Army Anesthesiology

[aau22]

Hey guys,

Just wondering if anyone has any recent experience with competetiveness for matching into gas in the Army...I have looked at the stats for civilian match success and the board scores are lower than I had expected but I know the military is a whole different ballgame. Do many people match straight through or is a GMO tour a given? I know the Army has 12 spots per year usually in the 2 programs. If anyone has more info I'd really appreciate it.

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[psychbender]

I'm applying for Anesthesiology in the Army right now, so I can hopefully tell you about matching into Army Anesthesiology in December.

First, the numbers given by the Army regarding number of spots and applicants is a bit off. I brought it up when I was at Walter Reed last month, and was set straight. Walter Reed has about 9 or 10 spots, and Brooke 7 (I think, haven't counted the CA-1s here, yet). I believe 1 at WRAMC is held for a GMO, and 1 or 2 at BAMC (so about 14 spots for MS4s, may vary based on year). Last year, there were 37 total medical student applicants to the programs. That's a wee bit different than the 20-or so applicants that the Army GME slideshow would have you believe there were.

In the Army, nearly all of the Anesthesiology residents are straight through, pre-selects from medical school. In the Navy, I believe it is still fairly common for a GMO tour to be completed, but don't quote me on that (didn't meet any of the Navy residents when I was at WRAMC).

I believe there is an Army Anesthesiology resident that's on these boards somewhat regularly, so maybe he'll chime in.

 

[bogatyr]

We are not privy to such information as number of applicants, board scores, etc. The Army is probably more competitive in the sense that in the civilian world if you graduate from a U.S. medical school with a pulse you can get an anesthesia residency somewhere. However, the applicant pool is much smaller so the numbers and caliber of your competition can vary widely from year to year. For example, my year there were radiology slots that went unfilled in the Army due to lack of applicants - you won't see that on the outside. My advice is not to worry about how competitive it is. Just decide if anesthesia is really what you want to do for a career, then check all the boxes to make yourself a competitive applicant, and bust your arse when you come for an ADT rotation (that's when the decisions are really made). If you get a spot - great; if not, put in your 4 years as a GMO and then do residency when you get out. As stated above, they do set aside 1-3 slots per year for Medical Corps applicants. Note that I didn't say GMO because we haven't had a GMO accepted for residency in 4 years. Since then it has all been board certified internists, pediatricians, FP, critical care, etc taking those slots. Good luck.

 

[bogatyr]

Hey guys,

Just wondering if anyone has any recent experience with competetiveness for matching into gas in the Army...I have looked at the stats for civilian match success and the board scores are lower than I had expected but I know the military is a whole different ballgame. Do many people match straight through or is a GMO tour a given? I know the Army has 12 spots per year usually in the 2 programs. If anyone has more info I'd really appreciate it.

And the surest way not to match is to call the specialty "gas." You are seen as weak if you have to use a volatile anesthetic in the Army. It's all TIVA and regional.

 

[pgg]

It is very common in the Navy.

It's so very common, that nobody except a GMO has taken an anesthesiology slot in the Navy since 2004 GMESB (for the class that started 2005 and graduated 2008).

Though it is rumored that the GMESB will start putting one intern straight through at each site starting this year. Or maybe that was just for ER ... I don't remember. Part of the overall shift toward straight-through training.