Current Navy Flight Surgeon, non-traditional MATCH candidate questions

[obgflightdoc]

Background:
I'm a top 50 allopathic graduate 2016, AOA, 85th-95th percentile STEP 1-3 scores.
I did Navy HPSP, completed a Navy PGY-1 in OBGYN in 2017, and then elected to become a Flight Surgeon (in the Navy, every PGY-1 re-applies for residency vice FS/GMO/UMO). I currently hold a medical license in the state of Virginia. I am currently stationed in Japan; my wife is AD Air Force and is also stationed in Japan, though she lives on a base 6 hours away and we do not live together. My commitment is up JUL2021, and I'd like to apply to civilian OBGYN GME.

Problem:
I will be deployed on a ship (read: open ocean, very poor internet, no video-chatting, limited telephone) during interview season this year. We also want to have a baby but I will not be able to become pregnant until following my deployment.


I am seeking solutions/suggestions. I doubt that applying in a year when I will likely be unable to interview is wise? I assume that if I go unmatched, for whatever reason, that is bad for future matches?

Right now, I am most strongly considering separating in JUL2021, and applying for the 2022 Match. I would plan to have/raise our first child that year while (finally) living with my wife. I could actually interview in person.
I could probably get urgent care shifts, but I don't know what else I could/should do with that year that will make it clear to residency programs that I am not a liability.
NB: I'm not interested in being lab slave labor.

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[deleted480308]

I don’t know these answers but with you well with it

 

[SirGecko]

I’ve heard of people that are going to be deployed during the interview season interviewing with programs early but I think that was in the military match. That said if you have an idea of where you want to go it might make sense to reach out to them and explain the situation, could be the programs have ideas about how they want to handle it.

Is your wife also getting out or is she staying in the Air Force? If you know where she’ll be stationed that might be a geographic target for programs to talk to. I don’t think the taking a year plan is necessarily a bad one. (Particularly if you still have benefits from your wife working) I think if you explain the deployment reasons programs should understand that. (And extended maternity leave would be nice)

 

[NotAProgDirector]

I think many programs will be willing to find ways to make it work. If you'll have some periods with internet, then a web based interview might be possible. You might contact programs now and explain the situation, and they might interview you before you deploy to the ship. If you get any time back state side, they might interview you "off cycle".

Sitting out a year is also possible. You have a medical license, you might be able to do some clinical work and get paid reasonably well (although there's no simple option for that, you'd have to hunt around).

 

[obgflightdoc]

Thank you for the replies.
Hoping to reawaken this thread with an update:

My wife was selected by the Air Force to obtain a civilian PhD. So, she will now be applying to PhD programs and plans to apply to programs in urban areas with at least a few OBGYN Residency options, each.

Are PDs at all sympathetic to geographic needs? I've been told by a colleague at a Boston program that they had an applicant who only applied to Boston-area programs who was seen as cocky for doing so, and went unmatched as a result.

Thank you.

 

[deleted480308]

Thank you for the replies.
Hoping to reawaken this thread with an update:

My wife was selected by the Air Force to obtain a civilian PhD. So, she will now be applying to PhD programs and plans to apply to programs in urban areas with at least a few OBGYN Residency options, each.

Are PDs at all sympathetic to geographic needs? I've been told by a colleague at a Boston program that they had an applicant who only applied to Boston-area programs who was seen as cocky for doing so, and went unmatched as a result.

Thank you.

You only need one yes and I certainly don’t knownall PDs but my guess is No, they would tend to select you or not select you without regard to that

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Thank you for the replies.
Hoping to reawaken this thread with an update:

My wife was selected by the Air Force to obtain a civilian PhD. So, she will now be applying to PhD programs and plans to apply to programs in urban areas with at least a few OBGYN Residency options, each.

Are PDs at all sympathetic to geographic needs? I've been told by a colleague at a Boston program that they had an applicant who only applied to Boston-area programs who was seen as cocky for doing so, and went unmatched as a result.

Thank you.

Probably more likely that he just came off as arrogant and it wasn’t just because he only applied to local areas. Lots of people do that for various reasons.