Practicing without Board Certification

[USUHSboardFail]

I recently talked to this Navy Doc at Walter Reed, and he informed me that one can still practice for up to 10 years in the military without being board certified - since they are badly hurting for docs. He said just don't worry too much about passing or not, just get through your fellowship and then practice for 10 years or so. By then, you will be tasked with administrative and political stuff anyway. Stay in militarymed and u can retired. Be glad you're in.

Is this true? Don't worry too much about the board result?

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[Gastrapathy]

You won't make O5 but you can be the Chief of the Medical Corps (in fairness, that person eventually passed).

 

[haujun]

your base pay is significant lower than civilian docs...why would you increase that gap even more by not passing board certification exam? It does not make sense to me...It is not too difficult to pass.

 

[Chonal Atresia]

I recently talked to this Navy Doc at Walter Reed, and he informed me that one can still practice for up to 10 years in the military without being board certified - since they are badly hurting for docs. He said just don't worry too much about passing or not, just get through your fellowship and then practice for 10 years or so. By then, you will be tasked with administrative and political stuff anyway. Stay in militarymed and u can retired. Be glad you're in.

Is this true? Don't worry too much about the board result?

Troll...

 

[ishii123]

You won't make O5 but you can be the Chief of the Medical Corps (in fairness, that person eventually passed).

Gastrapathy...Are you talking about the current Navy Chief of the Medical Corps? Or someone who held this position in the past?

This is juicy gossip

 

[narcusprince]

I will say in my specialty you will be viewed by the leadership as inferior to your board certified collegues. Everyone will know your not board certified. Even though I firmly believe board certification does not impact practice you should strive to be on the same level as collegues. The .mil should not be viewed as a hideout from board certification.

 

[psychbender]

I had a colleague that finished residency back in the days of lifetime certification, yet never bothered to get certified, as the Army didn't make it a requirement. He stayed in for retirement, but wasn't ready to fully retire from practice, and can't find a job, as he's not board certified, nor even board eligible any longer. Avoiding board certification is a bad idea in today's world.

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

I had a colleague that finished residency back in the days of lifetime certification, yet never bothered to get certified, as the Army didn't make it a requirement. He stayed in for retirement, but wasn't ready to fully retire from practice, and can't find a job, as he's not board certified, nor even board eligible any longer. Avoiding board certification is a bad idea in today's world.

Lol.
All he/she needed to do was pass a test for a lifetime certification and didn't bother?

 

[RustBeltOnc]

I echo all this with respect to the civilian world. Hospital systems / hospitals are increasingly notorious for requiring board certification (at least the initial certification) in part as a mechanism for marginalizing the old timers who didn't take the exam. (in whatever specialty, usually IM).

 

[pgg]

The military kinda sorta encourages board certification. O5 promotion may favor the board certified people. And over time, variable special pay goes down, while board certification pay goes up. It's a laughably small amount but over time the non-board certified people get paid a little bit less.

However, with the pending consolidation of special pays, with the stated intent to pay all physicians in the same specialty the same amount, it appears even that small incentive is on the cusp of disappearing.

In the civilian world, non board cert people exist and practice, often in remote underserved places where they're happy to have any warm body with a non-suspended license. The military absorbs those marginal people into desk jobs, which shifts the hazard from patients to the service itself.

People who can't or don't pass their boards are not a military unique phenomenon.

 

[statusspasmaticus]

The military kinda sorta encourages board certification. O5 promotion may favor the board certified people. And over time, variable special pay goes down, while board certification pay goes up. It's a laughably small amount but over time the non-board certified people get paid a little bit less.

However, with the pending consolidation of special pays, with the stated intent to pay all physicians in the same specialty the same amount, it appears even that small incentive is on the cusp of disappearing.

In the civilian world, non board cert people exist and practice, often in remote underserved places where they're happy to have any warm body with a non-suspended license. The military absorbs those marginal people into desk jobs, which shifts the hazard from patients to the service itself.

People who can't or don't pass their boards are not a military unique phenomenon.

Is there anywhere to find more info on this pending consolidation?

 

[pgg]

Is there anywhere to find more info on this pending consolidation?

Not much. Just one slide in a recently emailed PPT:

§Within the next few years All Medical Special Pays will Consolidate into 3 Special Pays, Incentive, Retention and Board Certification.
§Current MC VSP, ASP, and ISP will become Incentive Pay.
oNo longevity increases/decreases. Currently a MC officer VSP increases/decreases based on years creditable service. Future special pays may increase with career progression in specialty, but no longevity increases/decreases.
§All current bonuses of 2 or more years would become Retention Bonus.
§Retention pays still require written agreements to remain on active duty.
§Can receive just incentive, or both incentive and retention.
§One pay under new plan all pays under new plan
oCannot convert back to legacy pays after taking new CSP.
§Once new CSP announced RB MAY be only multi-year bonus authorized. Also, once CSP announce IP and RB will be only bonuses increased. Legacy pays will remain at existing rates at time of conversion.
§If under existing agreement allowed to remain under that agreement for duration of agreement.

The accompanying email clarified a little:

[...] the increase in pay for career progression in specialty is for times like surgeons who become fellowship trained surgeons and eligible for a higher rate IP and RB. There will be no more increases for just longevity in service as is currently with VSP and BCP. Under the new special pays every officer with the same specialty will receive the same pay. There will not be a higher or lower rate based on how many years creditable service the officer has.

It's vaguely non-specific. I don't think anybody really has any idea how it'll all settle out.

 

[Gastrapathy]

Pure speculation: I predict this will be good for primary care and bad for subspecialists without a clear wartime role. GI already had a gigantic pay gap (low ISP with high outside comp). Bet this doesn't help.

 

[pgg]

I will speculate that pay raises across the board are not coming.

The Navy is presently infatuated with this "med home" fad so money and retention efforts in that direction seem likely. Primary care is the darling of US healthcare now. Hopefully the military won't forget that occasionally we go fight wars and need those overpaid surgical specialties.

I have one more MSP renegotiation next July to take me to retirement so I'm cautiously optimistic that I will escape screwage from these changes.

 

[jabreal00]

I recently talked to this Navy Doc at Walter Reed, and he informed me that one can still practice for up to 10 years in the military without being board certified - since they are badly hurting for docs. He said just don't worry too much about passing or not, just get through your fellowship and then practice for 10 years or so. By then, you will be tasked with administrative and political stuff anyway. Stay in militarymed and u can retired. Be glad you're in.

Is this true? Don't worry too much about the board result?

This strategy is utter non-sense. Passing the specialty board is not hard. Sure there are no immediate repercussions in the military but promoting up to 05 will be difficult. Most civilian jobs to include locums require board certification.