Choosing a Navy FM site for AT rotation

[blueking]

Hi all,

3rd year Navy HPSP here, and I'm planning to do a Family Medicine rotation as one of my AT's. Currently, I'm highly considering FM as the specialty I want to go into, although I'm still debating between FM and General Surgery. I've changed my mind several times throughout this past year, but have finally narrowed it down to those two specialties.

For my FM rotation, I was wondering if y'all could help me with the pros and cons of the Naval Hospitals. I've narrowed my choices to the following 3: Jacksonville, Pensacola, or Camp Pendleton. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

(also, I wouldn't mind if anyone has advice to give about their General Surgery experiences at the big 3 Navy Medical Centers)

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[phluidradiation]

I think if you search around you can find some more posts on pendleton. I didn't rotate at Pensacola, but I've heard great things about. I know a few people who were set on one program and immediately changed their top choice to pensacola after rotating there. It's also the cradle of Navy Aviation so if you like watching planes, it wouldn't be a bad place to hang out.
Jax and Pendleton are pretty similar actually. They are the big FM programs so they have relatively busy hospitals with a lot of residents. The volume is much larger than the other FM programs so you get more inpatients, OB, peds. Both have similar climates. Both have really friendly faculty that are interested in teaching residents/students. The rotations themselves are virtually the same in all the Navy FM hospitals- 3 weeks of clinic with 1 week of inpatient. You also get to join the residents in their procedure clinics. Also, depending on the site they might add their local flavors (i.e. sports med/flight med clinics at Pendleton, Dive med at bremerton)

Differences: Jax has a suburban feel-if they didn't check ID at the gates I wouldn't have known it was a mil base. Jacksonville, FL (not NC) is a pretty nice mid-size city so there seems to be ample things to do. Also you get more variety of patients- retirees, dependents, sailors, etc. Jax is also more academic in nature.
Pendleton feels like a miltary base since you are surrounded by disciplined Marines! It's near oceanside and carlsbad which are ok, but the bigger plus is that you are between LA and San Diego. Most of the patients tend to be Marines and dependents, with some retirees thrown in there too. It has a much more relaxed-west coast feel to it.
Both are great programs, but I think it boils down to what kind of place you want to live. If you like living in a suburban, academic environment, then Jax may be more your style. If you want the relaxed, california feel then go pendleton.

 

[NavyFP]

Hi all,

3rd year Navy HPSP here, and I'm planning to do a Family Medicine rotation as one of my AT's. Currently, I'm highly considering FM as the specialty I want to go into, although I'm still debating between FM and General Surgery. I've changed my mind several times throughout this past year, but have finally narrowed it down to those two specialties.

For my FM rotation, I was wondering if y'all could help me with the pros and cons of the Naval Hospitals. I've narrowed my choices to the following 3: Jacksonville, Pensacola, or Camp Pendleton. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

(also, I wouldn't mind if anyone has advice to give about their General Surgery experiences at the big 3 Navy Medical Centers)

For FM go to either Pcola or Pend. They are the more competitive. If you don't show your face there, they will be more difficult. (not impossible, just more difficult) The only one you won't get w/o a rotation or interview is Bremerton.

 

[blueking]

Thanks for the responses, phluid and NavyFP! I'm currently liking Florida more so I'm planning to schedule rotations at Pensacola or Jacksonville, or both (if I don't end up scheduling a surgery rotation).

One more question:
Have there been people who finish a FM internship but apply for residency in a different specialty? Or do a GMO and then go into another specialty or come back to FM residency? Or done the same with a Surgery internship? In other words, have you known anyone who's taken one of the following career paths? (first 15 are all Navy GME by the way, not civilian).

