Army version of GMO assignment ?
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DieselDoctor said:
The Army has no GMO "requirement". GMO is an option for those who do not get the residency they want and would like to apply again at a later time. Also, the Army is trying to reduce the number of GMOs in the field and replacing them with BC/BE docs. Hope that helps.
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st0rmin said:
What you are describing is a Hobson's choice. You take the residency you are offered, or you "choose" to do a GMO tour. If the Army really didn't have a requirement, then they would offer those not selected for their PGY2 spots out of internship a deferment for training.
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The Army doesn't do much of the "between intern year and PGY2" GMO thing, instead they let you finish your residency before they send you to be a GMO. I know of more than a couple graduating residents who just found out they're going to be a Brigade Surgeon for the next few years. I know of one pediatrics guy who's doing that and won't see a pediatric patient for the next two years (unless he is able to get one half-day a week in the peds clinic).
I'm not sure if that is a better way the the "Navy" way, but I'm not sure I'd be happy if I had just completed my residency and now didn't get to use those skills for a couple years.
I'm not sure if that is a better way the the "Navy" way, but I'm not sure I'd be happy if I had just completed my residency and now didn't get to use those skills for a couple years.
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The majority of people in the Army do go straight through these days. However, there are still plenty of doc's that end up doing a GMO tour, and not b/c they want to. It's pretty much unavoidable b/c the army can't hand out deferrments for people to do residency training in a specialty that the army doesn't need. Since the army also can't force people to do residency in something the doc doesn't want to do, what other option is there?backrow said:
I really think that FAP makes more sense for both the Army and the doctors.
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I have been told by an ER resident that not only are FP,IM,peds vulnerable to the loathed GMO position but ER docs are too. I dont know what the percentages of attendings go through this process. I would find that kind of frustrating to get specialty training in ER then do a GMO tour doesnt make sense. perhaps the army never got rid of GMOs, just put you in them after residency?
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threepeas said:
There are still plenty of GMO tours that occur BEFORE residency. Also, there are still specialists that get deployed as GMO's too.
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Sledge2005 said:
A friend of mine got tapped when he was working at a certain southeast Naval hospital as an ophthalmologist to go to the fleet again for a year as a flight surgeon, this after having done three years before his residency as a GMO/Flight Surgeon. As you might expect, this did not make for a particularly happy flight surgeon as there aren't too many phaco units down on the flight line or much call for intra-ocular surgery, and this is an important skill for an ophthalmologist that requires continued practice to maintain.
That story sure got around and hasn't been forgotten, either.
