Meet Your Military Health Care Family!

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MedicalCorpse

MilMed: It's Dead, Jim
15+ Year Member
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Meet Your Military Health Care "Family" Part I

Their experience is different than yours, it’s different than mine, and it’s different than many others, but that doesn’t make it wrong. As they say in the enlisted world “choose your rate, choose your fate”; certain specialties/subspecialties have a VASTLY different experience in the military than others.

I see you are still extremely bitter from your time in the military and nothing has changed that feeling over several years. That’s okay, you had a terrible experience and it’s important for people to know that’s a possibility.

What experiences can physicians of different specialties (or none at all) expect in what used to be called "military medicine", but which is now just one big purple morass of "military health care"?

It's simple. It's like being part of a family...a severely dysfunctional one from reality TV:

1perfect_commander_sm.jpg


"There will be a mandatory fun run around the radioactive lake yesterday."

--All physicians of every specialty O-6 and above = Your abusive stepparents destined for stars on their shoulders and/or fancy bling on their sleeves who couldn't doctor their way out of a wet paper bag from years of not touching patients (appropriately, at least). Realizing they are unable to function in the civilian world after so much skill atrophy from doing e-mail all day long, they have latched onto the turgid teat of taxpayer money like the greedy piglets they are, and will not let go until they can get even MORE money for doing nothing by retiring. These are mostly losers who have been given promotions way beyond their level of competence by the other anencephalic mor0ns in their military academy plus USU tribe who were also promoted by their bros for continuing to breathe.

Notable for Cowardice Above and Beyond the Call of Duty as they count the days until retirement by shutting up about real threats to patient safety; hanging their whistle-blowing subordinates out to dry; and avoiding making waves or doing anything that might remotely be confused with actual work until their twenty years are up.

1perfect_flight_surgeons.jpeg


"Glad they fixed the combat autopilot. More canned cheese snack?"


--Operational Physicians (flight surgeons and the equivalent) O-3 to O-5 = Glorified General Medical Officers with less knowledge than Family Physicians who are skilled at prescribing antibiotics for STDs and partying with pilots, as long as they never DNIF (ground) their flying heroes for colds. If their skin is adequately pale, these keyboard cowboys are groomed for command positions over smarter people through mandatory IV infusions of buzzwords, slogans, and incomprehensible acronyms.

Remember: left seat = pilot = surgeon. Right seat = navigator = anesthesia "provider". Planes have four tiedowns, so we need a "spiritual" tiedown in the Air Force to balance our physical, emotional, and social tiedowns for Jesus. Every single thing in medicine has a 1:1 correlation with an operational military analogy involving things that fly, float, and/or fight, because the nanoscale brains of our flag rank leaders at the Pentagon can't handle reality otherwise.

(to be continued)

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Meet Your Military Health Care "Family" Part II

1perfect_ortho.jpeg


"I've got big guns and I cannot lie..."

--Orthopedic surgeons= Golden children who can whack bones until retirement with impunity, if they can cope with a salary 1/5th that of the outside world, because broken things have to be fixed. They don't have to worry about orthopedic PAs and/or NPs completely taking over their jobs in the military...yet. They never pose a threat to their commanders, because ortho surgeons would rather be in the OR hammering honking big chunks of metal with hard rock music blasting than complaining about violations of standards of care like some pencil-neck anesthesiologist p*ssy who doesn't even lift weights.

1perfect_surgeon.jpeg


"This is the biggest scalpel you've got? Really?"

--All other surgeons except OB/GYNs= First born children destined for greatness and frequent deployments who don't have to worry about surgical PAs and/or NPs completely taking over their jobs in the military...yet. They can yell at the independently-practicing CRNAs that they are nurses, not doctors, so don't even think about canceling my case, because the nearest military anesthesiologist is five time zones away. This unchecked power to cut and [cure/kill/whatever, as long as we can cut] sparks epic dopamine rushes and fine evenings with their spouses/significant others after the last stitch is thrown, whether or not the patient survives.

Destined to make rank if they stay in long enough to have their humanity sucked from their souls by the dual astral parasites of computer-based training and reprisals against uppity anesthesiologists (all two of them left).

to be continued...
 

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Meet Your Military Health Care "Family" Part III

1perfect_primary.jpeg


"At least I won apocalypse bingo with 'killer laser bots'..."

--Adult primary care (FP/IM/GMO) docs= Middle children who are routinely forgotten about, until and unless they speak up about anything, only to be instantly reprimanded by their non-physician bosses. May find themselves running for cover from laser beams in the next war and falling into their campfire. All of them should go to bed every night worrying about PAs and/or NPs completely taking over their jobs in the military tomorrow.

