Can you do GMO/Dive/Flight Medicine after Residency?

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DeadCactus

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For example, could someone complete a Civilian Residency in Emergency Medicine, decide they'd like to spend a little time in the military and serve as a DP or FP for whatever reason? With the need to moonlight to keep relevant skills at employable levels, would it even matter career wise if you served for a few years as a GMO or as a Specialist?

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After graduating from residency, a utilization tour must be completed. After this you could change directions.
 
For example, could someone complete a Civilian Residency in Emergency Medicine, decide they'd like to spend a little time in the military and serve as a DP or FP for whatever reason? With the need to moonlight to keep relevant skills at employable levels, would it even matter career wise if you served for a few years as a GMO or as a Specialist?

Yes, but I do not know all the details. I just know first hand of physicians who decided to join. I know an ophamologist (spelled wrong) who joined and went to Dive school. He was in his 40s at the time and as long as he could make it through the program, they let him do it. I don't know how much he did with the eye, but he did this and enjoyed it. I also know a psychiatrist in the Coast Guard who gets called up on occasion for deployment and although he is a psychiatrist, his role often includes a little more general medicine than in the civilian world. He has told me that a lot of it depends on the deployment, where you are stationed, what is needed, etc. Sometimes he is just a psychiatrist. I also ran into an Army ER doc who joined for the sole purpose of wanting to jump out of planes and somehow talked his way into this. He mentioned that when he was state side that he would moonlight. The latter doc I only met once 5 years ago while he was putting stitches in my head in New Jersey somewhere, but the other two docs I talked to more recently, but their experience might be a little outdated.
 
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For example, could someone complete a Civilian Residency in Emergency Medicine, decide they'd like to spend a little time in the military and serve as a DP or FP for whatever reason? With the need to moonlight to keep relevant skills at employable levels, would it even matter career wise if you served for a few years as a GMO or as a Specialist?

Yes.

There were several board-certified docs in my flight surgery class, at least one ER doc, a neurologist, an FP and a Occ Med specialist. They all got regular flight surgery assignments on graduation.

As far as moonlighting goes, often you need permission from your clinic commander and for a FS, your squadron commander. If you have a state license and can work out the malpractice coverage (i.e. "occurrence"
coverage would be best, or have a guaranteed tail coverage from your employer). Also, you can't charge eligible beneficiaries if you are active duty (but your employer might be able to do so, so know beforehand how your billing is going to be set up.) Opportunities are very dependent on location and the level of need in various communities.
 
After graduating from residency, a utilization tour must be completed. After this you could change directions.

If you aren't obligated after residency, they would absolutely let you in to do dive or flight. If you already have an obligation, you might get to apply but there is no guarantee. I know that last year they were willing to let graduating IM residents go to flight so that they could fill a senior flight job. So, I don't think you necessarily have to do a utilization tour in your field even if you are obligated, particularly if you did a primary care residency.
 
If you aren't obligated after residency, they would absolutely let you in to do dive or flight. If you already have an obligation, you might get to apply but there is no guarantee. I know that last year they were willing to let graduating IM residents go to flight so that they could fill a senior flight job. So, I don't think you necessarily have to do a utilization tour in your field even if you are obligated, particularly if you did a primary care residency.

As of this past year, they were denying FP residents to finish and then go directly into Flight Med (even though this would make too much sense :thumbup:). It was a requirement that they had to complete a 2 year utilization tour before being allowed to go to AMP and then Flight Med. I don't think this has changed in the past couple of months, but I could be wrong. BTW, having a senior flight doc with no experience dealing with flyers (i.e. Waivers, MEBs, Shop Visits, PH/Occ Med) is a very bad idea. I would say my job deals with (at most) 50% clinical problems. Having a graduating IM resident in that position would be a disaster for the first year
 
Follow-up Question:

(Assuming you are going in after Residency with no prior obligation.) Can you get a Dive/Flight Medicine spot in your contract or is it more a sign up and play the favorable odds thing?
 
Follow-up Question:

(Assuming you are going in after Residency with no prior obligation.) Can you get a Dive/Flight Medicine spot in your contract or is it more a sign up and play the favorable odds thing?

