Dealing with the detailer

[Perrotfish]

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Alright, its almost that time, and very soon at least some of us will be finding out that we're not getting straight through training. So, for the unlucky ones, what's the best approach for dealing with the detailer?

1) If we're on an alternates list, I've been advised to wait before calling as agreeing to a GMO slot means I'm off the alt list for straight through training. How badly am I screwing myself if I wait? Do good GMO slots go really fast? It seems like they're mostly in the same half a dozen places. Is my chance of getting east coast or west coast marines really harmed by waiting to see if I can weasel into continuous training?

2) Any advice concerning GMO slots? Thoughts on ships? Thoughts on Marines? Thoughts on Seabees? Thoughts on locations?

3) Is there anything other than politeness and respect that will make the detailer more ammenable to helping us out? Is there any kind of a selection process for assignments or is it first come first serve?

 

[BOHICA-FIGMO]

Alright, its almost that time, and very soon at least some of us will be finding out that we're not getting straight through training. So, for the unlucky ones, what's the best approach for dealing with the detailer?

1) If we're on an alternates list, I've been advised to wait before calling as agreeing to a GMO slot means I'm off the alt list for straight through training. How badly am I screwing myself if I wait? Do good GMO slots go really fast? It seems like they're mostly in the same half a dozen places. Is my chance of getting east coast or west coast marines really harmed by waiting to see if I can weasel into continuous training?

2) Any advice concerning GMO slots? Thoughts on ships? Thoughts on Marines? Thoughts on Seabees? Thoughts on locations?

3) Is there anything other than politeness and respect that will make the detailer more ammenable to helping us out? Is there any kind of a selection process for assignments or is it first come first serve?

(1) I wouldn't hold my breath unless you on the alternate list for a primary care specialty. I know of some IM residents who got pulled in off the alternate list, but that is pretty much it. I know one EM doc who got pulled off the alternate list, and it was a rare alignment of the planets that allowed that to happen.

(2) Well, if you wanted to go FS or UMO, you should have applied already. Those results are released with the regular GME2+ board. Since I am assuming you are not doing either of those, that leaves the ones you mentioned. As for ship, you will probably be assigned to the med dept of a larger ship with a BC supervising physician over you. In the Marines, you will be assigned as a battalion surgeon do sick call and physicals. Even combat is boring as a BN surgeon, since most of the real trauma flies over you to the Role II/III hospitals. Can't really speak to SEABEES.

(3) I would start contacting the GMO detailer as soon as the board results are announced. Most likely he/she will send you a list of available positions (either directly or through your GME coordinator)

 

[Gastrapathy]

Basically, you have two ways to play it and you have to committ to one strategy or the other.

If you are an alternate for anything other than IM and don't get specific assurances from the PD right away, I'd recommend calling the detailer early in the morning on the day the list comes out with a specific request. Keep calling until you reach him and if you are west coast, don't give the east coast folks a head start. Its a first-come first-served madhouse.

For medicine, its trickier. If you don't get yourself pencilled in for a billet, you risk a 2 year sabattical in Lejeune or 29 Palms. However, because everyone races to claim the better GMO billets, there is often good movement on the list. I think my last two years, all the alternates were exhausted if you waited long enough. Tough call but if you want to train straight-through, I think you gamble that the list will move and take the GMO scraps if it doesn't.

Personally, I'd go green-side every time as a GMO but I'm allergic to SWOs.

 

[Perrotfish]

Basically, you have two ways to play it and you have to committ to one strategy or the other.

If you are an alternate for anything other than IM and don't get specific assurances from the PD right away, I'd recommend calling the detailer early in the morning on the day the list comes out with a specific request. Keep calling until you reach him and if you are west coast, don't give the east coast folks a head start. Its a first-come first-served madhouse.

For medicine, its trickier. If you don't get yourself pencilled in for a billet, you risk a 2 year sabattical in Lejeune or 29 Palms. However, because everyone races to claim the better GMO billets, there is often good movement on the list. I think my last two years, all the alternates were exhausted if you waited long enough. Tough call but if you want to train straight-through, I think you gamble that the list will move and take the GMO scraps if it doesn't.

