Going to Iraq

[chillindrdude]

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are there any Military MDs here or you know of, that are requesting to goto Iraq?

i'm considering a 1 or 2 yr contract after residency and would like to help out at a military hospital in Iraq. Do MDs ever leave FOBs? i was told most are considered "FOBBIT"s by enlisted personnel

 

[edmadison]

are there any Military MDs here or you know of, that are requesting to goto Iraq?

i'm considering a 1 or 2 yr contract after residency and would like to help out at a military hospital in Iraq. Do MDs ever leave FOBs? i was told most are considered "FOBBIT"s by enlisted personnel

If you want to go to Iraq, you can go (Army I'm assuming). If you don't want to go, you'll probably go. Control over where you go can be tricky because once they own you, you go where they tell you. Most MD's do indeed fit into the Fobbit moniker (this covers any soldier, not just the docs). However, some do go "outside the wire", but unless you are the brigade surgeon to a fighting unit, its unlikely you would be required to do this. Remember one thing. You may just sign up for 2 years, but you'll have an 8 year IRR commitment and could get called off to deploy.

Ed

 

[RugbyJC]

I do know of a few Navy docs that went over with the Marine Corp as GMOs. One gave a presentation to us when I was in San Diego and he was right there in the middle of the fighting, but clearly not leaving his post immediately outside the combat area. He said if your female, your chances of even being as close as he was are slim to none, but working in a hospital over there is an option too for Navy.

I've basically been told that with my specialty I am garanteed a deployment.

 

[The White Coat Investor]

are there any Military MDs here or you know of, that are requesting to goto Iraq?

i'm considering a 1 or 2 yr contract after residency and would like to help out at a military hospital in Iraq. Do MDs ever leave FOBs? i was told most are considered "FOBBIT"s by enlisted personnel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forward_Operating_Base

What exactly were you hoping to do as a military physician outside an FOB? Most deployed military MDs don't even make it to an FOB, they're at the big bases with big hospitals. Or at bases outside of Iraq like me. I'm not even a FOBBIT. But seriously, what good is a physician running around with the troops? Did you think there was something you could do that a good corpsman couldn't? Not without an OR, nursing staff, pharmacy, and all the other parts of a hospital. I mean, some FOBs don't even have an airfield. An airfield is a critical part of a military hospital, both to get trauma patients in and out.

Were you hoping to shoot some insurgents yourself? Meet some Iraqi citizens and see what it's really like? You might consider becoming a pararescue jumper or something (I know of an emergency doc reservist who is actually enlisted so he can do that.) Or just join the marines as a jarhead and go kick some doors in.

I've never heard of a 1 year contract either. I'd be curious to see it.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[backrow]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forward_Operating_Base

What exactly were you hoping to do as a military physician outside an FOB? Most deployed military MDs don't even make it to an FOB, they're at the big bases with big hospitals. Or at bases outside of Iraq like me. I'm not even a FOBBIT. But seriously, what good is a physician running around with the troops? Did you think there was something you could do that a good corpsman couldn't? Not without an OR, nursing staff, pharmacy, and all the other parts of a hospital. I mean, some FOBs don't even have an airfield. An airfield is a critical part of a military hospital, both to get trauma patients in and out.

Were you hoping to shoot some insurgents yourself? Meet some Iraqi citizens and see what it's really like? You might consider becoming a pararescue jumper or something (I know of an emergency doc reservist who is actually enlisted so he can do that.) Or just join the marines as a jarhead and go kick some doors in.

I've never heard of a 1 year contract either. I'd be curious to see it.

Good luck with your decision.

But if I don't go running around outside the hospital how am I supposed to write a book and get my urology residency? 😀

 

[gastrodoc]

I didn't catch which service you were thinking about, here's a little more info about how the Army medical system is set up.

There are 3 levels of medical care in the theatre, conviently called level I, II, and III- Roman numerals make everything cooler right?

Level I- Battalion Aid station. You (doc) + 1 PA and platoon of medics. You will send some of your medics to augment the line medics (those assigned to the companies in the BN), so there are about 8-10 medics including the plt SGT close to you. In a mature theatre you work out of a building on a FOB most of the time. When there are big missions, you or the PA or both of you go out with the line guys to provide close medical support. Depending where you are, most severe trauma will be air evac'd straight out to the level III.
Chances of going off FOB ever if assigned at this level >90%.
% of time you will spend off the FOB 1-30%, varies widely depending on the unit you are assigned to, and if the S3 understands what doctors do.

