EM in the Air Force

[Bigbaitbigfish]

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Anyone here in (or know someone in) the Air Force? Have been talking with recruiters and have a couple questions about life in the Air Force after residency. What kind of acuity do you see at your military hospitals and how many shifts do you work per month? Those are the only 2 things the recruiter couldn't really tell me....I'm specifically looking in the SE area.

 

[Doctor Bob]

Anyone here in (or know someone in) the Air Force? Have been talking with recruiters and have a couple questions about life in the Air Force after residency. What kind of acuity do you see at your military hospitals and how many shifts do you work per month? Those are the only 2 things the recruiter couldn't really tell me....I'm specifically looking in the SE area.

Southeast like... Biloxi Mississippi? I'm at Keesler AFB.

The average acuity here is a little below average. Sure, there's the occasional MI or stroke or acute surgical emergency. Traumas are very infrequent (bad enough to need admission). But while the average acuity is below average, there's a surprising number of zebras. Per capita the Keesler ED gets about twice what I've seen elsewhere.

Expect about 12-15 shifts a month (12 hr). But that will vary base to base.

But for full disclosure, this is second hand information. I'm just a prelim surgical resident here. I just spent my off-time (what little there was) in the ED, and did my elective there. I was the only resident in either the surgical or IM program who liked to spend time there so I was friends with a lot of the attendings and they were always happy to talk about AF emergency med life.

(I do credit the time I spent in the Keesler ED, and the subsequent LOR I got from the ED staff, with my success in getting an Air Force EM deferral spot and the civilian residency of my choice)

 

[Bigbaitbigfish]

Great, thanks for the info. I had 'heard' it would be 8-10 8 hr shifts as an attending and thought that might be too good to be true. They offer a nice bonus during residency, but not quite enough to make up for the peanuts you make in the military. I was hoping to hear 8 shifts a month and the ability to moonlight to make up the difference.

 

[BKN]

Great, thanks for the info. I had 'heard' it would be 8-10 8 hr shifts as an attending and thought that might be too good to be true. They offer a nice bonus during residency, but not quite enough to make up for the peanuts you make in the military. I was hoping to hear 8 shifts a month and the ability to moonlight to make up the difference.

Well, it's been thirty years - but I was stationed at Eglin in NW Florida, pretty place but extremely boring. i wouldn't do it again.

 

[Bigbaitbigfish]

Well, it's been thirty years - but I was stationed at Eglin in NW Florida, pretty place but extremely boring. i wouldn't do it again.

Yeah, that was another consideration of mine, hearing how small the hospitals were (in my choice locations). Thanks for the info.

 

[BOHICA-FIGMO]

Seek out ActiveDutyMD on the military medicine forum. He or she is a USAF EM doc.