competitive residency easier in mil?

[doanjom]

I understand the mil does not care if you are an MD or a DO when it comes to their GME programs. Do you stand a better chance of landing a residency in a competitive military program like optho, ortho or ENT in the military vs civilian if you are willing to do your time as a GMO/FS first? I know they give you extra points for a GMO tour, just wondering if you stand a better chance in the military vs civ.

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[Trajan]

I understand the mil does not care if you are an MD or a DO when it comes to their GME programs. Do you stand a better chance of landing a residency in a competitive military program like optho, ortho or ENT in the military vs civilian if you are willing to do your time as a GMO/FS first? I know they give you extra points for a GMO tour, just wondering if you stand a better chance in the military vs civ.

Yes and no, with variability from year to year. I honestly have no idea if military PD's care about DO vs. MD. That said, I have met quite a few military DO's in "competitive" residencies, so it's safe to say that military residencies are at least "DO friendly."

Ultimately, the relatively small size of the military match skews traditional assumptions about competitiveness in both directions. Sometimes a less competitive field like pediatrics, or a moderately competitive field like anesthesia, can be extremely competitive in the military. On the other hand, if there are relatively few applicants in a given year, very competitive fields (radiology, dermatology) are SOMETIMES open to applicants who might not have a chance to match in the civilian world.

As for FS/GMO, yes, if you hang around long enough, you can sometime match into fields that would not otherwise take you. However, I know of people who failed to get a military residency as FS/GMO, ended up doing four and out, and had no trouble matching civilian.