What exactly do Navy FM docs do after residency? Are they assigned to hospitals and clinics (such as those listed here: http://www.med.navy.mil/SiteInfo/NavalHospitals/Pages/default.aspx )? I understand a utilization tour is likely, but what is life like aside from deployment? What is the likelihood of being stationed at a domestic vs. international base? Any insight would be appreciated.
Family medicine after residency
- Thread starter mdmed2012
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What can you do after residency? Pretty much anything. There are jobs for clinics, hospitals, operational billets. You could request Flight Surgery or Dive medicine (unlikely, but possible if there is a need.) It will all depend on what is open and needed at the time you graduate from residency.
What life will be like will depend on where you are stationed. If you get a hospital or clinic, you will see patients. If you have an operational billet, you will deploy. There are a number of new grads who are being placed in Battalion Surgeon jobs, so there is a real possibility of Green side time.
I suspect there will be a large number of changes in the next 4 years. For the most part, the Navy is out of Iraq. We are supposed to draw down in Afghanistan. Will we be in someplace else? Don't know. Ship numbers are decreasing. Marine Corps is shrinking. I expect the overall size of Navy Medicine to decrease. More contracting/civilian positions will be created. Much will depend on the current budget battles.
Thank you for the response.
Do fresh graduates typically fill certain spots more commonly, while the docs who have been in a while get the more coveted locations? If so, are there any locations or assignments that are more sought after than others? I'm sure much it depends on what is available at the time, as you said, but I'm trying to get an idea what new board certified doc can expect - if that's even possible to answer.
On a related note, how do the assignments differ for IM graduates vs. FM graduates? Do they generally fill the same role?
Do fresh graduates typically fill certain spots more commonly, while the docs who have been in a while get the more coveted locations? If so, are there any locations or assignments that are more sought after than others? I'm sure much it depends on what is available at the time, as you said, but I'm trying to get an idea what new board certified doc can expect - if that's even possible to answer.
On a related note, how do the assignments differ for IM graduates vs. FM graduates? Do they generally fill the same role?
Junior docs are more likely to fill worker bee positions. There is typically less need for you to take on leadership/admin roles. Collateral duties tend to be on the minor comittees. For operational spots, there will be a more senior doc providing oversight, but you will often be on your own. For the green side, batallions are as high as you would want to go. The Marines are very rank conscious. A LCDR in a batallion would outrank all but the CO and XO, but a LT at the regiment would be overshadowed by too many and being a field grade officer (O4-O6) is expected/required. Amphibs and carriers will have 1-3 junior docs and a Senior Medical Officer (SMO).
Difference between FP and IM. There are fewer IM billets as a whole across the Navy. The tend to be one or two person shops. They will often consider themselves consult services for IDCs/NPs/PAs/(and us lowly)FPs. In some places they do routine primary care. I have seen a few work as hospitalists. They are less likely to go straight operational. Often their utilization tour is to set up fellowship and they stop being pure internists.
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You forgot to mention that FP docs aren't ridiculously good-looking like internists.
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Jealousy prevented me from saying that.
Although, we have the Bachelor joining our ranks. Andy Baldwin is dreamy.
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Ha! I thought he wanted to be a surgeon?
I would give quite a lot to be one of the senior residents or attendings on one of his rotations. The hazing would be merciless. I think I would actually watch his entire Bachelor season on DVD just so that I could take notes for later use as wisecracks. I would call the other GMOs at his original base who had to pick up his slack while he was showboating so that I could surprise him with unexpected dirt. This makes me giddy just thinking about it.
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That guy is actually going to residency now? Last I knew the Navy just had him recruiting for the medical corps.
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I know Andy, and as much as you want to hate him, he's a pretty outstanding guy. About as much time as you spend sleeping after your 80 hrs/wk, he spends doing volunteer work or recruiting or fund-raising. It astounds me how he does it and still has time for sleep and his tri-sport hobbies. He'll be a 3rd year FM resident next month.
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Unless your program hires only Provigil users, I would have to say that claim comes from the Museum of the Hard-To-Believe.
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Oh, I don't want to hate him. I want to mock him for using the uniform to participate in the self-aggrandizing nationally televised dating show.
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Well, to each his own. I guarantee he puts in more volunteer hours with his charities than your whole program. Hate on haters.
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Are you Andy Baldwin?
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haha. Nope. Not Andy. Just hate to see people blasted for no reason other than being on tv. We all make choices in life that lead us in different directions.
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I don't think anybody really hates the guy on a personal level nor for just being on TV. I'm against his specific action of going on a dumb reality TV show (and I mean the dumbest of the dumb . . . you ever tried watching an episode of The Bachelor??? It truly is one of the most embarrassing aspects of American culture).
If the Navy is going to deprive itself of an able-body physician (thus stiffing other GMOs, as pointed out above . . .and I believe it), I'd rather see that physician do a reality show about say, Navy medicine life, life of a GMO, or something like the 'Carrier' series. Or hell, something about his volunteer work that he seems to be so involved in . . . . But not 'The Bachelor' . . cmon, what's next? 'Fox Celebrity Boxing'?
You wouldn't last 5 minutes into it, if you're of above average intelligence, and straight.
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No. As noted above, this isn't about him being on TV. Look, active duty servicemen and women go on Wheel of Fortune or Family Feud all the time for Military Week or something like that. They play for various charities, and the guy who solves the final puzzle gets an extra 10K donated in his name to the Wounded Warrior Project or something. That's cool. No problem with people being in uniform and on TV in that situation because all veterans benefit from it and there's no way for the prestige of the uniform to suffer.
Andy Baldwin, on the other hand, somehow got the Navy to sign off on letting him play the man-bimbo trophy for 20 some odd desperate women to make a spectacle of themselves for on national television, despite the fact that we were fighting two wars at the time and the military is chronically understaffed on doctors. Because he went on this show, somewhere there was a guy who had to sit in the crap in Afghanistan away from his family for an extra six months because Andy Baldwin was living it up in some hacienda on the military's dime. I really don't give a crap how many volunteer hours he puts in or how many triathlons he runs. Baldwin needs to be mocked for his decision to do this until every memory he has of the experience is tinged by the feeling of being repeatedly kicked in the balls.
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Exactly. Docs have enough trouble getting respect from the line. I'm sure the Navy higher ups saw it as a great recruiting tool, but I cant tell you how many times I've heard the people who do all the work mocking this guy, and mocking all of the MC for 'creating' it.
No offense.
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The ortho community shot him down with glee.
The fact that he wore a fake Navy uniform was incredibly irritating. It doesn't matter why (for the defenders out there). If he couldn't wear it right, he should have been in civis, not some love boat outfit.
For big navy to then turn around and use him to recruit sums up why we all think that the people in charge are *****s. He has time to do "all that charity work" because NavyFP is sucking up yet another year in the box. He was a GMO forever and NEVER DEPLOYED. All of us who have deployed can take a piss on him anytime we want.
The fact that he wore a fake Navy uniform was incredibly irritating. It doesn't matter why (for the defenders out there). If he couldn't wear it right, he should have been in civis, not some love boat outfit.
For big navy to then turn around and use him to recruit sums up why we all think that the people in charge are *****s. He has time to do "all that charity work" because NavyFP is sucking up yet another year in the box. He was a GMO forever and NEVER DEPLOYED. All of us who have deployed can take a piss on him anytime we want.
