Civilian Residency after GMO

[MGLombardi]

I'm a MS2 and it's probably a little early to be concerned about this but I have a question.

First off, I want to say I am hoping to receive straight through training in an IM residency after my internship year BUT if I end up having to complete a 2 yr. GMO tour (~50% chance from what I can tell) I will probably extend another year (3 yr HPSP) and then apply for a civilian residency. My question is this: will civilian IM residency program directors readily give me credit for my internship year I did with the Navy or will I have to start from scratch?

Like I said, ideally I'd like to go straight through with an IM residency and maybe even a military fellowship after that if my experience up to that point has been positive. However, if I find myself completing a GMO tour after internship, what would be the benefit of reapplying for a military residency? (seriously asking, not a rhetorical question)

On a side note, probably something I should be more concerned about.. does anybody have some recommendations for different Navy rotations/summer training programs with which they had good experiences?

Thanks for any help/advice with these topics.

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[AF M4]

I'm a MS2 and it's probably a little early to be concerned about this but I have a question.

First off, I want to say I am hoping to receive straight through training in an IM residency after my internship year BUT if I end up having to complete a 2 yr. GMO tour (~50% chance from what I can tell) I will probably extend another year (3 yr HPSP) and then apply for a civilian residency. My question is this: will civilian IM residency program directors readily give me credit for my internship year I did with the Navy or will I have to start from scratch?

Like I said, ideally I'd like to go straight through with an IM residency and maybe even a military fellowship after that if my experience up to that point has been positive. However, if I find myself completing a GMO tour after internship, what would be the benefit of reapplying for a military residency? (seriously asking, not a rhetorical question)

On a side note, probably something I should be more concerned about.. does anybody have some recommendations for different Navy rotations/summer training programs with which they had good experiences?

Thanks for any help/advice with these topics.

It depends, really. Some may, some may not, some may toss you a couple of rotations' credit as a compromise.

One major, major thing. Medical knowledge rapidly disintegrates with time away from it. I for one have been a GMO for a few years now after completing my internship, and I think I'd need at least a few months of ward and ICU retraining before I felt good about being a 2nd year resident supervising other interns.

Going right into second year after forgetting just about everything from inpatient rotations 3 years ago? No way, I would not even attempt to do that.

 

[backrow]

You would get credit for your intern year as long as you did an IM intern year. You would need to go outside the match to find a residency though as you'd be coming in as a 2nd year which is "abnormal" for the civilian side.

If some place wanted you to repeat internship they would not receive gov't subsidies for you for one of your years as you have already completed one of the three years and therefore only have 2 years of funding left for a program if you went IM.

 

[Gastrapathy]

It depends, really. Some may, some may not, some may toss you a couple of rotations' credit as a compromise.

One major, major thing. Medical knowledge rapidly disintegrates with time away from it. I for one have been a GMO for a few years now after completing my internship, and I think I'd need at least a few months of ward and ICU retraining before I felt good about being a 2nd year resident supervising other interns.

Going right into second year after forgetting just about everything from inpatient rotations 3 years ago? No way, I would not even attempt to do that.

As long as you get credit for 12 months from the ABIM (which you would from any Navy site), you would start as an R2. All of us who (currently or used to) attend on the wards deal with the fleet-returnee R2 and it is a challenge. I think it takes about 3 months to get up to speed. The timing couldn't be worse, since thats when the interns are new too. Man, I hate wards.

As for why to stay at that point, there are several reasons. One, you are paid well for being a resident and about average as an attending (since IM is compensated so poorly). Second, the programs provide solid training. Third, if you want a competitive fellowship, you are much more likely to be selected in-house than outside the military.

 

[AF M4]

You would get credit for your intern year as long as you did an IM intern year. You would need to go outside the match to find a residency though as you'd be coming in as a 2nd year which is "abnormal" for the civilian side.

If some place wanted you to repeat internship they would not receive gov't subsidies for you for one of your years as you have already completed one of the three years and therefore only have 2 years of funding left for a program if you went IM.

Very true. This past spring I watched a pair of my colleagues go through this exact process, and the issue of repeating their internship was a topic of discussion at all of their civilian interviews. Many places preferred for them to repeat their internship, even though both had done IM, simply for the reason that they believed that their knowledge would have corroded over their 4 years' GMO time.

Despite the fact that all of the programs they applied to knew of the extra year's cost that would go along with accepting them, they both ended up receiving interviews at and ranking more than a dozen locations, many at fairly prestigious locales. One got his #1, the other his #3.

The military experience can make you a more impressive candidate on the civilian side, both from the reflection of the military's overall prestige in general as well as the seasoning and maturity that a few years "out in the real world" instills. Many programs see "future chief resident" when they read your package and interview you, and for that they are often willing to punt the extra year of Medicare funding.