Civilian Fellowship after FAP pay off

[chahn85]

I am thinking of signing up for FAP as a civilian internal medicine resident.
If I apply to civilian fellowships (Cardio, GI, etc) after the 4 years of my military service as an IM attending, would I be at an advantage or disadvantage compared to other applicants who are straight out of residency?

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[Gastrapathy]

Overall, people seem to match well in this scenario. There might be individual programs that dislike the break, but not enough to be a negative. If you are a DO, you should do I service fellowship.


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[bricktamland]

My colleague went through the civilian fellowship application process last summer. I think his military experience was uniformly viewed in a very positive light. He came from an average medical school and residency program yet he seemed to have no problem getting his first choice of fellowship, which I think in large part was due to his military background. Compared to other applicants, you have real-world experience, you've demonstrated maturity and leadership, and in general military people are just very squared away reliable people. Plus, your military experiences make you unique and really help you stand out from the pack.

 

[IlDestriero]

What brick said.
I was a good candidate, but I was heavily recruited by the best fellowships in my field. While I am handsome and charming, I think my attending time in the .mil during war time earned me some bonus points.
My military experience and leadership came up in all of my interviews.

 

[denali]

When the interviewers talked to you about your military experience, were they doing it from a place of knowledge? Did they have prior military exposure, or were they clueless about military medical practice? When they asked about leadership roles, were they just as impressed with line-type positions as by clinic OIC and department chief? I'm not asking to denigrate anyone's military career or question anyone's qualifications for fellowship, I'm just curious if anyone thought interviewer interest/impression might have been, I don't know, disproportionate or romanticized?

 

[IlDestriero]

They didn't really understand much military detail, but were interested in my leadership experience and working solo without a net.
Most of the faculty never worked solo, and several "couldn't imagine" how they could do it in less than ideal environments. Even as a junior staff coming from a big center you will likely have more leadership experience after a couple years there then many junior to mid career faculty at major centers. They eat that stuff up, and of course you likely are a better candidate than most people coming straight from residency. You're already seasoned and board certified.

 

[mehc012]

So, I know this is a bit of a necro, but...any insight as to whether this path (MS→civilian residency with FAP→FAP years in military→civilian fellowship applications) works better for specific specialties? I see myself going down some sort of surgical path. I'm not so worried about getting FAP for surgical residency, but I am worried that only certain fellowships would be pleased to see military experience, if that makes sense.