two of Plebe Summer. Arrange with your doctor before you go to have the vaccines, as some of these have to be ordered in special. Also, the Varicalla has to be read a few days after it's injected under the skin, so...don't procrastinate on these.</p>
<p>Our son (nearly a Youngster) still has his wisdom teeth in. They have not erupted, but will need to come out at some point. As the dentists at USNA are touted to be "fine", we're leaving it in Navy's hands to take care of the wisdom teeth. He also has the possibility (if he seeks permission from Medical) to have them out during his summer leave time, which we may do.) </p>
<p>Other than that, he's been to Medical only once, I believe...and that just a few weeks ago with a swollen lymph gland. Got Plebe hack over summer (they all do), and had a cold at the height of XC season. Other than that...no issues...</p>
<p>Does the Academy send out an official list of vaccinations needed with the permit to report packet?</p>
<p>jmwrites, I was under the impression we were supposed to get our wisdom teeth out before we came to the Academy?</p>
<p>
[quote]
Does the Academy send out an official list of vaccinations needed with the permit to report packet?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Unless things have changed, you should get the list in one of the mailings from USNA. </p>
<p>In addition to sending in an "update" on vaccinations, many suggest bringing a copy with you on I-day.... just remember it is the candidate who should have it tucked away in a pocket (not those with you who will be somewhere else on the yard when and if you need it!).....just remember to retrieve it before handing in all your "stuff!"</p>
<p>The minimum interval (no max) between the two doses of Hepatitis A vaccine (HAV) is 6 months. The first shot actually confers temporary immunity, the second one assures life-long immunity. So if you are just getting HAV now, expect a shot in the arm come September. Other shots (if needed) may have accelerated schedules for catching up those who are behind on them, but should never be given ahead of the recommended minimum interval. Its not dangerous, it just might not give the desired life-long immunity.</p>
<p>jmwrites: You mentioned that the "Varicella" needs to be read a few days after being injected under the skin. I think you're referring to a PPD test (for tuberculosis). That is read at your healthcare facility between 48 hours and 5 days after injection under the skin of the forearm. Its not an "immunization." Its just a test to see about previous exposure to TB.</p>
<p>Varicella refers to the chicken pox vaccine. Recently, a booster dose for this was added to the vaccine schedule (after age 11) for those who got their first shot as a child. My son got his first one when they came out in 1994 (4 years old), but they now give it at the 1 year-old well-visit. If your plebe had the chicken pox disease (sorry), they should not need any varicella immunization. But I'm not sure if the USNA wants them to get one anyway!</p>
<p>marine2bdad, MD</p>