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Operational Billets
- Thread starter KungPOWChicken
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There really aren't any "operational" billets for anesthesiologists in the Navy. You will get assigned to a hospital, and that assignment will be associated with some operational platform. For some it's a hospital ship, for others it's a surgical team with the Marines. There are a few others. But you'll work at your hospital, and when your platform goes someplace, you may or may not go with it.
They try not to deploy you at all until after you've taken your oral boards, which for most works out to at least a year before their number comes up. Dr. Lesnik, the Navy anesthesiology specialty leader, is very good and fair at spreading out deployments and giving people an initial grace period to get their boards done. We're lucky to have him in charge of our detailing.
Are you finishing this year? Word is that every outservice-trained anesthesiologist coming in 2009 is getting a billet at one of the big 3 Navy med centers (San Diego, Portsmouth, and Bethesda).
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thanks for the reply PGG. I will be finishing in 2010. I was hoping to start at one of those hospitals you mentioned but a recent email by lesnik placed that as the last option so maybe they will be well staffed at that time.
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Medicine is medicine wherever you go however the military medical system is unique in many ways. Coming into the Navy with no prior experience in the military medical system, I think it would be wise to complete a tour at a big hospital rather than an overseas tour where you are the only anesthesiologist.
