scrambling for a civilian residency after not matching into military one

[eunieex3]

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I'm currently on the army HPSP scholarship and I would like to do ENT. Assuming that the military match for limited ENT spots are more competitive, is it possible to scramble for a civilian spot after not matching into a military one and just defer for a civilian residency?


I am interested and committed to a career in military medicine, but I would just rather have straight-through training and not deal with relearning a lot of medical material after a GMO tour.

I'm making the assumption that a GMO tour is boring and not intellectually stimulating, (perhaps medical career purgatory?), but this is just what I've gathered from some other forum topics here. Feel free to convince me otherwise.

 

[NavyFP]

I'm currently on the army HPSP scholarship and I would like to do ENT. Assuming that the military match for limited ENT spots are more competitive, is it possible to scramble for a civilian spot after not matching into a military one and just defer for a civilian residency?


I am interested and committed to a career in military medicine, but I would just rather have straight-through training and not deal with relearning a lot of medical material after a GMO tour.

I'm making the assumption that a GMO tour is boring and not intellectually stimulating, (perhaps medical career purgatory?), but this is just what I've gathered from some other forum topics here. Feel free to convince me otherwise.

Without knowing anything about your stats......maybe. If you are competitive on the outside and match, it is possible they will give you a full deferment. But, they may not need an extra ENT when you would be scheduled to graduate and have you as a GMO after internship.

 

[colbgw02]

Never seen the Army give a deferment for ENT. If you don't match, you can reapply as an intern. But, if history is any guide, you're exponentially more likely to end up in GMO land than a civilian residency.

 

[francis163]

last year in army ent world, there were about 16 applicants. the step 1 and 2 averages were 245 and 251 of the 7 that matched. there were 3 additional applicants that had comparable step 1 and 2 scores that did not match in the military; they were given civilian deferments. 2 of those 3 applicants matched civilian. the 3rd did a TY in the army and i believe matched army ENT this year. the likelihood of receiving a civilian deferment is highly unlikely, though it is a good idea to apply to civilian programs just in case. it depends on how competitive the year you are applying is. last year was very competitive. this year was less competitive. no one knows how next year will be.

 

[Perrotfish]

I'm currently on the army HPSP scholarship and I would like to do ENT. Assuming that the military match for limited ENT spots are more competitive, is it possible to scramble for a civilian spot after not matching into a military one and just defer for a civilian residency?


I am interested and committed to a career in military medicine, but I would just rather have straight-through training and not deal with relearning a lot of medical material after a GMO tour.

I'm making the assumption that a GMO tour is boring and not intellectually stimulating, (perhaps medical career purgatory?), but this is just what I've gathered from some other forum topics here. Feel free to convince me otherwise.

Sort of. In the military match you rank 5 locations. The fourth (or first) can be 'civilian deferment' for your specialty of choice. Every year there are many specialties for which no deferements are granted, because a particular branch projects that they don't need any more of that specialty than they already make through their own residency system. The number of deferments, though, can fluctuate wildly from year to year. Its often worth a shot. They don't have to give you a deferment, if they decide to give you a transitional year and then send you off on a GMO tour you don't get the option of saying 'but I matched civilian ENT!', you have to do the transitional year.

The only problem, of course, is that the military match happens in december, which is way too late to start scrambling for interview spots. This is especially true in competitive specialties where applicants routinely rank 30+ slots, and interview slots disapear very quickly. So if you think you might want a deferement, even as a back up, you need to treat the civilian match like its an option (applying to tons of spots, as soon as the match opens, spending thousands on plane tickets for interviews) despite the fact that you have no idea if you'll actually have the option of matching as a civilian unter mid-December. You also have a somewhat constrained interview schedule, because your best option for matching ENT will still be the army, your best option for matching Army will be to 'audition' rotations at the major hospitals, and that means 2-3 months where you absolutely cannot take a day off to go interview somewhere else.

 

[colbgw02]

Sort of. In the military match you rank 5 locations. The fourth (or first) can be 'civilian deferment' for your specialty of choice. Every year there are many specialties for which no deferements are granted, because a particular branch projects that they don't need any more of that specialty than they already make through their own residency system. The number of deferments, though, can fluctuate wildly from year to year. Its often worth a shot. They don't have to give you a deferment, if they decide to give you a transitional year and then send you off on a GMO tour you don't get the option of saying 'but I matched civilian ENT!', you have to do the transitional year.

The only problem, of course, is that the military match happens in december, which is way too late to start scrambling for interview spots. This is especially true in competitive specialties where applicants routinely rank 30+ slots, and interview slots disapear very quickly. So if you think you might want a deferement, even as a back up, you need to treat the civilian match like its an option (applying to tons of spots, as soon as the match opens, spending thousands on plane tickets for interviews) despite the fact that you have no idea if you'll actually have the option of matching as a civilian unter mid-December. You also have a somewhat constrained interview schedule, because your best option for matching ENT will still be the army, your best option for matching Army will be to 'audition' rotations at the major hospitals, and that means 2-3 months where you absolutely cannot take a day off to go interview somewhere else.

Unless there has been a very recent change, this is not how the Army match works. Civilian deferment is not a rank option in the Army. As an Army applicant, you must list all programs in your chosen specialty, with a minimum of 5 programs. If your specialty has fewer than 5 locations, you must complete your list with other Army programs (from a different specialty, e.g. transitional internship) to reach the minimum. As described by francis, the Army will grant civilian deferments to competitive applicants, but not because you ranked it #1 (because, again, you can't rank it).

 

[bleeker10]

Unless there has been a very recent change, this is not how the Army match works. Civilian deferment is not a rank option in the Army. As an Army applicant, you must list all programs in your chosen specialty, with a minimum of 5 programs. If your specialty has fewer than 5 locations, you must complete your list with other Army programs (from a different specialty, e.g. transitional internship) to reach the minimum. As described by francis, the Army will grant civilian deferments to competitive applicants, but not because you ranked it #1 (because, again, you can't rank it).

This is correct as of this years match. You rank all the locations for your specialty and fill in any remaining spots with TY if there are less than 5 locations.

For ortho this year, I know of at least 2 deferments granted which blindsided both people and they are scrambling for interviews to no avail. If you are going for a competitive specialty it really behooves you to apply to some civilian programs when you submit ERAS, especially if you aren't the most competitive candidate.

 

[eunieex3]

For the people who were granted deferments or competitive military residencies, do you know if they first did GMO tour?

 

[bleeker10]

For the people who were granted deferments or competitive military residencies, do you know if they first did GMO tour?

The deferments are both MS4. Many of us that matched ortho this year are MS4.

 

[Perrotfish]

Unless there has been a very recent change, this is not how the Army match works. Civilian deferment is not a rank option in the Army. As an Army applicant, you must list all programs in your chosen specialty, with a minimum of 5 programs. If your specialty has fewer than 5 locations, you must complete your list with other Army programs (from a different specialty, e.g. transitional internship) to reach the minimum. As described by francis, the Army will grant civilian deferments to competitive applicants, but not because you ranked it #1 (because, again, you can't rank it).

Huh, that's not how the Navy works. Anyway it sounds like it doesn't change your strategy much: you might get a deferment, therefore you need to apply to the match as though you were expecting one.