Do-able combination or nightmare in the making?

[epsilonprodigy]

This may seem a little contrived, but bear with me, I have my reasons for asking....

Let's say a civilian surgeon were married to a Navy pilot. How would this bode for the surgeon's career? If the pair married during med school, is there any significant chance of predicting where the pilot will be stationed, and plan residency applications accordingly?

In general, once residency is done, is it even possible for an attending to hop around from hospital to hospital that way? Could the surgeon reliably find civilian contractor positions at the hospitals on whichever base they were stationed at?

(Feel free to discuss how this situation would apply to civilians in any other specialty as well..)

Thoughts?

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[MaxillofacialMN]

No way to predict where the pilot will be stationed - wars can break out at any time.

Also, if the pilot is deployed, you wouldn't want to go with them anyways. So, finding a residency near the pilot's base, short answer: no.

Also, residency for GENERAL surgery is 4-5 years, during which you are not going to be moving around without some considerable amount of effort/extreme circumstances. And then if you do a fellowship.... even longer. During those five years, you cannot count on the pilot to not be going places (pilots fly airplanes, ie, they travel).

 

[numberwunn]

This may seem a little contrived, but bear with me, I have my reasons for asking....

Let's say a civilian surgeon were married to a Navy pilot. How would this bode for the surgeon's career? If the pair married during med school, is there any significant chance of predicting where the pilot will be stationed, and plan residency applications accordingly?

In general, once residency is done, is it even possible for an attending to hop around from hospital to hospital that way? Could the surgeon reliably find civilian contractor positions at the hospitals on whichever base they were stationed at?

(Feel free to discuss how this situation would apply to civilians in any other specialty as well..)

Thoughts?

A lot of, "it depends." Where is he in his career? If he's just starting, then no way to tell where he will end up (and he'll move a lot). Over five years, he would probably have a sea tour (with a squadron) and then a shore tour. Maybe he could get these nearby or at the same base, i.e. a squadron at Oceana and then an instructor tour at the RAG. But there's no guarantee.

I don't personally know of any surgeons who are married to service members, but for other professionals, one possibility is to try to become a Navy civilian employee (after residency - you're probably in trouble for residency). If so, when your husband moves, they may have to move you too. My PCM is a civilian, and I'd guess that they have other specialists too.This may also hold if you worked for other government agencies, i.e. the VA. Keep in mind, you would probably take a pay hit for this.

If there is a specific naval aviator in mind, I would have him talk to his detailer about what his future could hold. It's unlikely that the detailer could give him a definite answer, but may be able to give him an idea.

The upshot - you would have to be very understanding, flexible with your career, and willing to maybe be apart for some time.

 

[epsilonprodigy]

Well, first 5 years of his career. Do they tend to move you around more earlier on?

 

[numberwunn]

During flight school, those guys can move every few months for a while. After flight school (which is the first 1.5-2.5 years of his career, depending on platform etc) he'd probably be left in a squadron for a little while. Not sure how long. Maybe five years? For the rest of the career, I'd guess an average of a move (at least in job, if not location) every 3 years. But it can totally depend. I have a friend who moved 12 times in 12 years as a pilot - though that is on the high end. Some can stay in one place for a decade.

Ever thought of joining the Navy yourself? They do try very hard to keep couples together...

 

[Cooperd0g]

It is unlikely a do-able combination and more likely to be a nightmare. From 1998-2000 I lived in 4 different places while going through flight school. That is pretty much the worst possible scenario for those three years, but unless you fly helicopters you are looking at at least two moves. Then there is fleet replacement training, which is at a major base for your aircraft, but doesn't mean you will be staying at that base after. Once fleet replacement training is done and you get in a sea duty squadron you will be stationed at that location for about three years. So if it is at the fleet replacement training location then you could be there for four years. Next is shore duty. These big bases have lots of shore duty billets also so it is much more likely to be able to stay at the same base. But what if he wants to be a test pilot or a weapons school instructor? That could require a couple of more moves in a couple of years. The first few years as a Naval Aviator are the most unstable in terms of location.

I know a few guys that were married to civilian docs. I am sorry to say tat it didn't work for any of them. A couple of guys married their flight doc. They did their best to be stationed together, but it didn't always work out. One knew that they might likely be apart when she left the military for a civilian residency. She got into one near a major base for his aircraft, but he wasn't up for orders for another year. I'm not sure how it worked out.

Both are demanding careers with driven people. If they can't be done in the same location then it usually doesn't work out. However, done let a bunch of people on the net dissuade you from what you want.

 

[DrMetal]

Well, first 5 years of his career. Do they tend to move you around more earlier on?

Absolutely. Also depends on what he's flying. If he's a jet jockey, he'll likely be stationed coastal and will go out to sea a lot on carriers. If a P3 guy, likely be in Hawaii or the PacNorWest, or Japan. If helicopters, anywhere is possible.

You just meet this guy!? Don't mean to throw water on your passionate flame, but this would be a hard relationship to sustain. Unless you've been together for a while and have a solid relationship, I'd consider going deep into the friend-zone.