AD Residency fitness ?

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jlovele1

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Hi

I was wondering since you are active duty after leaving UHUHS, are there PT tests during residency? I expect yes, but was wondering if they give you any time to work on PT during the day or week?

Thanks.

Also if you have any other UHUHS info I would be happy to hear it.

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Yes, there are biannual PT tests in residency (they're hospital-wide). No, you are unlikely to be given any special time to PT, that's all on you. Further, depending on specialty, and what you are doing when the test rolls around, it is entirely possible that you will be expected to take your test while post-call.
 
Yes, there are biannual PT tests ... it is entirely possible that you will be expected to take your test while post-call.

I am sure the Nursurgeon General thought up the Army healthy triad while getting plenty of sleep each night, having never pulled call as a resident or attending.
 
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When I did my PT test post call, I called upon the other arms of the triad to see me through.

OP, if you are active duty you will do biannual PT tests. If the timing of a test is not good for you, there is usually some flexibility, but you had better have a good reason (call schedule, away rotations, inservice exams). You don't have to kill it, but you do have to pass it, so keeping up with PT is on you.
 
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Thanks you all!
I was AD AF prior to this, and was just worried about staying in shape enough with 80+ hour weeks during residency (with a family). Stinks to know they don't give you any PT time seeing how fitness is a requirement and all.
 
They will give you PT time- its just on top of everything else they already make you do. HAHAHA.

As for USUHS you are active duty while there and you will be doing biannual APFTs wheverever you happen to be.
 
Military GME is a mutated hybrid. On one hand, you are strictly regulated by ACGME. On the other, you have tons of military requirements. You will be expected to fullfill the former because you want to finish your residency. The military expects you to fullfill the latter because, well, military. There is no accounting on any level for the fact that both sets of requirements may be particularly stringent or time consuming, and there will never be a point at which someone changes one system to accomidate for the other (with one exception so far: deployments). But it is do-able. If you have trouble doing any of the PT sets (running, push-ups, sit-ups) currently, then you will need to find some time to practice. But, frankly, how long does it take you to belt out 40 push-ups? You can do it in the call room between calls and no one will die. You have 2 minutes to complete, and your patient can be anoxic for 5 before any serious brain damage occurs. Running could be a big more difficult, admittedly, unless your patient is two miles away. You don't need to do cross fit to prepare for the PT test, you just need to be able to do push-ups, sit-ups, and run.
 
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By the way: I know a bunch of former civilian residents (now fellows or staff attendings) who spent way more time in the gym than most of the military residents I knew, and I promise that those same civilian residents were at least as busy as we were - if not more so. The difference is that they spent time in the gym because they enjoyed it and because they found it relaxing, whereas you spend time in the gym as a military resident because you feel like you have to do it. The latter scenario is essentially always less preferrable.

The civilians also had to pay for a gym membership, btw. Post gyms are actually by and large pretty good.
 
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"...how long does it take you to belt out 40 push-ups? You can do it in the call room between calls and no one will die. You have 2 minutes to complete, and your patient can be anoxic for 5 before any serious brain damage occurs." - HighPriest

I think I'm adding that to my Sig Block on Outlook...
 
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Really, the APFT is not that hard of an event, and training for it does not require crap-tons of gym time. No one would ever accuse me of being in great shape, but I can pass the APFT. In residency, there were no good gyms close to my apartment, and I really didn't feel like driving out of my way after a long day, so I came up with something really simple. Every morning before going to the hospital, drop and crank out however many pushups you can do without pause. At first, it won't be much, but keep doing it every day. It takes 30 seconds to a minute, TOPS (since you're doing it without any pause, not trying to pause repeatedly in order to hit a number when you might be very out of shape). Do the same for situps, on alternating days. It definitely won't build a lot of muscle, burn a bunch of calories, or anything like that, but it'll allow you to at least pass both of those events, and take almost no time out of your busy day. As for running, you're just going to have to find the time to get out there and run two miles every once in a while.
 
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"...how long does it take you to belt out 40 push-ups? You can do it in the call room between calls and no one will die. You have 2 minutes to complete, and your patient can be anoxic for 5 before any serious brain damage occurs." - HighPriest

I think I'm adding that to my Sig Block on Outlook...

You can, but I'm pretty sure I'm just quoting the milmed handbook: Be a soldier first.

I can promise you that if your patient dies, your hospital commander will still recommend an ARCOM for you if she knows you missed the code because you were doing PT.

And echo psychbender - you don't have to train for a triathlon. You just need to do a preset number of pushups, situps, and run a little while. Train for the task at hand and it won't take a bunch of your time.
 
Thanks you all!
I was AD AF prior to this, and was just worried about staying in shape enough with 80+ hour weeks during residency (with a family). Stinks to know they don't give you any PT time seeing how fitness is a requirement and all.
wow :)
 
Thanks you all!
I was AD AF prior to this, and was just worried about staying in shape enough with 80+ hour weeks during residency (with a family). Stinks to know they don't give you any PT time seeing how fitness is a requirement and all.
wow :)
 
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