Personally, I'd go green-side every time as a GMO but I'm allergic to SWOs.

I'm Peds, we generally have a good amout of alt list movement (or so I'm told). Do the Pendleton Marine slots and the San Diego ships genearlly get exhausted pretty quickly? My only real goal with the GMO match is to stay in the LA area. Do I need to commit early to make that happen or are there generally some Pendleton slots left over?

 

[Gastrapathy]

I'm Peds, we generally have a good amout of alt list movement (or so I'm told). Do the Pendleton Marine slots and the San Diego ships genearlly get exhausted pretty quickly? My only real goal with the GMO match is to stay in the LA area. Do I need to commit early to make that happen or are there generally some Pendleton slots left over?

I don't have any experience with the Peds list but remember, the program wants you to wait. Its in their interest to have their alternates out there as long as possible.

Camp Pendleton will go fast. I guess it depends on whether you think 29 Palms is in the LA area.

 

[Perrotfish]

Is anyone else surprised how little time we're getting to work out the GMO scramble? None of my classmates have any dedicated time to get on the phone with the detailer. Some of them are at civilian hospitals with no .mil email access. Others are actually at C4, and won't have access to a cellphone until a week after the news comes out. It seems bizare that we were given a completely pointless day off for an 'intern retreat' but no allocation of time is being made for what is, effectively, a second match day/

 

[DrMetal]

Is anyone else surprised how little time we're getting to work out the GMO scramble? None of my classmates have any dedicated time to get on the phone with the detailer. Some of them are at civilian hospitals with no .mil email access. Others are actually at C4, and won't have access to a cellphone until a week after the news comes out. It seems bizare that we were given a completely pointless day off for an 'intern retreat' but no allocation of time is being made for what is, effectively, a second match day/

How does this work? Do you fill out a 'dream sheet' and turn it into the detailer?

Does it help to do any homework beforehand, say by finding out what billets are going to be available (say by word of mouth, or knowing somebody), and then asking for that specific billet? Or is this discouraged?

 

[Perrotfish]

How does this work? Do you fill out a 'dream sheet' and turn it into the detailer?

Does it help to do any homework beforehand, say by finding out what billets are going to be available (say by word of mouth, or knowing somebody), and then asking for that specific billet? Or is this discouraged?

We recieved a list of available billet months back, and filled out a 'dream sheet'. However I don't know what purpose any of that served, becaues nothing is final about your GMO location until you talk to the detailer, and it sounds like the process is primarily first come first serve.

When you talk to the detailer you are very specifically supposed to know what spot you want and ask for it. The detailer is the only person to ask,neither the command you're coming from nor the one you want to go to has any offical influence. If there's any kind of merit based process to decide who gets what it hasn't been well explained to us.

 

[MTGas2B]

Never went through the GMO route, but if you want to stick around SoCal you could go with the seabees at Point Huenene. For all I know there could only be one billet there.

 

[DrMetal]

We recieved a list of available billet months back, and filled out a 'dream sheet'.

Interesting...so you got this list essentially near the beginning of your PGY1 year? I guess they want you to start thinking/planning early. This is a good topic, one that we havent discussed much here (that is, the mechanics of negotiating your gmo assignment), I hope to see this thread grow. Thanks for starting it.

 

[Perrotfish]

Never went through the GMO route, but if you want to stick around SoCal you could go with the seabees at Point Huenene. For all I know there could only be one billet there.

Per the list we got there are 8 ship spots in San Diego, 15 marine spots at pendleton, and 3 seabee spots,. The problem is that when I add up the number of slots on the list to the projected residency slots I get a number thats less than the total PGY one class.

 

[DrMetal]

and 3 seabee spots,.

In SoCal alone? That sounds like a lot of seabee spots.

FWIW, have heard rumors that they dont have enuf PGY1 spots too (for the c/o 2013), and so theyre encouraging folks (including usuhs students) to apply for civilian deferments (depending on the specialty). Looks like they overstacked our years. That's great, we can monkey-knife fight for billets and pgy spots.

 

[Perrotfish]

In SoCal alone? That sounds like a lot of seabee spots.

Socal seabees are the only seabees on the list. So its 3 slots nation wide.