1perfect AI_robot_radiologist_looking_a.jpeg


"Our mantid overlords are looking good today."

--Radiologists, pathologists: Adopted children who should worry about being replaced by one remote AI unit and a few civilian geeks to service it yesterday without any warning "because it saves money".

1perfect bunk beds.jpeg


"Note: Functional ladder rungs are approved but unfunded until at least FY 2038."

--Pediatricians, OB/GYNs, and all other non-surgical specialties I forgot= Red-headed step-children housed in standard bunk beds, which at least feature used pillows and military-issue wool blankets, unlike...

1perfect_screaming child.jpeg


"What do you mean we're the last two left and we have to take call?"


--Anesthesiologists= Unwanted foster children sent to shiver on the cold basement floor without supper on most days, with routine beatings and night-time assaults by their CRNA commanders a given. If there's any good news, you still can't get pregnant from being accosted *there*.

1perfect_nurses_partying.jpeg


"The white and blue ones are on the other side of the polo field."

Extra Bonus: CRNAs, NPs, PAs, nurse midwives: your snooty neighbors who relish showing off their new cars and fancy houses while simultaneously having plenty of time to fire up their expensive grills and work out, because their low-ranking physician subordinates are still at work whacking their computers to try to get GENESIS let them finish their clinic or op notes please, dear [insert deity here].

Dibs on credit and 50% of the revenue if anyone makes a novel, video or screenplay out of the above...
 

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Well, uh, this certainly is something. Reads a bit like the "funny" chain emails my grandpa sends me except the topic would be dog breeds or pop stars.
 
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Well, uh, this certainly is something. Reads a bit like the "funny" chain emails my grandpa sends me except the topic would be dog breeds or pop stars.
He sounds like a wise and learned man. We old coots have to stick together.
 
Man, I agree with 90% of what you post but I gotta say that if you make it too much like you’re a guy wearing a garbage bag standing on a park bench and yelling at the birds people may assume that’s what it is.

But you do you. Respect.

I would watch the movie though.
 
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Man, I agree with 90% of what you post but I gotta say that if you make it too much like you’re a guy wearing a garbage bag standing on a park bench and yelling at the birds people may assume that’s what it is.

Garbage bag. Brilliant. I should try that next time. May decrease my interactions with local law enforcement.

The birds are smarter than you think, man. Not one of them has signed up for HPSP or USU since I started my avian outreach revival meetings.

You have to admit that most birds are more intelligent than O-6s and above, man.

Garbage bag. Good looking out.
 
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Yeah man, I totally agree with @HighPriest . This kind of bipolar energy will only deflate your message.
Well, at my age, I'll take any kind of energy I can get.

I've tried acres of pleonastic, sesquipedalian text.

Thousands of views. Not one response from an actual medical student. Just us old folks in our little echo chamber:

"Beware."

"Shut up."

"No, you..."

"Gentlemen."

"Asparagus!"

"This is false."

"What?"

There's a saying about doing the same thing yadda yadda insanity.

I figured that young people nowadays are more averse to textual assault and battery than we were back in the day.

You remember, when we had to buy (or were issued, in my case) dozens of university and medical school books with thousands of pages each, which our professors expected us actually to read, rather than turning to Reddit for an ELI5 (Explain it to me Like I am 5 years old) synopsis or YouTube for the cinematic version of a classic Shakespearean tragedy starring cute young actors (at the time) with traditional modern firearms.

Next on the agenda: MedicalCorpse's Guide to Military "Health Care": The Video (only if I can find good music in the public domain that the RIAA won't sue me for using).

PS I find it ironic that not one person has stepped up to say: "Your generalization about my specialty/our commanders is inaccurate." I don't even see our psychiatrist objecting that I left out psych, because they must have grokked my intentionally devious elliptical ways, and were happy not to be portrayed in an uncanny AI-generated image.

Instead, everyone so far has chosen to shoot the messenger, rather than discuss the message.

"Fascinating."
--Mr. Spock, STTOS, lots of times
 
PS I find it ironic that not one person has stepped up to say: "Your generalization about my specialty/our commanders is inaccurate."
As noted by others, your approach to presentation speaks for itself. No real need to defend.

Also, when differing opinions are raised about your generalizations we get a new novel that just doubles down on the original while branching out to personal attacks. Eventually people will just stop engaging.
 
