Navy RAM and after the military

[Cooperd0g]

I know that if you do the RAM as a primary residency it includes occupational medicine. If your goal when you retired from the military was to only work part time, what could you do part time with occupational med? Does it qualify you to be able to work things like urgent care?

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[Vandalia]

A few things:

1) First, "urgent care" is far too diverse to make any general statements. At one extreme, a hospital owned clinic, or one the larger, more reputable groups will typically only hire EM board certified physicians. At the other extreme are clinics that hire any physician with a valid license - and aren't real picky about that. The question you need to answer for yourself is if you would feel competent picking out the truly sick kid out of the 100 trivial cases. I have my own thoughts about that...

2) There are a number of large, industrial facilities that have in-house "urgent care" clinics. This would be the natural environment for an occupational med physician. In addition, many hospital systems have dedicated occupational med clinics. The one in our system basically does walk in DOT/employer physicals along with "urgent" injuries. There should be an opportunity for part-time work in both of those.

3) I know a few former flight surgeons who have a nice gig doing FAA physicals. The opportunity would obviously be dependent on location, but this is the type of thing you really need to build by "word of mouth" advertising. It is not the type of thing that you can move to a new area, but an add in the Yellow Pages, and expect patients to show up the next day. On the other hand, if you build up connections in the civil aviation community and are planning to stay in the same area, it can work out as a nice niche opportunity.

 

[DrMetal]

I know that if you do the RAM as a primary residency it includes occupational medicine. If your goal when you retired from the military was to only work part time, what could you do part time with occupational med? Does it qualify you to be able to work things like urgent care?

From what I understand: the number of civilian FAA flight surgeons is restricted in a particular geography . . . and so it might be hard to transition from a military flight surgeon to a civilian one, if you want to work in major metropolitan parts of the country. If you can be flexible with your geography, I'm sure can land work. The problem with being only BC'd in aerospace medicine, is that you can't do much else with it. Most urgent cares are now requiring you to be BC'd in other things, IM, FM, OccMed. Moreover, a lot of the urgent cares are starting to acquire primary care panels, thus internists and FMs are more sought after. Bottom line: I'd do a more traditional and clinical residency (IM, FM), then try to go the urgent care/flight surgeon route. You'll be more employable, more clinical and in general a better doctor. An internist can always become a OccMed guru . . . it doesn't work the other way around.

 

[Cooperd0g]

Thanks Vandalia. When I retire from the Navy I will be looking to live in pretty rural places so that may also play a factor.

I know that the future of FAA flight physicals may be in decline because there is a big move to remove the 3rd class flight physical. That limits doing them only for commercial pilots, which is a much smaller population. Which kind of blows a hole in a retirement plan I had to fly my own plane to fly ins and do physicals on location ...

 

[ProwlerturnGas]

Probably not what you want to hear, but RAM should be a second residency. I agree Dr Metal. If you are willing to stick out the Navy for retirement, the RAM program is great to do mid career

 

[Cooperd0g]

I hear you PTG, but I am being recruited. I will be "mid career" as an intern with my prior officer time so it is good to know the options. It isn't my current top choice though.

 

[ProwlerturnGas]

As an aside, I would love to do the RAM program. Maybe someday…...