Military Match Question

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yourboyblue

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I have a friend that is a 4th year medical student military HPSP that matched to their top choice in the military match. However, somewhere between submitting their rank list and the results of the military match they decided they would prefer to do their service time as a flight surgeon then reapply to the specialty in the civilian world. Is there a route to turning down a residency offer as a medical student and instead serving the flight surgeon route?

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I have a friend that is a 4th year medical student military HPSP that matched to their top choice in the military match. However, somewhere between submitting their rank list and the results of the military match they decided they would prefer to do their service time as a flight surgeon then reapply to the specialty in the civilian world. Is there a route to turning down a residency offer as a medical student and instead serving the flight surgeon route?
A flight surgeon still needs to be a licensed doctor, which means he needs to complete an Intern year. He will need to complete an Intern year in the specialty he matched into.

How exactly he gets there after Intern year, and the effect this decision will have on his career, is service specific. Which branch is he in?
 
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A flight surgeon still needs to be a licensed doctor, which means he needs to complete an Intern year. He will need to complete an Intern year in the specialty he matched into.

How exactly he gets there after Intern year, and the effect this decision will have on his career, is service specific. Which branch is he in?

Right, he would do an intern year just like normal but does not desire to continue to do the residency he matched into and instead would rather serve as a flight surgeon. He is in the airforce
 
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I have a friend that is a 4th year medical student military HPSP that matched to their top choice in the military match. However, somewhere between submitting their rank list and the results of the military match they decided they would prefer to do their service time as a flight surgeon then reapply to the specialty in the civilian world. Is there a route to turning down a residency offer as a medical student and instead serving the flight surgeon route?

If I recall correctly, after selection medical students cannot turn down residency. But, cannot hurt to call them up
 
If I recall correctly, after selection medical students cannot turn down residency. But, cannot hurt to call them up

You can’t turn down internship, but the friend would certainly be able to resign from the program after the intern year and would then be at the mercy of the Air Force. If they are hurting for flight surgeons this would likely not be an issue. I would recommend discussing this plan with the PD early enough that they can potentially select someone to fill the now empty PGY2 slot at the next GMESB. This would require early communication due to the early match.


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Right, he would do an intern year just like normal but does not desire to continue to do the residency he matched into and instead would rather serve as a flight surgeon. He is in the airforce
I had a classmate in residency do this...but he decided after getting there, not sure about knowing ahead of time. Ours decided he didn't like it, let PD know midyear, went flight med for 2 years and is now doing derm. It kinda screwed us a bit during senior years. I think we would have taken him leaving less lightly and understanding if he showed up day 1 knowing he was leaving us after pgy1.

What specialty?
 
Right, he would do an intern year just like normal but does not desire to continue to do the residency he matched into and instead would rather serve as a flight surgeon. He is in the airforce
So that's rough, because the AF isn't really set up for that. Unlike the Navy, which is geared to lose people to flight surgery billets, my understanding is that AF gives out categorical residencies with the expectation that everyone will finish and draws their flight surgeons mainly from transitional years.

The part where he becomes a flight surgeon is easy: they can't make you continue with residency training and odds are the flight surgery community will take him. The issue is coming back. He will need a LOR from his Intern year program director, and that might not be the best letter if he left the PD with a hole in his roster.

AF guys might be able to chime in here, and I could definitely be misinformed (I'm Navy), but if he isn't actually planning to switch to a different specialty than he matched into his best way forward may be to just get through the residency. . He should sit down and talk with some senior colleagues in his specialty and service before walking away from this residency.
 
I am a 4th year HPSP student looking into general surgery residency. I have read a lot of posts on SDN which are outdated but along the line with inadequate training, not matching, not properly compensated. I was wondering if things are still the same now? There are 32 general surgery spots this year. If there is any tips on how to be competitive for those positions? Is it better to do one year GMO and then apply for residency? Any comments on working on the NAVY ships as surgeons.
 
I am a 4th year HPSP student looking into general surgery residency. I have read a lot of posts on SDN which are outdated but along the line with inadequate training, not matching, not properly compensated. I was wondering if things are still the same now? There are 32 general surgery spots this year. If there is any tips on how to be competitive for those positions? Is it better to do one year GMO and then apply for residency? Any comments on working on the NAVY ships as surgeons.

Training is probably average. Are you average, maybe that’s fine.
The .mil competition can be different than the civilian world and a decent applicant could struggle in a particular year in a not very competitive field because of the nature of the system and limited spots.
Compensation for specialists lags far behind the civilian world. Though you will make more than civilian residents.
Bring some books on your iPad for your shipboard deployment.
If you have to do a GMO, consider making the most of it and taking a chance on something interesting.



--
Il Destriero
 
So that's rough, because the AF isn't really set up for that. Unlike the Navy, which is geared to lose people to flight surgery billets, my understanding is that AF gives out categorical residencies with the expectation that everyone will finish and draws their flight surgeons mainly from transitional years.

The part where he becomes a flight surgeon is easy: they can't make you continue with residency training and odds are the flight surgery community will take him. The issue is coming back. He will need a LOR from his Intern year program director, and that might not be the best letter if he left the PD with a hole in his roster.

AF guys might be able to chime in here, and I could definitely be misinformed (I'm Navy), but if he isn't actually planning to switch to a different specialty than he matched into his best way forward may be to just get through the residency. . He should sit down and talk with some senior colleagues in his specialty and service before walking away from this residency.
The Air Force absolutely does not give categorical residencies to everyone. When I went through, almost a quarter of graduating medical students were given one year internships only with the expectation that many of them would become flight surgeons.

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