AF Bases...medical and quality of life experience?

[TRT]

I think it would be cool if we could start a thread with comments on what the medical facilities and practice of medicine were like plus what kind of quality of life the surrounding city offered at each of these bases. Please be candid with your opinion on the following stateside bases (the AF bases bellow have beds/hospitals associated with them):

Elmedorf AFB (Anchorage, AL) 45 bed
Andrews AFB (MD) 70 bed
Dyess AFB (TX) 10 bed
Eglin AFB (FL) 65 bed
Grand Forks AFB (ND) 4 bed
Keesler AFB (MS) 135 bed
Kirtland AFB (NM) 15 bed
Lackland AFB (TX) 288 bed
Langley AFB (VA) 35 bed
Luke AFB (AZ) 15 bed
Macdill AFB (FL) 10 bed
Mt Home AFB (ID) 10 bed
Nellis AFB (NV) 104 bed
Scott AFB (IL) 45 bed
Shaw AFB (SC) 16 bed
Sheppard AFB (TX) 45 bed
Travis AFB (CA) 130 bed
USAF Academy (CO) 40 bed
Wright-Patterson AFB (OH) 70 bed
OFFUTT AFB (NE) 30 bed

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[Med_Leviathan]

Holy crap, do residents actually train at places with 4 beds and 10 beds? Lackland sounds like the only hospital here with a patient volume good enough for some serious training.

 

[deuist]

To top it off, Lackland's hospital is closing to merge with the Army. Christ, what a waste. I knew that AF medicine was bad, but I didn't know that we wouldn't see any patients. Hell, a trio of IM residents could round on entire hospitals in the military. Now I'm desperately hoping to get a deferment.

 

[resxn]

Uhhh. I'm not sure you're list is all that up-to-date.

Offutt has no beds. It's a clinic. And a dying one at that. Don't go there unless you're FP.

 

[The White Coat Investor]

Uhhh. I'm not sure you're list is all that up-to-date.

Offutt has no beds. It's a clinic. And a dying one at that. Don't go there unless you're FP.

And Langley never has half of those beds filled. The 11 in the urgent care may be filled at some point in the day, and the 10-15 on L&D fill every now and then, but I know the ward has never been anywhere near full.

 

[mitchconnie]

Uhhh. I'm not sure you're list is all that up-to-date.

I agree that the list is likely old. Those bed numbers may technically be the listed capacity, but the actual number of staffed patient beds is probably WAY lower. Andrews has a maximum capacity of between 14 and 20 med/surg. beds at any one time, depending on nursing availability, plus maybe a few more on OB. When I left Wright-Pat, capacity was 20-30 med-surg beds plus a few OB, and 5-6 in the ICU. No Air Force hospital is as large as that list would suggest.

 

[AF Anesthesia]

Does anyone know the capacity at the overseas hospitals like Lakenheath, Landstuhl, Yokota? Are they equally affected by the downsizing?

 

[TRT]

Yes, this list is old and was last updated in 2001 plus it is unofficial (I got it off of http://lukeballard.tripod.com/ASSIGNMENT_POSSIBILITIES.html). I agree that the numbers are very scary (I was hoping they were underestimations). It seems like moonlighting would be the only way to keep up on one's skills while working for the AF. I HATE the way we are kept in the dark about the realities. I just hope and pray that things are better than they look on paper.

According to the list I have, here are the stats:
Bitburg AFB Germany 15 bed
Ramstien AFB Germany 158 bed
Misawa AFB Japan 9 bed
Yokota AFB Japan 15 bed
Osan AFB Korea 5 bed
FAF Lakenheath AFB London 35 bed

 

[resxn]

I just hope and pray that things are better than they look on paper.

They're not. Often they're worse and when I say worse I mean it in a Holy-Crap!-You've-got-to-be-kidding-me! sort of way.