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I'm an MS4 preparing to match in EM this year, and I have some questions about the FAP. I appreciate any guidance you guys can give.
I did several forum searches and have read several threads, including the FAP thread, as well as air force em, EM -where did you serve, Navy EM and others in their entirety. I will try not to ask for information that has been covered elsewhere.
Background about me: MD/MPH, I speak Arabic and have lived in the Middle East, was rejected for an ROTC scholarship out of HS because of poor eyesight (correctable to better than 20/20). Have been active with my school's military medicine interest group, so I've been to the hospital at Lejeune and have a general familiarity with how the FAP and other programs work. I expect to come out slightly behind financially if I do military medicine and am OK with that.
1) Acuity of Patient Do EDs for any one branch typically see higher acuity patients?
Obviously, specific post is going to be the bigger factor than branch, but one of my biggest concerns is acuity of patient. I want to be the best EM doctor I can be, and the idea of spending my first few years out of residency seeing mostly urgent care-level patients is terrifying, because of how important that period is for solidifying your skills. On the other hand, I've spoken with people who served in Balad or on CCAT teams and can only imagine how much I'd learn in that position. With the war in Iraq over and plans to leave Afghanistan in place, though, I worry about languishing.
2) Deployment Schedules. What are deployment schedules like for EM folks in each branch?
The reason I ask is that while deploying and caring for soldiers and marines wounded in combat is the primary reason I am interested in military medicine, the prospect of a 12 month deployment is daunting, especially considering that I might be starting a family around the time I finish residency. All other things being equal, I think I would prefer a branch that has shorter, but more frequent deployments over longer but fewer deployments.
3) Leave/Time off - Is 30 days off/year a false promise?
always see "30 days off per year" advertised as being part of military medicine, which in the civilian world would be a lot. How does that actually work out in practice? I hear lots of EM postings are understaffed, so am I right to worry that this may be a false promise? Anything else I should consider here?
4) Academics and the Military - Some really cool medical research comes out of the military. How hard is it to get involved with that?
At SAEM in 2010 and last year at the WMS meeting, the research I found most interesting came from military presenters. I definitely want to have academics be a part of my career, but I have no idea how that works in the military. Is it possible to have a good EM posting and work on research (hypothetically, let's say altitude physiology or trauma research)?
Thanks in advance for any help or advice.
I did several forum searches and have read several threads, including the FAP thread, as well as air force em, EM -where did you serve, Navy EM and others in their entirety. I will try not to ask for information that has been covered elsewhere.
Background about me: MD/MPH, I speak Arabic and have lived in the Middle East, was rejected for an ROTC scholarship out of HS because of poor eyesight (correctable to better than 20/20). Have been active with my school's military medicine interest group, so I've been to the hospital at Lejeune and have a general familiarity with how the FAP and other programs work. I expect to come out slightly behind financially if I do military medicine and am OK with that.
1) Acuity of Patient Do EDs for any one branch typically see higher acuity patients?
Obviously, specific post is going to be the bigger factor than branch, but one of my biggest concerns is acuity of patient. I want to be the best EM doctor I can be, and the idea of spending my first few years out of residency seeing mostly urgent care-level patients is terrifying, because of how important that period is for solidifying your skills. On the other hand, I've spoken with people who served in Balad or on CCAT teams and can only imagine how much I'd learn in that position. With the war in Iraq over and plans to leave Afghanistan in place, though, I worry about languishing.
2) Deployment Schedules. What are deployment schedules like for EM folks in each branch?
The reason I ask is that while deploying and caring for soldiers and marines wounded in combat is the primary reason I am interested in military medicine, the prospect of a 12 month deployment is daunting, especially considering that I might be starting a family around the time I finish residency. All other things being equal, I think I would prefer a branch that has shorter, but more frequent deployments over longer but fewer deployments.
3) Leave/Time off - Is 30 days off/year a false promise?
always see "30 days off per year" advertised as being part of military medicine, which in the civilian world would be a lot. How does that actually work out in practice? I hear lots of EM postings are understaffed, so am I right to worry that this may be a false promise? Anything else I should consider here?
4) Academics and the Military - Some really cool medical research comes out of the military. How hard is it to get involved with that?
At SAEM in 2010 and last year at the WMS meeting, the research I found most interesting came from military presenters. I definitely want to have academics be a part of my career, but I have no idea how that works in the military. Is it possible to have a good EM posting and work on research (hypothetically, let's say altitude physiology or trauma research)?
Thanks in advance for any help or advice.
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