No, but the vast majority of those who want it (and are physically qualified) will get it.
 
No, but the vast majority of those who want it (and are physically qualified) will get it.

This doesn't seem to jive insofar as I thought GMO positions would have to be increasingly staffed by BE/BC docs as the one-year wonders are phased out of the fleet. Are you just saying that one can't contract a guaranteed FS/DMO position...but that they will probably get it if they want it?

I naively signed my enlistment contract at age 17 with stellar ASVAB scores wanting to be an air traffic controller. The best I could be guaranteed was one of 4 MOS fields (including ATC) being told that "with those scores you're certain to get ATC." Well, I ended up in the field (of the 4) with the lowest ASVAB requirement. Needs of the service. If the Navy isn't offering guarantees to qualified applicants....well, it's no wonder recruiting sucks. Where is the logic here?
 
This doesn't seem to jive insofar as I thought GMO positions would have to be increasingly staffed by BE/BC docs as the one-year wonders are phased out of the fleet. Are you just saying that one can't contract a guaranteed FS/DMO position...but that they will probably get it if they want it?

I naively signed my enlistment contract at age 17 with stellar ASVAB scores wanting to be an air traffic controller. The best I could be guaranteed was one of 4 MOS fields (including ATC) being told that "with those scores you're certain to get ATC." Well, I ended up in the field (of the 4) with the lowest ASVAB requirement. Needs of the service. If the Navy isn't offering guarantees to qualified applicants....well, it's no wonder recruiting sucks. Where is the logic here?

For medical students, this makes sense. Should ANY program guarantee a spot to a first or second year medical student?
 
For medical students, this makes sense. Should ANY program guarantee a spot to a first or second year medical student?

I don't know what you mean.

What I am saying is that, if a Naval recuiter has a BC EM doc show up at his door (with a clean record, etc) saying "I'll sign if you guarantee me a flight surgery spot," it makes no sense to let this individual slip away (assuming that there are open seats in an upcoming flight surgery training cycle). Why can one take a commission slotted for a pilot or intel spot, but not choose what type of medical field one will practice in? Even enlisted folks can get job guarantees.
 
I don't know what you mean.

What I am saying is that, if a Naval recuiter has a BC EM doc show up at his door (with a clean record, etc) saying "I'll sign if you guarantee me a flight surgery spot," it makes no sense to let this individual slip away (assuming that there are open seats in an upcoming flight surgery training cycle). Why can one take a commission slotted for a pilot or intel spot, but not choose what type of medical field one will practice in? Even enlisted folks can get job guarantees.

They cant guarantee that he would qualify medically, physically, etc. No officer program can guarantee that in advance. In practice, he's very likely to get to do it but a recruiter has no power to make it happen. Not sure why you're arguing here, NavyFP is right. It doesn't matter if it makes sense, it just is.
 
They cant guarantee that he would qualify medically, physically, etc. No officer program can guarantee that in advance. In practice, he's very likely to get to do it but a recruiter has no power to make it happen. Not sure why you're arguing here, NavyFP is right. It doesn't matter if it makes sense, it just is.

There are many specialty jobs in the military that one can contract for, including pilot slots. They can't guarantee that you'll stay healthy or pass swim qual etc, but they'll contract you a slot with the understanding that if you fail out anywhere along they way, you could end up in charge of supply etc. I don't know why a flight surgeon job would be any different.

I didn't mean to argue...I guess I just mean to vent a point that this is an area that, if changed, could likely help the overall mission.
 
I don't know what you mean.

What I am saying is that, if a Naval recuiter has a BC EM doc show up at his door (with a clean record, etc) saying "I'll sign if you guarantee me a flight surgery spot," it makes no sense to let this individual slip away (assuming that there are open seats in an upcoming flight surgery training cycle). Why can one take a commission slotted for a pilot or intel spot, but not choose what type of medical field one will practice in? Even enlisted folks can get job guarantees.

That I completely agree with. If they are already trained and want to come in to do an operational job, absolutely guarantee them a slot in flight surgery or dive med. My point was guaranteeing FS/UMO(or any residency) to an incoming med student in their first or second year of med school and putting it in the HPSP contract. That will never happen.
 
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