Peds vs TY at NMCSD prior to possible active duty

[holyravioli]

I've been torn between choosing peds PGY-1 or a TY as my #1 and #2 spots for Navy residency applications. I'm strongly considering doing my active time (possibly as a flight surgeon or aviation examiner) after intern year and then doing civilian residency after. I'm undecided as to which to rank for #1. I like kids and I enjoyed my peds rotation but I figured a TY might be better prep for active time and it has a few more electives to help me decide on a specialty (currently undecided, but I've narrowed down my options at least).

Any thoughts/program insight? I'm especially curious if anyone did peds or TY at NMCSD.

Thanks in advance!

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[Gastrapathy]

Pretty sure if you pick Peds, you have to rank all the Peds locations sequentially and same if you rank TY first. It seems like you need to decide if you want to be a pediatrician

 

[backrow]

I've been torn between choosing peds PGY-1 or a TY as my #1 and #2 spots for Navy residency applications. I'm strongly considering doing my active time (possibly as a flight surgeon or aviation examiner) after intern year and then doing civilian residency after. I'm undecided as to which to rank for #1. I like kids and I enjoyed my peds rotation but I figured a TY might be better prep for active time and it has a few more electives to help me decide on a specialty (currently undecided, but I've narrowed down my options at least).

Any thoughts/program insight? I'm especially curious if anyone did peds or TY at NMCSD.

Thanks in advance!

You can’t do Peds out of TY, but you can do pretty much everything out of Peds that would also accept TY. If you have any inkling of doing Peds I would rank that first with TY as the backup.

Be aware that if you rank a specialty you are essentially ranking all in-Service locations of that specialty (even if you don’t list it on your preference). For PGY1 you can’t really say “I’ll take Peds NMCSD #1 and TY NMCSD #2 (unless you’re a collocation issue or other extreme situation)

 

[DrMetal]

@Gastrapathy is right above.

you have to rank:
#1 Peds location
#2 Peds location
#3 Peds location
#4 TY
#5 TY
#6 TY

@holyravioli
You'll be considered first for Peds, in either location #1 thru #3. If no joy there (if you dont match into any of the peds locations), only then you'll be considered for TY at #4,5 or 6. Alternatively you could put the 3 TY locations as #1, #2, #3.

Both can prepare you well for a GMO tour. Don't worry so much about that.

Base your decision more on what specialty you want.

 

[holyravioli]

@Gastrapathy is right above.

you have to rank:
#1 Peds location
#2 Peds location
#3 Peds location
#4 TY
#5 TY
#6 TY

@holyravioli
You'll be considered first for Peds, in either location #1 thru #3. If no joy there (if you dont match into any of the peds locations), only then you'll be considered for TY at #4,5 or 6. Alternatively you could put the 3 TY locations as #1, #2, #3.

Both can prepare you well for a GMO tour. Don't worry so much about that.

Base your decision more on what specialty you want.

Thank you kindly, this is very helpful.

Any thoughts on how to approach a personal statement when we have to rank a #1 and 2 specialty and do interviews for both? Separate essays just for the interviews?

 

[DrMetal]

Thank you kindly, this is very helpful.

Any thoughts on how to approach a personal statement when we have to rank a #1 and 2 specialty and do interviews for both? Separate essays just for the interviews?

We had to write a personal statement for PGY1?! Hell if I remember.

So first, figure out what you wanna do. Then tailor your personal statement around that. If you really wanna do Peds, you should be ranking it #1, 2, 3 (as per above), and in your statement you can talk about how much you love Peds. You can mention that you're applying TY (as 4,5,6) because it's the next best thing (you can do some Peds electives in a TY year).

 

[holyravioli]

We had to write a personal statement for PGY1?! Hell if I remember.

So first, figure out what you wanna do. Then tailor your personal statement around that. If you really wanna do Peds, you should be ranking it #1, 2, 3 (as per above), and in your statement you can talk about how much you love Peds. You can mention that you're applying TY (as 4,5,6) because it's the next best thing (you can do some Peds electives in a TY year).

Bahaha no worries, I'd be forgetting application stuff for other better memories too.

This advice is solid, thank you kindly for your help again!

 

[DeadCactus]

Has anyone actually done a pediatric internship and then gone off into the world? They seem to get so little autonomy, I'd be a little concerned, but I have no direct experience.

 

[backrow]

Has anyone actually done a pediatric internship and then gone off into the world? They seem to get so little autonomy, I'd be a little concerned, but I have no direct experience.

At least 50% and more like 60-70%+ of all Navy pediatric interns have historically gone to GMO tours and done great things over the last several years.

 

[DeadCactus]

At least 50% and more like 60-70%+ of all Navy pediatric interns have historically gone to GMO tours and done great things over the last several years.

Got ya, thank you for educating me.

 

[pawprint]

former Peds intern here, current flight surgeon. I’m totally competent to do my job...coming from peds did not set me back in any way, shape, or form.

most of peds is taking care of healthy kids and making sure they are well enough to play sports...which is like 95% of flight medicine. Coming from specialities like IM and FM, where you are Managing old people with chronic health conditions that you don’t encounter as a flight surgeon isn’t any more helpful.

also, it’s now more like 95% of peds interns go out to GMO. They will take maybe 1 person in all of Navy peds straight through. I was peds intern of the year at my hospital and still wasn’t selected to go straight through.

 

[DrMetal]

most of peds is taking care of healthy kids and making sure they are well enough to play sports...which is like 95% of flight medicine.

The other 5% of your time as a flight surgeon is spent drinking and flying around with some flight crew. Great use of a medical doctor in this Navy!

also, it’s now more like 95% of peds interns go out to GMO. They will take maybe 1 person in all of Navy peds straight through. I was peds intern of the year at my hospital and still wasn’t selected to go straight through.

That's some bllsht. I hope the DoD is ready to fork over some big bucks in deferring out all Peds to the civilian world. My kids still need Pediatricians (the 4 kids of PO3 Timmy also need a pediatrician, because their dad is a 21-yo E4 who sees it fit to have 4 kids).