I am being told to go to PT by the command on only 4-5 hours of sleep. As a junior enlisted, how do I solve this problem?

Main point up Front. Do your required PT.
FIND and read the Reg. This is all part of gaining knowledge. With computers, CD'S, and Smartphones,
its simple. Years ago locating a hard copy Regulation was tedious. Do some research.
Main Point,
Don't use your MOS as an excuse. Do your mandatory PT.
Regards, Paul Ayotte, US ARMY,
1SG, (Retired).

man whats it like getting 4-5 hours of sleep? i'm grateful for more than 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep. maybe suggest a mid day pt group for those on assignment to odd hour duty? ask for a different assignment? fall asleep at work? i'm just seeing this is over a year old, dont know why it came up in my feed. hope you figured it out. btw life only gets harder in case you didnt know, add in a wife kids, stress , deployments, etc you get a whole crucible of effed up. seems like yesterday i was a spec 4 in the desert, pulling duty an hour before stand-to, so then i had to do both back to back, then go and perform my regular job. now its been 20 years since i was playing spades in the motor pool on sept 11th and getting told we were deploying. ah where does the time go...

I can remember doing pt always on short sleep or going to the field at 0300 for artillery training , you will just have to deal with the short sleep and since you work at the hospital you at least get to return to sleep. if something don't feel right you can make your case known but you still have to deal with the circumstance until it is addressed. as part of the E4 mafia you get stuck with both having to carry out orders and some times having to lead others while doing it.

Make an appointment with your ISG. Purpose: to explain your work situation relative to company PT policy. You should be given an opportunity to explain your concerns. Ultimately, your ISG will decide the right course of action. If he/she makes an exception for you, he/she will likely have to consider other exceptions. PT is essential to a Soldier’s ability to perform his/her mission, i.e. unit readiness.

I agree that it is not the ideal situation to work a second shift and then have to show up for PT on 4-5 hours of sleep. But, you volunteered to be in the military and all that has to offer good and bad. I was awarded the combat medical badge during my enlistment and while getting 2 maybe 3 hours of sleep a night if I was lucky. The grunts that cared for were appreciative that Doc was always there for them. Simply put, the enemy doesn’t care how much sleep you get. Training under stress will help you prepare for the stress of combat and will help you manage the stresses you will face later in life after the military. Keep in mind you always have the weekend to catch up on the sleep you are missing during the week.

You go to PT and stop playing fuck fuck games at night

Get your ass out of bed and report to formation. It's not difficult to understand. What is this new generation coming to when they whine and cry about not getting enough sleep in the military. If you are a non-hacker get out and let someone who actually wants to serve, fill your half-assed slot.

It appears the 1SG and his company definitely have an issue. His company is very specialized and the soldiers need 7-8 hours of sleep to routinely keep their patients alive.

It appears a powwow is needed with his senior NCO’s; PT is an important function of all soldiers. I’m sure a training schedule can be maintained for all shifts. It is possible to structure the 1SG’s PT request (demand). As all soldiers understand, a ‘No-Go’ stamp on your PT card is a decrement to a soldier’s future for promotion, Advanced course, MOS, and personal time.

Any change to any schedule, will not have everyone content but the Command and enlisted can conduct their PT and work standards better with 7-8 hours of sleep. Hooah!

I'm in the been there done that, though not with a medical unit.

My last assignment was with a joint DOD Remote Operating Facility (ROF) with government civilians, Army, Navy, Marine, and Air Force personnel working 24/7 rotating shifts. Like yourself, we to had to contend with the demands of our parent and supported organization. If it wasn't PT, then it was military training, and heaven knows what else. If individual PT isn't an option, then best solution, in my experience, was to have PT accomplished at the shift- or platoon-level immediately following your tour of duty.

Set PT schedules that conform to "day shift" schedules, which do not recognize personnel working shift schedules is the "easy" way for unit leadership.

Suck it up, cupcake. PT is part of the job, regardless of the time the formations are scheduled. Retired CW4, 39+ years

Well, Specialist, I've seen this thread in my feed off and on over the past 2 years and am curious what happened. Obviously neither the Commander nor 1SG are no longer "new". I'm certainly not offering any "advice" as I never had command over anyone working in a hospital, my troops were all line company tankers or artillery and this circumstance never happened to them. Heck, over the past 2 years maybe you're not even in the same job or unit.

The 1SG noticed only 5 people showed up? How big or small is this company?

Get sleep when you can. Having been an army nurse myself (though never a medic or LPN 91Charlie) I know the meddac enlisted folks get tasked with all kinds of additional duties. Sleep discipline is vital. Force yourself to carve out time and dial way back on coffee and other caffeinated beverages. I would still show up for PT and then either go to sick call or just inform your NCOIC of your fatigue from your 4 to midnight shift. They should have you doing afternoon PT so that you are done and showering up at 1530 in time for your shift. Ordinarily hospitals work folks from 7am to 1500, then 1500 to 2300. But in my case 0700 to 1900 or 1900 to 0700 was the norm. The hospital CSM said PT was an individual responsibility. In general you could ordinarily pair up with a buddy for a run at end of shift. I went to indoor pool at the Brought Gym mainpost Ft Sam.

What a whiny, sniveling snowflake. Having worked both rotating 8-hr days/swings/mids and rotating 12hr shifts while in the service, I know it can be done - but rarely in conjunction with pub-crawling.

It's the Army, Mr. Brown. And you have neither a counselor for hurt feelings nor rights.

Maybe you should consider another career.

Seriously? LOL Sorry but I can't help but laugh. You get 4-5 hours of sleep?? Really?? LOL Good thing you did not join the US Navy and serve on a destroyer at sea or try to move to another field where you actually saw combat in the field, because you would not make it.

You chose to serve. And the clock and the schedule do not revolve around your beauty sleep. They revolve around the US Military and the command that runs it. And PT is a very well known standard in the military to insure all personnel are in shape enough to fight at a moments notice if called.

Sleep is something you can do all you want as a civilian or when you die. There is no such thing as sleep in the US Military. There are only moments of resting your eyes before the next duty calls.

Go to PT?

Boo-dee-hoo. In an actual deployment the bad guys don't punch a time clock and don't think you should, either. Look at the situation as a training opportunity. Then make it a second training opportunity by calmly explaining to the CO the situation and offer an alternative such as a PT appointment for noon. The CO just wants the numbers to get him a promotion and isn't that worried about what time the numbers get added up.

The answer is simple Spc. You follow the order. You aren't special, your work shift is just that, so my suggestion be in formation 10min prior. As a 1Sgt he can do that an you have to follow the order. In short nothing you can do will change that except be in formation.

The problem here isn't that a Soldier is being asked to do PT one day with minimal sleep. The problem is that the Soldier is being consistently asked to do PT with minimal sleep. Splitting up sleep shifts negates many of the values of a night of rest, and could cause the Soldier to make medical mistakes.