Navy OMS externships

[Dentalkid20]

I would appreciate some feedback from anyone that has participated in an OMS externship in the Navy. What bases would you suggest? Was it 2 wk or 4 wk? What were your responsibilities? And anything else you would like to add.

Thanks in advance.

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[vellnueve]

Your only choices are San Diego, Portsmouth, or Walter Reed. I'd do Portsmouth and Walter Reed, just because the specialty leader is at Portsmouth and Walter Reed is the flagship. Do all three if you can.

I'd do at least a week at each, two would be better.

With that said you're way too early to be thinking about this. Consider doing it the summer following your second year or later, but before May of your third year. You want to have at least some experience outside of the didactic setting before you start externing.

 

[BobbyBeavis]

Your only choices are San Diego, Portsmouth, or Walter Reed. I'd do Portsmouth and Walter Reed, just because the specialty leader is at Portsmouth and Walter Reed is the flagship. Do all three if you can.

I'd do at least a week at each, two would be better.

With that said you're way too early to be thinking about this. Consider doing it the summer following your second year or later, but before May of your third year. You want to have at least some experience outside of the didactic setting before you start externing.

With my school going year round, do you have any ideas on how to get my foot in the door? I want to retire in the Navy, so doing a specialty seems like a must.

 

[vellnueve]

There are ways at every school to get some time to extern.

 

[chompsss]

I'd like to poke my head in here on this rather than creating a new thread. I've got a Navy OMS externship scheduled this summer for a week (couldn't swing two with the scheduling) and I'm wondering if anybody has any advice. Please and thank you, sirs.

 

[vellnueve]

Be interested without being annoying.

 

[chompsss]

Be interested without being annoying.

I'd like to think my EI is good enough to pick up on whether someone was getting annoyed, and I easily get annoyed by stage 5 clingers myself, so I can appreciate that advice. Anything specific that you can think of? Any advice on what to make a point of doing - be it talking to residency director, shadowing at least 12 hours each day, etc?

 

[vellnueve]

You need to talk to all the staff, not just the PD.

Using terms like EI probably qualifies as annoying.

 

[chompsss]

You need to talk to all the staff, not just the PD.

Using terms like EI probably qualifies as annoying.

I was certain you'd come back with some smart quip. You did not disappoint.

 

[yappy]

I'd like to think my EI is good enough to pick up on whether someone was getting annoyed, and I easily get annoyed by stage 5 clingers myself, so I can appreciate that advice. Anything specific that you can think of? Any advice on what to make a point of doing - be it talking to residency director, shadowing at least 12 hours each day, etc?

Regarding the bold: Try your best to become apart of the team. Show up ready to go before the residents arrive in the morning and try to leave when the last resident does. However, if you get the sense that they want you to leave early while they tidy things up, or outright tell you you're done for the day, then thank them for the day and leave.
When time permits, preferably on the first day, ask the chief resident if you will have the opportunity to be assigned to someone to shadow call.

Be prepared to answer questions as best you can. In my experience you're not expected to know everything because most of it is new but really try your best to know the basics of H&N anatomy and local anesthetics.

*never complain.

 

[chompsss]

Regarding the bold: Try your best to become apart of the team. Show up ready to go before the residents arrive in the morning and try to leave when the last resident does. However, if you get the sense that they want you to leave early while they tidy things up, or outright tell you you're done for the day, then thank them for the day and leave.
When time permits, preferably on the first day, ask the chief resident if you will have the opportunity to be assigned to someone to shadow call.

Be prepared to answer questions as best you can. In my experience you're not expected to know everything because most of it is new but really try your best to know the basics of H&N anatomy and local anesthetics.

*never complain.

This is exactly the kind of advice I was looking for - thank you very much @yappy. Really - thank you. If you end up thinking of anything else, please share.

 

[Dentalkid20]

@chompsss can you share your experience in your externship? And advice? A breakdown of expectations? Etc

 

[chompsss]

My experience was probably somewhat different, given than I was doing it between my first and second year of dental school. They knew I didn't know much, so there wasn't much "pimping". Plus, I went in August, so they had just gotten their new interns and were more apt to pimp them.

Overall, I'd go in at ~6 AM (first in other than the interns) and leave when they told me to. Most days it was around 5 PM. I hung out with the third years mostly - the other years were on rotations a lot of the time. I saw as many OR cases as possible and also saw them work the clinics. The hospital I went to had OMS teams that alternated - one team was in the OR on Tues/Thus and the other on Wed/Fri. Whoever wasn't in the OR was in the clinic. I basically jumped back and forth between the teams. I asked to take call with one of the residents but he said that since the call schedule was for a hospital that was off-site, I wasn't allowed. I'm going to try to make sure that I see some call in my upcoming externships (I have three in the Spring).

All in all, it was a great experience. I'd highly recommend trying to grab the program director for a second to sit down and chat. I did and I think it was good. If you have specific questions, let me know.

 

[Dentalkid20]

My experience was probably somewhat different, given than I was doing it between my first and second year of dental school. They knew I didn't know much, so there wasn't much "pimping". Plus, I went in August, so they had just gotten their new interns and were more apt to pimp them.

Overall, I'd go in at ~6 AM (first in other than the interns) and leave when they told me to. Most days it was around 5 PM. I hung out with the third years mostly - the other years were on rotations a lot of the time. I saw as many OR cases as possible and also saw them work the clinics. The hospital I went to had OMS teams that alternated - one team was in the OR on Tues/Thus and the other on Wed/Fri. Whoever wasn't in the OR was in the clinic. I basically jumped back and forth between the teams. I asked to take call with one of the residents but he said that since the call schedule was for a hospital that was off-site, I wasn't allowed. I'm going to try to make sure that I see some call in my upcoming externships (I have three in the Spring).

All in all, it was a great experience. I'd highly recommend trying to grab the program director for a second to sit down and chat. I did and I think it was good. If you have specific questions, let me know.

Thanks for the response! I appreciate it.

 

[boyinblue]

Is it possible to extern at programs of other branches? My family lives right next to Travis AFB.

 

[chompsss]

Meh. I never have but I'm sure you could. You'd just have to reach out to the program director at that program. I would imagine they'd be welcoming if you explained it. Although, I would ask you... what are your goals for this externship? Because typically part of the goal of an externship is to see if you'd like to attend that program (moot for your scenario) and another part is for them to determine if they'd like to have you (also moot).