1) FM intern --> directly to Surgery residency - is this route even possible without the Surgery internship year or a GMO?
2) FM intern --> GMO --> Surgery intern ("resitern" year I suppose?) --> Surgery residency
3) FM intern --> GMO --> Surgery residency (PGY-2, without that "resitern" year)
4) FM intern --> GMO --> other residency besides FM and Surgery (eg. Radiology or PM&R, without having to do a IM resitern year)
5) FM intern --> GMO --> back to FM residency
6) Surgery intern --> FM residency (directly without a FM internship)
7) Surgery intern --> FM intern --> FM residency
8) Surgery intern --> GMO --> FM residency (without FM internship)
9) Surgery intern --> GMO --> FM intern --> FM residency
10) TY intern --> directly to FM residency
11) TY intern --> GMO --> FM residency (no FM internship)
12) TY intern --> GMO --> FM intern --> FM residency
13) TY intern --> directly to surg residency
14) TY intern --> GMO --> surg residency (no surg internship)
15) TY intern --> GMO --> surg intern --> surg residency

and just to make things more complicated (sorry!)...what about CIVILIAN residencies after completing Navy internships and completing obligation via GMO?
16) FM intern --> GMO --> CIVILIAN surg residency (no surg internship)
17) FM intern --> GMO --> CIVILIAN surg intern --> CIVILIAN surg residency
18) FM intern --> GMO --> CIVILIAN FM residency (no repeat of FM internship)
19) FM intern --> GMO --> CIVILIAN FM intern (repeat) --> CIVILIAN FM residency
20) Surg intern --> GMO --> CIVILIAN surg residency (no repeat of surg internship)
21) Surg intern --> GMO --> CIVILIAN surg intern (repeat) --> CIVILIAN surg residency
22) Surg intern --> GMO --> CIVILIAN FM residency (no FM internship)
23) Surg intern --> GMO --> CIVILIAN FM intern --> CIVILIAN FM residency
24) TY intern --> GMO --> CIVILIAN FM residency (no FM internship)
25) TY intern --> GMO --> CIVILIAN FM intern --> CIVILIAN FM residency
26) TY intern --> GMO --> CIVILIAN surg residency (no surg internship)
27) TY intern --> GMO --> CIVILIAN surg intern --> CIVILIAN surg residency


I know I'm asking a lot, and that the above looks like a fully loaded multiple choice question on an exam, but if you could tell me which numbers out of the 27 are possible and which aren't, it would really help me narrow down my preferred career path. I'm asking all this just in case for some odd reason I change my mind after a FM internship. FM is still a big #1, but I just can't completely rule out surgery or a TY internship at this time. Things would be a lot easier if someone or something ruined the appeal of surgery for me...

 

[NavyFP]

Thanks for the responses, phluid and NavyFP! I'm currently liking Florida more so I'm planning to schedule rotations at Pensacola or Jacksonville, or both (if I don't end up scheduling a surgery rotation).

One more question:
Have there been people who finish a FM internship but apply for residency in a different specialty? Or do a GMO and then go into another specialty or come back to FM residency? Or done the same with a Surgery internship? In other words, have you known anyone who's taken one of the following career paths? (first 15 are all Navy GME by the way, not civilian).

1) FM intern --> directly to Surgery residency - is this route even possible without the Surgery internship year or a GMO?
2) FM intern --> GMO --> Surgery intern ("resitern" year I suppose?) --> Surgery residency
3) FM intern --> GMO --> Surgery residency (PGY-2, without that "resitern" year)
4) FM intern --> GMO --> other residency besides FM and Surgery (eg. Radiology or PM&R, without having to do a IM resitern year)
5) FM intern --> GMO --> back to FM residency
6) Surgery intern --> FM residency (directly without a FM internship)
7) Surgery intern --> FM intern --> FM residency
8) Surgery intern --> GMO --> FM residency (without FM internship)
9) Surgery intern --> GMO --> FM intern --> FM residency
10) TY intern --> directly to FM residency
11) TY intern --> GMO --> FM residency (no FM internship)
12) TY intern --> GMO --> FM intern --> FM residency
13) TY intern --> directly to surg residency
14) TY intern --> GMO --> surg residency (no surg internship)
15) TY intern --> GMO --> surg intern --> surg residency

