Physician Assistants in military medicine

[number1]

Are there any military PAs out there who would like to shed some light and share their experiences? I'm looking into going into the Navy as a Physician Assistant. Please tell me all about it. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Reading many threads on doctor's hating their military life. Do you feel the same way? How do you like military medicine? Even ifyou are not a PA and if you know what navy medicine is like for the PA please share your thoughts. thank you.

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[foreverLaur]

bump - i have been talking extensively to the Navy about PA opportunities. The recruiters claim that PAs in the Navy do not do sea tours or get deployed. True? I'd like to know more about being a Navy PA from a perspective other than those trying to recruit me 🙂

 

[DiveMD]

bump - i have been talking extensively to the Navy about PA opportunities. The recruiters claim that PAs in the Navy do not do sea tours or get deployed. True? I'd like to know more about being a Navy PA from a perspective other than those trying to recruit me 🙂

You recruiter is a liar. PA’s do deploy and go to sea. Especially now that the Navy is trying to eliminate physician GMO tours. Who do you think will fill those GMO positions? PA's and NP's is my bet…

 

[core0]

Are there any military PAs out there who would like to shed some light and share their experiences? I'm looking into going into the Navy as a Physician Assistant. Please tell me all about it. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Reading many threads on doctor's hating their military life. Do you feel the same way? How do you like military medicine? Even ifyou are not a PA and if you know what navy medicine is like for the PA please share your thoughts. thank you.

Try the PAforum.
http://www.physicianassistantforum.com/forums/
There are several military PAs there that can comment on things, although some of the physicians here may be able to give you a different perspective.

David Carpenter, PA-C

 

[foreverLaur]

You recruiter is a liar. PA’s do deploy and go to sea. Especially now that the Navy is trying to eliminate physician GMO tours. Who do you think will fill those GMO positions? PA's and NP's is my bet…

what is a GMO?

Getting my 2 years of PA school is tempting. No debt. Plus a $1900 living stipend a month (going up to that in July). Then you can put in your 3 years back, or stay for 20 and retire with great benefits.

I applied to and was accepted into the naval academy out of high school but opted not to attend. Going in as medical professional and as an office seems like a rather tempting deal. I always dreamed of being a pilot in the navy, but my other goals are more important (having a family, being a mother, being home for my kids, etc).

How much of my time will be spent away from my family? Do PAs get into the action during wartime (like in Iraq) ?

I'm kinda hoping to see the downside as recruiters obviously only paint the pretty picture.

 

[core0]

what is a GMO?

Getting my 2 years of PA school is tempting. No debt. Plus a $1900 living stipend a month (going up to that in July). Then you can put in your 3 years back, or stay for 20 and retire with great benefits.

I applied to and was accepted into the naval academy out of high school but opted not to attend. Going in as medical professional and as an office seems like a rather tempting deal. I always dreamed of being a pilot in the navy, but my other goals are more important (having a family, being a mother, being home for my kids, etc).

How much of my time will be spent away from my family? Do PAs get into the action during wartime (like in Iraq) ?

I'm kinda hoping to see the downside as recruiters obviously only paint the pretty picture.

GMO's are general medical officers. After completing their internship some physicians either forced or choose to go into GMO. Their are a number of positions including flight surgeon, dive medical officer as well as battalion and brigade surgeon positions. These are either deployed or stateside billets. They are very similar to the positions that the military uses PAs for. Supposedly the military is phasing out GMOs. Depending on whose view you look at this will increase the number of PA slots.

If you look at the recruiting page for the navy it specifically says this:
"Be assigned to all types of medical treatment facilities in the United States, overseas and on numerous operational units (sea tours are part of the PA career progression and are two years in length)"

PAs are deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan with both the Marines and fixed medical units. Also given the operational tempo some Air Force and Navy PAs are being sent to Army units.

Bottom line is that if you are in the military you can be sent wherever the armed forces want to send you whenever they want to send you. Not sure about the Navy casualties but there has been at least one PA killed in Iraq. If you want safety and stability then military service isn't for you.

David Carpenter, PA-C

 

[i want out]

PAs are deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan with both the Marines and fixed medical units. Also given the operational tempo some Air Force and Navy PAs are being sent to Army units.

And when you get assigned to an Army position don't expect them to replace you in a timely fashion.


I know a Navy PA that was deployed to Afghanistan and when the Army requested a replacement for him to go home they tried to send an admin type that has absolutely no training or experience in seeing patients.

Rather than find someone else to fill the billet, they just left him there for 4 more months.

i want out (of IRR)

 

[BomberDoc]

Air Force PA deployments recently changed to 12-15 months. The PAs I know are leaving like crazy in order to avoid this situation. Those lucky enough to be at the 20 year point are dropping retirement papers at rates approaching 100%. I also personally know 2 great PAs that are well past the halfway point to 20 that are getting out. One just had her final out last week. She did 12 months in Afghanistan and had enough.

To put it another way, at my small facility, 4/5 PAs have gotten out or dropped retirement papers in the last 12 months.

Caveat emptor.

 

[alpha62]

I had decades of Army service, some IRR, so I had about 5 more years to go to get the points to retire.

I walked away and in 18 months, God willing, I'll be vested in my group's pension plan and will get 2x more than I would have gotten on a reserve retirement.

I may be a nut, a crank, a troll, I really don't give a s**t what people think. Medcom, Gw, Bill Clinton ran this freaken army right into the ground and it just really started to suck being a part of the mess.

I had fun as a medic, I had fun as a PA, but between the nurses and Senior officers (worthless baggage) I realized I'm doing all the heavy lifting and they're just sucking up the gravy. **** 'em all.

I came in around 1982 and it was a whole lot better when we just wanted to Kill Russians.

You go in as a Navy PA and I'm telling you, you're going to get attached to an army unit, because We're popping smoke on this goat rope and you're welcome to it sucker.

 

[The White Coat Investor]

I work with a PA who loves it. He was prior enlisted. He really enjoyed his last deployment to Balad. It was only 4 months though.

 

[MaximusD]

Those are some long deployments.


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In response to Alpha below, I wasn't referring to the four month deployments, I was referring to the longer ones referred to above.

 

[alpha62]

if you think 4 months is a long deploy, they're well known to make you do 18 every 2-3 years.

go ahead and pull it, see how well you'll fit back into civilian practice after that, if you're still married, or wanna be married..... to a regular woman, not something within the 50 km zone of an army post.