Can non-military med students do clerkships at military sites? (Iraq)

[Chrismander]

Hi--i'm a non-HSPS who's not interested in a military career, but i'm wondering if there's such a thing as visiting clerkships in trauma surgery at military residencies, or in a safe hospital in Germany / Iraq. (i suppose it'd have to be on a ship if it was in Iraq to be safe, but hey).

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[colbgw02]

I know you can do rotations with the Army as a civilian student, but I believe only at the larger medical centers, i.e. where there are already medical students. So Germany may not be a possibility, but I'm not 100% sure. I severely doubt that the military would send a medical student to what is considered a combat zone, and I guarantee that they wouldn't allow a civilian medical student to go.

 

[orbitsurgMD]

I know you can do rotations with the Army as a civilian student, but I believe only at the larger medical centers, i.e. where there are already medical students. So Germany may not be a possibility, but I'm not 100% sure. I severely doubt that the military would send a medical student to what is considered a combat zone, and I guarantee that they wouldn't allow a civilian medical student to go.

They aren't likely to accept students at a non-academically certified facility. Usually a rotation has to have supervising attending faculty with an academic appointment (i.e. at least as an instructor or clinical associate professor), and there has to be some organized role for the student to participate.

 

[pgg]

They aren't likely to accept students at a non-academically certified facility. Usually a rotation has to have supervising attending faculty with an academic appointment (i.e. at least as an instructor or clinical associate professor), and there has to be some organized role for the student to participate.

When I was in Afghanistan, a 4th year USUHS student (Army) set up an elective and spent a month with a small hospital (more like a STP/FRSS type echelon 2 thing than a "hospital") in Salerno. Of course, she was already an Army 2LT, and had connections through the school. I think it was set up as a clerkship through the military medicine department.

If I was an HPSP or civilian student interested in a trip to Iraq or Afghanistan, I'd start by getting in touch with the Military & Emergency Medicine Dept at USUHS. A civilian might have better luck selling it as "I was thinking of FAP but would like to spend some time in the field" vs "I have no intention of ever serving in the military but just want to see Iraq" ...

Contact info on http://www.usuhs.mil/mim/mim.html

 

[r90t]

I don't think it will happen. Very few COs will want to take the responsibility of a civilian sightseeing in Iraq. If you want trauma, go to a large urban trauma center.