and just to make things more complicated (sorry!)...what about CIVILIAN residencies after completing Navy internships and completing obligation via GMO?
16) FM intern --> GMO --> CIVILIAN surg residency (no surg internship)
17) FM intern --> GMO --> CIVILIAN surg intern --> CIVILIAN surg residency
18) FM intern --> GMO --> CIVILIAN FM residency (no repeat of FM internship)
19) FM intern --> GMO --> CIVILIAN FM intern (repeat) --> CIVILIAN FM residency
20) Surg intern --> GMO --> CIVILIAN surg residency (no repeat of surg internship)
21) Surg intern --> GMO --> CIVILIAN surg intern (repeat) --> CIVILIAN surg residency
22) Surg intern --> GMO --> CIVILIAN FM residency (no FM internship)
23) Surg intern --> GMO --> CIVILIAN FM intern --> CIVILIAN FM residency
24) TY intern --> GMO --> CIVILIAN FM residency (no FM internship)
25) TY intern --> GMO --> CIVILIAN FM intern --> CIVILIAN FM residency
26) TY intern --> GMO --> CIVILIAN surg residency (no surg internship)
27) TY intern --> GMO --> CIVILIAN surg intern --> CIVILIAN surg residency


I know I'm asking a lot, and that the above looks like a fully loaded multiple choice question on an exam, but if you could tell me which numbers out of the 27 are possible and which aren't, it would really help me narrow down my preferred career path. I'm asking all this just in case for some odd reason I change my mind after a FM internship. FM is still a big #1, but I just can't completely rule out surgery or a TY internship at this time. Things would be a lot easier if someone or something ruined the appeal of surgery for me...

If you do an FM internship you could come back and do an FM residency or a residency without a categorical internship. If you wish to do a residency with a categorical internship (surg, OB, IM, Peds) you would need to repeat at least part of the internship in the Navy. If you go civilian, you may have to do the entire internship.

If you do Surg, you may have to repeat for other categoricals.

If you do transitional, you may have to repeat parts of internship for any residency with a categorical internship.

Going civilian will be easier if you have done the appropriate categorical internship. Many Gen surg programs are pyramids, so you might have significant trouble starting in year 2.

 

[blueking]

If you do an FM internship you could come back and do an FM residency or a residency without a categorical internship. If you wish to do a residency with a categorical internship (surg, OB, IM, Peds) you would need to repeat at least part of the internship in the Navy. If you go civilian, you may have to do the entire internship.

If you do Surg, you may have to repeat for other categoricals.

If you do transitional, you may have to repeat parts of internship for any residency with a categorical internship.

Going civilian will be easier if you have done the appropriate categorical internship. Many Gen surg programs are pyramids, so you might have significant trouble starting in year 2.

Thanks again NavyFP. I've eliminated Transitional Year. I'll focus on 1 specific scenario now:

Let's say I do a Surgery internship, but that at the end of the year I decide I want to do a FM residency instead of Surgery. Can I apply for a PGY-2 FM spot at the end of intern year since FM is non-categorical? Or, is FM internship so different from Surgery internship that I would have to repeat internship (this time FM internship) before I could go on to do a FM residency (i.e. Surg intern --> FM intern --> FM residency)? Or, would a GMO be required of me after Surgery internship before I could do FM residency [i.e. Surg intern --> GMO --> (FM intern?) --> FM residency]?

 

[NavyFP]

Thanks again NavyFP. I've eliminated Transitional Year. I'll focus on 1 specific scenario now:

Let's say I do a Surgery internship, but that at the end of the year I decide I want to do a FM residency instead of Surgery. Can I apply for a PGY-2 FM spot at the end of intern year since FM is non-categorical? Or, is FM internship so different from Surgery internship that I would have to repeat internship (this time FM internship) before I could go on to do a FM residency (i.e. Surg intern --> FM intern --> FM residency)? Or, would a GMO be required of me after Surgery internship before I could do FM residency [i.e. Surg intern --> GMO --> (FM intern?) --> FM residency]?

FM internship is different enough that you would need to make up a few rotations. A friend did GS internship and she needed an extra 6 months to be done. You would end up being what we call a resitern.