Air Force: Procedures/etiquette for contacting assignment officer (fap internist)

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So from what I've read you have to reach out early to have any influence on your placement. I'm finishing my first year in civilian IM residency. Any recs on procedure/timeline/etiquette? Positive/negative experiences?

I ask for a couple reasons. I'd like to get a flight med or clinic gig over a hospitalist type position. Also the more time we know in advance the easier for my wife to network and break into the new market for the job hunt.

Send an email and introduce yourself. They will do the "best" they can.

Squeaky wheel gets the grease for sure. Given the late date I would forego the email in favor of a phone call. Assignments have likely already been doled out and are awaiting admin actions for release, however you may be able to get an unofficial word on where you're going. Definitely don't make firm plans until you get orders though (such as buying a house, signing an employment contract etc), and even then...

Oh I got two more years till I'm done with residency. Assignments aren't doled out that early are they?

Originally Posted by StevenRF

Oh I got two more years till I'm done with residency. Assignments aren't doled out that early are they?

Ah, my mistake. In that case yeah an introductory email would be fine, just keep in touch over the next couple of years and stay on their radar. Your statement about flight surgery made me assume you were completing a prelim IM year. Just fyi though there's very little chance of your getting a flight med gig, detailer appeals or no... that's for the GMOs. It's not unheard of for people to cross-train s/p first tour though if it's something you still want to do in the future.

Far more likely is that the AF is going to use you as the BC/BE internist that you are, and with an ADSO on your head it's typically going to be in one of the less desireables billets that aren't already being 'spoken for' by other physicians with more leverage. If you don't want hospitalist work really the only thing for it is try hard to get to a base without a hospital. Be careful what you wish for though, because again that might mean you end up somewhere like North Dakota or Turkey.