Armed Forces Ophtho Residencies

[sameer]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

A military recruiter came to my med school today and was trying to explain the pros of doing a military residency. Currently I'm an MS4 who will be reapplying for ophtho next year and had never thought of the armed forces as a career option prior to today. I would like some info as to the pros and cons of doing an ophtho residency in the army vs. navy vs. air force and also what sort of stats are considered competitive in each branch for obtaining an ophtho residency position and how many spots are generally available in each branch. Also I would like some info as to salary and active duty commitment for each branch while doing an ophthalmology residency and post residency along with fellowship opportunities.
I scoped out the military medicine forum but could not find the answers to these questions. Thanks for your help!

 

[trail doc]

A military recruiter came to my med school today and was trying to explain the pros of doing a military residency. Currently I'm an MS4 who will be reapplying for ophtho next year and had never thought of the armed forces as a career option prior to today. I would like some info as to the pros and cons of doing an ophtho residency in the army vs. navy vs. air force and also what sort of stats are considered competitive in each branch for obtaining an ophtho residency position and how many spots are generally available in each branch. Also I would like some info as to salary and active duty commitment for each branch while doing an ophthalmology residency and post residency along with fellowship opportunities.
I scoped out the military medicine forum but could not find the answers to these questions. Thanks for your help!

Lately, Navy ophthalmology has been more competitive than civilian, so I'd recommend that you not even consider that. From what I have heard, the Army and Air Force did not fill, so you may have an opportunity there. Keep in mind that those are last year's facts. Since the military matches one year in advance, unlike civilian which matches two, the military may be able to offer you a residency right out of your prelim year, and that's a big advantage. Keep in mind that many folks in military residency (especially navy ophtho) have been familliarizing themselves with the program for the last several years, and you are an unknown to them. I'm not sure if they can generate a contract for you contingent on matching, talk to a health careers recruiter about that.
As far as pay goes, you'll make more as a resident, but less as an attending. Expect about $4500 a month base pay and bonuses, which are taxable. Allowances will vary on where you live, about $1500 to $3000, non taxed.
Your AD committment would be 3 years after residency, with an IRR obligation of 5.
Fellowship opportunities are dependent on needs, but I know a lot of folks do fellowship, but some not until after their first assignment. That first assignement tends not to be at the large tertiatry care centers, just on account of seniority.
Read the milmed forum carefully. There's a lot of folks on there who would discourage you joining, but I'd take whatever anyone says with a grain of salt. You effectively have a career in ophthalmology at stake.

 

[Mirror Form]

Joining the military is a big committment. Only join if you want to be in the military.

 

[wr100m]

This year, there were 4 ophtho spots in the AF. People found out if they got the spots in December 2007. I heard that usually about 24 people apply for the 4 spots. It's an advantage to do an away rotation there during your 4th year, and you can do 2 months there at a 4th year. Those who did not get an ophtho spot but were already obligated to go into the AF have to do more of a family medicine type of residency (still with the military), at least for a year, and then they can re-apply. The 4 who got the AF spots will be moving to San Antonia, TX in June to start their transitional year which is tied into the program (and includes a few months of ophtho).

I heard that it is less competitive in the Army, less competitive than civilian ophtho too, but I don't know the stats.

 

[Caffeinated]

This year, there were 4 ophtho spots in the AF. People found out if they got the spots in December 2007. I heard that usually about 24 people apply for the 4 spots. It's an advantage to do an away rotation there during your 4th year, and you can do 2 months there at a 4th year. Those who did not get an ophtho spot but were already obligated to go into the AF have to do more of a family medicine type of residency (still with the military), at least for a year, and then they can re-apply. The 4 who got the AF spots will be moving to San Antonia, TX in June to start their transitional year which is tied into the program (and includes a few months of ophtho).

I heard that it is less competitive in the Army, less competitive than civilian ophtho too, but I don't know the stats.

Army stats are highly variable from year to year. Several years ago, it was not unheard of to have 15-20 applicants for the 7 Army positions. The last several years have seen lower numbers, which likely reflects both the cyclical pattern in the specialty as well as the overall decline in HPSP applicants over the last few years (less people in the HPSP pipeline, less GME applicants).

I would discourage anyone from the going military just to improve your chances of matching ophtho (or any residency for that matter), just as I would discourage anyone from joining just to get a free education. Yes, there are benefits to going the military route. But despite these benefits, if you don't really have a desire to serve in the military, there is a pretty good chance that you won't be happy. To the OP, I would recommend trying to match in a civilian residency, and take some time to decide if you want to serve in the military. If you decide that you would like to serve after matching in a civilian residency, look into the Financial Assistance Program (FAP). As for the military medicine forum, there are some helpful people there, but in general the negative voices seem to be the loudest. If you have the chance, I would recommend meeting with some active duty physicians, or even taking a tour at a military hospital if you are nearby. Feel free to PM me if you have more questions.

 

[orbitsurgMD]

A military recruiter came to my med school today and was trying to explain the pros of doing a military residency. Currently I'm an MS4 who will be reapplying for ophtho next year and had never thought of the armed forces as a career option prior to today. I would like some info as to the pros and cons of doing an ophtho residency in the army vs. navy vs. air force and also what sort of stats are considered competitive in each branch for obtaining an ophtho residency position and how many spots are generally available in each branch. Also I would like some info as to salary and active duty commitment for each branch while doing an ophthalmology residency and post residency along with fellowship opportunities.
I scoped out the military medicine forum but could not find the answers to these questions. Thanks for your help!

Good and bad sides to military ophthalmology.

If I could pick a first choice among their programs, were I doing residency now, it would be UTSA/BAMC with the Army. These are the folks that have put together the annual course (excepting some extraordinary former faculty who have "retired" to become professors at UC Davis). It seems like a very solid, very academic program. The chairman there is a genuinely decent human being of whom I hold in great esteem. My second choice might be NMC Balboa, the Navy program in San Diego.

Those programs are well-known and hard to get. Overall, the competition is stiffer for selection in the service than out.

The biggest downside is that selection for fellowship is not simply a matter of
deciding what fellowship to apply for, but a matter first of the needs of that service branch for a fellowship-trained subspecialist in your field of interest. If they decide there is no need, you probably won't be allowed to go straight to fellowship, especially if there is an opening for a general ophthalmologist that needs to be filled.

 

[sameer]

Thanks guys for all the input, its definitely been helpful. I'm thinking of looking into the possibility of doing an away elective at Walter Reed so that I can get a feel of how military residency training is like. If anyone has some info on pros and cons of this program please let me know.