quit civilian residency after pgy1 to become a FS?

[mossleaves]

hello

does anyone know if it's feasible to go into a GMO tour after quitting after intern yr

I am meeting a healthcare professions recruiter this week and don't know what to ask about. I know of FAP if I finish my residency but have no interest

I want to eventually do the residency in aerospace medicine and make a career out of aerospace med



thank you

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Slevin]

Don’t quit residency to become a FS unless you have a strong strong strong desire to do so. Long term for your career it’s better to finish residency first, you can always go back and become a FS if you’d like.

 

[mossleaves]

I'm sure I want to do this.im just asking if anyone knows if I can start beginning the process to join while I'm an intern but don't have my full license yet

 

[Treehun]

Why?

 

[Helpful Troll]

hello

does anyone know if it's feasible to go into a GMO tour after quitting after intern yr

I am meeting a healthcare professions recruiter this week and don't know what to ask about. I know of FAP if I finish my residency but have no interest

I want to eventually do the residency in aerospace medicine and make a career out of aerospace med
thank you

Did you pass step 3 yet?
US Citizen?
US Medical School graduate?
Do you have an unrestricted license yet?
Eligible to commission? (Medical, Background Check, Education, ...)

Yes to all of the above - it's possible but not feasible, likely, or a good idea. DOD is cutting back in healthcare. Even if you get in as a GMO whatever is holding you back from completing residency as a civilian will hold you back from an aerospace med residency in the military.

A medical recruiter may try to convince you to join as a reservist - don't do it. It won't open any door to an Active Duty residency.

Don't quit after intern year.

 

[orbitsurgMD]

hello

does anyone know if it's feasible to go into a GMO tour after quitting after intern yr

I am meeting a healthcare professions recruiter this week and don't know what to ask about. I know of FAP if I finish my residency but have no interest

I want to eventually do the residency in aerospace medicine and make a career out of aerospace med



thank you

At least recently, there has been more expectation that the aerospace med residency (occupational medicine, properly, with an MPH included) will be taken after first completing a residency in EM or a primary care field. This makes practical sense as senior medical officers on carriers are typically aeromedical med residency-graduates and their status, in rank and within their respective medical departments requires the standing associated with someone who is double-boarded.

 

[mossleaves]

thanks that's really helpful to know. spoke to the recruiter. i can get it in the contract to become a FS after I finish residency and then I think I can apply for RAM after 2 years. can I negotiate locations at all for my contract ?

 

[deleted314957]

As regards your last question; NO.
Former USNR HSETSE 1977 grad of U of Ill. Got out at the end of my commitment at 10 1/2 years as O-5.I did submarine/diving medicine. Fun but useless. Retired pathologist now.

 

[mossleaves]

As regards your last question; NO.
Former USNR HSETSE 1977 grad of U of Ill. Got out at the end of my commitment at 10 1/2 years as O-5.I did submarine/diving medicine. Fun but useless. Retired pathologist now.

thanks for your reply

the air force seems glad to let me not practice my residency specialty once I graduate and do flight medicine instead

any ideas about the Navy ?

 

[deleted480308]

Army gme didn’t let civilians apply last year

 

[deleted314957]

I have been out of the ballgame for a LONG time. But, do whatever operational shi* you want to do first and get it out of your system. When you have done that, you are at the head of the line for residencies, fellowships, etc. assuming you have impressed “the line”.
When I did that the military medical system including the former AFIP was mine for the picking.

 

[orbitsurgMD]

thanks for your reply

the air force seems glad to let me not practice my residency specialty once I graduate and do flight medicine instead

any ideas about the Navy ?

The majority of the flight surgeons going through the basic flight surgery course are GMOs who have done only one year of residency and who are expecting to return to residency after three years in the fleet. In the past, the Navy did take post-civilian-internship non-HPSP applicants for flight surgery but only after they first did a year as a GMO in an outpatient Navy clinic somewhere. They were rare. There were some who had done other specialties: occupational medicine, family practice, emergency medicine and were looking for a change. There weren't many of them. Even then, there was a trend toward having aeromedical residents (the 2-year PGY2+ occupational medicine residency with one year as an MPH program graduate student) do a primary care specialty first. Most of those program graduates were sent to carriers and air wings as senior medical officers and most were O-5s and some O-6 with over 10 years service.

I don't think you can expect to get aerospace med coming in directly as a civilian. If you finish your residency, you might come in and get a basic flight surgery class position in about a year, then do a fleet tour as a flight surgeon (2 years) during which you could apply for aerospace medicine residency. I would expect you would be waiting four years. Of course, if they get desperate for senior flight surgeons, it could be less and everything is subject to change.

 

[mossleaves]

thanks to everyone for taking the time to help me out

I'm getting the feeling the AF is the most receptive to my circumstances to have a military career in aerospace medicine

I will finish my civilian residency and apply to FAP

 

[pawprint]

I believe that if you want to do something, you should go for it. Even if it doesn't seem like you have a shot based on precedent, the one thing I've learned so far in the military is that the only definite way to get a no answer is to not try. The worst thing they can say is no. Be prepared and have alternate plans but don't listen to people who tell you not to do it because it your chances are low or it hasn't been done before. I see people every year in the military get selected for fellowships that weren't listed as open fellowships to apply to but they submitted applications and the Navy made spots for them. Its rare, but it happens and if those people had just accepted that they shouldn't apply, they wouldn't have gotten to go do the fellowships they wanted.

Okay with that out of the way...

I do not know if the Navy will take PGY-1 civilian applicants, however, we are currently short on flight surgeons so that will probably work in your favor. I will say that if you are looking for air force vs Navy flight surgery, Navy is the more in depth training program and will get you more involved with the aviation community. Air Force flight surgery is a few week long course and doesn't involve any flying, Navy's is 6-7 months and you get stick time flying both the fixed wing T6 Texan II and the TH57 helicopter. The Navy residency in Aerospace Medicine is also open to flight surgeons who have finished their first 2 year billet. You do not need to have completed another residency first. I know plenty of people who went from intern year -> flight surgery tour -> residency in aerospace medicine in the Navy and loved it.