Love and Medicine...and the Military?

[EscheLava]

I've got a serious problem and I was wondering if anyone could help me out. My boyfriend and I are seriously considering getting hitched. There's only one problem: I am dead set on being an MD and he's in the Air Force. I know that most of the doctors that work on Air Force bases are civilian doctors, but that's about the extent of my knowledge. I've contacted the AFHQ, but no one has really been able to answer my questions. So, does anyone know how difficult it is for a civilian doctor to get a job on an Air Force base? Do they prefer general pracs or specialists? I've also heard that civilian docs working for the military don't have to worry as much with malpractice insurance and such. Is that true? Thanks for your help!

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[edmadison]

I think your big problem is going to be before you are an attending physician. At that time, getting a job should not be difficult. Your real problem is the next 7+ years. Are you going to be able to get into a medical school close to where he gets stationed? What happens when he gets transferred. Residency will be even worse. This is because you MUST go where you match. Getting a match where you man is stationed will be particularly difficult because most bases are in areas with few teaching hospitals.

Good luck

Ed

 

[Teach]

My husband is active duty Air Force and we live on an AFB in California. Every base we have lived on has only had active duty physicians in their medical facilities. My husband has been active duty for 15 years and he has never seen a civilian doctor on base either. So, I am not sure where you were that they had civilain doctors and I do not believe that they hire them. Alot of AF bases don't have hospitals anymore and only have family clinics (staffed by active duty physicians). So most treatments that require a specialist, the military member is referred off base to a civilian doctor.

I am applying to medical school this summer and my husband and I have decided that we will probably be living apart for the next 4-5 years. (He retires in 5 years. I am a non-traditional applicant.) It is very unpredictable where AF members will get stationed throughout their career - so it is hard to plan long term. So, you must ask yourself if your relationship is strong enough to weather long periods of time apart. Actually, even if you don't go to medical school you better be prepared to spend alot of time alone. In the three years I've been married, my husband has been "TDY" on average of one week (or longer) every month. Right before we got married, he was gone for about 6 weeks to North Carolina and then for about 5 weeks on a helio carrier in the Atlantic Ocean (it's a long story - AF don't usually go out on carriers). Being a military spouse is difficult to begin with, but also medical school presents even more challenges. Like I said before, you must be ready to be apart for long periods of time and you must completely trust your mate in order for the relationship to work.

Well, I hope this has been a little bit helpful. Oh, it also depends on what "job" your (future)husband does in the AF that will help determine more about your future life. Is he enlisted or an officer? What career field (job) is he in? Has he been stationed overseas yet? These are things that you need to know to help you make a decision. Good luck.

 

[tman]

Originally posted by EscheLava:
"I know that most of the doctors that work on Air Force bases are civilian doctors, but that's about the extent of my knowledge."

Unfortunately, for you, this couldn't be farther from the truth. Nearly all doctors working on Air Force bases are military doctors. The DOD spends great amounts of $$'s recruiting and training their own physicians through programs such as HPSP and USUHS. The upside for you, if and when you become a board certified/eligible physician, is that most bases are located close to decent sized cities. Some specialties such as EM, Rads or Anesth, are hospital based and you aren't tied to your patients and therefore can move fairly easily (although getting a re-licensed in a different state can be somewhat of a pain).

I echo what Ed pointed out, the crux of your problem is a lot more immediate. I assume from your post that you haven't even started the application process yet. You are looking at a minimum of 8 years before you will be faced with the scenario you presented. You've got two sets of uncertainties to deal with. First AF personnel tend to move every 3-5 years unless they are in a job that is only found on a few bases (i.e. some AWACS jobs...just a guess since you are in OKC). So let's just say for argument's sake he is in a job where he can stay put for an extended period (i.e. Tinker AFB, OK). That means in order for you to stay together you HAVE to get accepted at OU or possibly the DO school in Tulsa. As wishy washy as the med school admissions process is, this is a pretty flimsy reed to hang onto. Then, as Ed points out, (assuming you got accepted into med school) you will have to do a residency and who knows where that will be, not to mention that by this time your boyfriend/husband will almost certainly have been reassigned at least once.

I hate to sound negative but the probability of an active duty military person and a med student/resident being assigned at the same place continuously for 7+ years is not real high, but not impossible either. You will have to hope that the stars and planets are aligned just right and hope for some minor miracles, but hey they do happen...after all I'm in med school =) I do wish you the best of luck in your aspirations!

P.S. Teach and I must have been typing our reples at the same time. She makes some excellent points also!