Level II is the Brigade medical company (Charlie Med)- 3-4 docs and 2-3 PA's depending on unit. This is essentially an ER and a walk-in clinic. Most take at least some trauma- ie guy gets hurt with in a 10-15 minute drive of the FOB they will drive him on, stabilize, then call an air evac. If the unit is further out, traumas will overfly level II to get to level III. There is also a Physical therapist, 1 nurse, and a Dentist at level II, pretty good pharmacy and limited radiology, lots of medics and an evac platoon. There are no surgeons at a level II.
Chance of leaving FOB ever- 75%
% time off FOB- <2%

Level III- Big hospital. Surgeons, CT scanner, nurses, labs, swimming pool (not that I'm bitter).
Chance of leaving FOB- Not sure, but I haven't heard of anyone
% time off FOB <1%

The exception to the above is a forward surgical team which can be pusehd down to the level I or II, providing limited surgical capability (general and ortho).

The BN surgeon slots are easy to get if you want one, your experience will be entirely determined by the BN commander and the PA your working with (they've been training the medics for trauma while you were doing residency or practicing in your field).

The other ? that comes up a lot is how risky is it to go out. Again depends where you are and what unit you're with. There have been docs injured, none killed while on mission working as a doctor that I know of. Of course there are a myriad of injuries which could really f up your career (TBI/ eyes/ hands).

 

[The White Coat Investor]

There have been docs injured, none killed while on mission working as a doctor that I know of. Of course there are a myriad of injuries which could really f up your career (TBI/ eyes/ hands).

I know of 2 dead docs and 1 dead physical therapist. One of the docs was shot down in a chopper. He was in charge of all medical care in the middle east at the time so you could say he was "working as a doctor" at the time.

Great explanation of the army levels of care. The AF is a bit different. The place I'm at is most like a level II augmented with a forward surgical team. But at least it has a swimming pool.

 

[AF08]

Anyone know where the psychiatrists are placed in the levels of care, particularly air force. Thanks.

 

[The White Coat Investor]

Anyone know where the psychiatrists are placed in the levels of care, particularly air force. Thanks.

I am deployed right now with a psychOLOGist who functions essentially as a psychiatrist. If he recommends meds, he sends the patient over to us. Anything particularly complex or serious gets sent home anyway. Suicidal or homicidal ideation is not compatible with armed military service for some reason.

 

[AF08]

Thanks for the reply. So do the psychiatrists not get deployed to Iraq. Are they stationed at surrounding bases in Kuwait, Afghanistan or somewhere else. The reason I am asking is because I have been trying to read up on where the psychiatrists get deployed as I will become active in July of 2008. The only thing that I have found is that the air force has 2 mental health teams: A MHRRT(mental health rapid resonse team), consisting of a psychologist and a few techs and a MHAT(Mental Health Augmentation team), consisting of a psychiatrist, a few psychiatric nurses and techs. When reading about it, they make it sound as if the MHAT teams are at the big hospitals such as in Balad where they would have actual inpatient beds, although they never come out and say this. The closest thing I found is the statement "The MHAT team is never deployed without the MHRRT team". Know anything about this?

 

[georgia_md]

I am deployed right now with a psychOLOGist who functions essentially as a psychiatrist. If he recommends meds, he sends the patient over to us. Anything particularly complex or serious gets sent home anyway. Suicidal or homicidal ideation is not compatible with armed military service for some reason.

lol

 

[alpha62]

All this is nice as long as we're in a mature theature.

Once you're in, you're only one set of orders away from being sent into the next poorly planned, poorly executed delusional CF these ass clowns conjure up.

I remember one pediatrican I processed back from the first OIF rotation, that poor bastard is ruined for life. they PROFISed him into a ACR unit and by the time he got back here, every other word was F*ck you, F*ck this, F*ck that and he had a crazy look in his eye.

I can't see that guy ever going back to treating diaper rash with a teddy bear wrapped around his steth. 👎

 

[trixmd]

If you really want to get into the mix, you might check out some of the private firms like Blackwater or Triple Canopy - they're hiring docs, EMTs, etc. I spoke with a doc from the IMC who was working in Afghanistan when the Taliban were in power, so NGOs might be an option, depending on what you want to do.

 

[gastrodoc]

If you really want to get into the mix, you might check out some of the private firms like Blackwater or Triple Canopy - they're hiring docs, EMTs, etc. I spoke with a doc from the IMC who was working in Afghanistan when the Taliban were in power, so NGOs might be an option, depending on what you want to do.

All the danger, none of the redeeming social benefits.
There are a bunch of under supervised PA's running around here working for Blackwater/ Triple Canopy. They mooch off the military system for drugs/ evac/ treatment. That's without getting into the whole mercinary thing.

I'm not sure when we decided it was ok to contract out core government functions, like roads (Indana turnpike) and WAR. Anyone else secretly hoping for a draft so the rest of the country gives a **** about what's going on over here?

 

[Perrotfish]

But if I don't go running around outside the hospital how am I supposed to write a book and get my urology residency?

You made me laugh really loudly an now everyone in the library is looking at me.