From the picture that is painted here the daily GMO tasks appear to be sick call, maybe some appointments, admin, and meetings. Deployment medical duties are limited. It sounds like the command was hesitant to give GMO's much of a clinical leash. From your experience:
1. Is this the norm for most GMO tours or just at your command? As a rule, yes. GMOs do pretty basic primary care.
2. Is it that they don't trust the GMO's ability to have more responsibilities or is this just the standard policy?
My question would be, what else do you want them to do? They are not qualified to do procedures on their own. They are operational and don't need inpatient privledges.
3. Did your duties change the longer you were there and the command was able to get a better feel for you? Yes, to a degree. If you prove not to be an idiot, they will ask for more opinions and give you some ability to make changes in your clinic.
4. Were you given opportunities to attend conferences or anything like this to improve, or just left on your own?
There is money available for GMOs to attend conferences. If the local command cannot sponsor it, you need to contact the GME office at NAV MED MPT&E (for Navy types.) or the Office of the Surgeon General for Army/AF
