EM Doc Opportunities

[BruceWilly]

Can anyone elaborate on the opportunities available to an EM boarded doc in the military? Id like to know if there are other things you can do in addition to medicine. Are there chances to go into the field etc? What is off limits? What isn't? Thanks.

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[deuist]

It's all going to be "medicine" per se. I think you are referring to getting out of the emergency department. In that case, off the top of my head, the Air Force has critical care air transport – essentially an ICU in the back of an airplane, international health, White House physician, special operations surgical team – which really involves sitting in a trailer and surfing the web more than it does seeing patients, and CSTARS – being embedded at a civilian institution such as the University of Cincinnati. There are also lots of nonclinical desk jobs such as Joint Commission coordinator, SGH – the civilian equivalent would be a chief of medicine, executive officer – an overeducated secretary, and GME coordinator for the Air Force. You could also go for broke and do flight surgery, which involves neither flying nor surgery, but looks good on a resume.

 

[deuist]

As far as things that are "off limits," you are not going to do things that put you in direct harms way as physicians are generally noncombatants. The Air Force does have a program known as the pilot physician program where you can become a rated pilot, give up your Geneva Convention protections, and then fly combat missions. If you are really in physical shape, then you could also use your medical degree to go into one of the special operations fields as a medic. You would have to enlist and you would certainly be the most overeducated medic on your team, but that is something that a few doctors have done before.

 

[BruceWilly]

Physicians came become pilots??

 

[deleted480308]

There is a sf guard guy in my medical school that is going to keep his old mos because he likes it....paid as an enlisted badass that just happens to have a medical degree

 

[deuist]

Physicians came become pilots??

Yes. I think that the pilot-physician program is unpopular as I get an email every 3 months seeking applications. Maybe it has something to do with spending a year in flight school in places like Oklahoma and then incurring an 8 year service obligation. The requirements are also pretty strict. I think the age cutoff is 29.