Corpse you are obviously someone who needs to be connected with a television show. You have talents way beyond just anesthesia. Hopefully with AI you could create content al la mash style from your experiences. It sounds like you have a wildly active brain that once engaged their is no cease and desist. I welcome your posts and it would have been fun to serve with you except the times we are on opposite sides of the argument. I fortunately due to your posts was INFORMED of military medicine.
 
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Corpse you are obviously someone who needs to be connected with a television show. You have talents way beyond just anesthesia. Hopefully with AI you could create content al la mash style from your experiences. It sounds like you have a wildly active brain that once engaged their is no cease and desist. I welcome your posts and it would have been fun to serve with you except the times we are on opposite sides of the argument. I fortunately due to your posts was INFORMED of military medicine.
Thanks, bro. I appreciate your kind words.

(Divisive paragraphs deleted. Sorry if this came across as ad hominem. That was not my intention.)

I am still waiting for someone to say: "Your thumbnail descriptions are 100% wrong and unfair!"

Also, "MC, please post the psychiatrist image I know you already helped create, with some assistance from skillful networks of circuits..."
 
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Defending myself is not what I’m here for.

If you want to try and stoke disagreement and anger through generalizations of people’s careers and personalities, go ahead. I won’t try to stop you unless others begin to flag your posts for feeling personally attacked/offended by your comments.
 
Mili,

What frustrates me is that we are all subject to military psychological conditioning. Your situation is a prime example of this—you got exactly what you wanted: your choice of residency, specialty, assignments, and deployments. Clearly, you impressed someone early in your career. These impressions can be based on academic merit, performance at the academy, or sometimes simply because someone saw a bit of themselves in you.

I achieved my specialty, got some of the assignments I desired, and had the chance to make an impact. However, I chose to leave the military to set roots and pursue higher earning potential. In civilian life, you can keep your job and increase your income by working harder. In the military, hard work often works against you; instead, you need to work smarter.
Everyones path is different. Med studs remember your experience will be unique in military medicine. I oftentimes think and dream of my proudest moments on the carrier, running operations, championing diversity and inclusion.
 
Defending myself is not what I’m here for.

If you want to try and stoke disagreement and anger through generalizations of people’s careers and personalities, go ahead. I won’t try to stop you unless others begin to flag your posts for feeling personally attacked/offended by your comments.
I apologize. I have deleted the paragraphs that could be taken as personal attacks.

I was trying to emphasize the deep philosophical and cultural differences among medical specialties that will affect the careers of current medical students, but I failed to make my point clearly.

For that I am sorry.
 
Mili,

What frustrates me is that we are all subject to military psychological conditioning. Your situation is a prime example of this—you got exactly what you wanted: your choice of residency, specialty, assignments, and deployments. Clearly, you impressed someone early in your career. These impressions can be based on academic merit, performance at the academy, or sometimes simply because someone saw a bit of themselves in you.

I achieved my specialty, got some of the assignments I desired, and had the chance to make an impact. However, I chose to leave the military to set roots and pursue higher earning potential. In civilian life, you can keep your job and increase your income by working harder. In the military, hard work often works against you; instead, you need to work smarter.
Everyones path is different. Med studs remember your experience will be unique in military medicine. I oftentimes think and dream of my proudest moments on the carrier, running operations, championing diversity and inclusion.
I agree with everything here minus the part about you seeming to know something about me personally and my psychologic condition and insinuating I don’t deserve what I have (again).

Some will get what they want. Some won’t. I’m just as clear on that as everyone else here.

The difference, and why I seem to be a favorite target, is that I don’t just blanket it as horrible and don’t do it. For the right person it can be a very rewarding pathway and I hope those few people have the information they need to make that decision for themselves and their families.

Edit: thanks to many of you the negative sides that can cause anger, frustration and disappointment are well stated and documented. Med studs need that
 
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I apologize. I have deleted the paragraphs that could be taken as personal attacks.

I was trying to emphasize the deep philosophical and cultural differences among medical specialties that will affect the careers of current medical students, but I failed to make my point clearly.

For that I am sorry.
You are grouping people and making insulting generalizations. I can’t imagine that helps us move away from tribalism, bias, ignorance…but I’m not an expert on that. @Res Rehab

[REMOVED]

Edit: After thinking on this. If after so many years you are still so deeply affected by what happened to you in the military, I think you should seek out someone to help. It was real and obviously had a huge impact. pgg is right, we aren't capable nor qualified to help but we are willing to help you find what you need.
 
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We're not your therapist, MedicalCorpse.
Bummer. It takes a long time to get an appointment at the VA.

I guess I'll go back to macrame. It's knot as controversial.
 
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