Too old to be a Navy Flight Surgeon?

[CodeMonkey]

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Hi everyone,

I’m a premed student currently on the path toward medical school. If everything goes as planned, I’ll likely matriculate around age 36. I’m a civilian with no prior military service, and I’m pursuing either USUHS or the HPSP scholarship as potential routes.

My goal would be to serve as a Navy flight surgeon, but I’m concerned about potential age requirements or restrictions. By the time I graduate medical school, I’ll be 39–40 years old.

Does anyone here know if my age would be a disqualifying factor for becoming a Navy flight surgeon, or if there’s any flexibility/waivers for older candidates? Any insights from those with experience in Navy medicine or military medical recruitment would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[DrMetal]

Hi everyone,

I’m a premed student currently on the path toward medical school. If everything goes as planned, I’ll likely matriculate around age 36. I’m a civilian with no prior military service, and I’m pursuing either USUHS or the HPSP scholarship as potential routes.

My goal would be to serve as a Navy flight surgeon, but I’m concerned about potential age requirements or restrictions. By the time I graduate medical school, I’ll be 39–40 years old.

Does anyone here know if my age would be a disqualifying factor for becoming a Navy flight surgeon, or if there’s any flexibility/waivers for older candidates? Any insights from those with experience in Navy medicine or military medical recruitment would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Given how under-manned the Navy FS community is, I'm sure a waiver could be considered and likely granted.

Why is it so under-manned you might ask? B/c nobody wants to do it. The community isn't as glamorous as advertised.

Sure, if you're good looking enough, you might end up stationed with the Blue Angels and in an Amazon documentary . . . but that's not typical.

What's more likely is that you end up in the desert somewhere, covering 3 squadrons, acting as a 'primary care' physician, though you're not even half-qualified to be one, and you're 1 of 1, and can never take leave.

 

[orbitsurgMD]

Given how under-manned the Navy FS community is, I'm sure a waiver could be considered and likely granted.

Why is it so under-manned you might ask? B/c nobody wants to do it. The community isn't as glamorous as advertised.

Sure, if you're good looking enough, you might end up stationed with the Blue Angels and in an Amazon documentary . . . but that's not typical.

What's more likely is that you end up in the desert somewhere, covering 3 squadrons, acting as a 'primary care' physician, though you're not even half-qualified to be one, and you're 1 of 1, and can never take leave.

Don't just tell him the good parts.

 

[MTGas2B]

I learned why Navy flight surgeons get to fly with their pilots.



If the plane goes down they'll have 200 lbs of meat and glasses to start a fire.

 

[CodeMonkey]

Given how under-manned the Navy FS community is, I'm sure a waiver could be considered and likely granted.

Why is it so under-manned you might ask? B/c nobody wants to do it. The community isn't as glamorous as advertised.

Sure, if you're good looking enough, you might end up stationed with the Blue Angels and in an Amazon documentary . . . but that's not typical.

What's more likely is that you end up in the desert somewhere, covering 3 squadrons, acting as a 'primary care' physician, though you're not even half-qualified to be one, and you're 1 of 1, and can never take leave.

You mentioned an age waiver, so is there a formal age restriction on pursuing a flight surgeon GMO tour?

I'm a weekend warrior pilot, so being the 'doc' for a squadron of airman sounds appealing. Especially if I'm able to ride along or even get some stick time myself.

 

[orbitsurgMD]

You mentioned an age waiver, so is there a formal age restriction on pursuing a flight surgeon GMO tour?

I'm a weekend warrior pilot, so being the 'doc' for a squadron of airman sounds appealing. Especially if I'm able to ride along or even get some stick time myself.

Most aircrew are healthy, but they need regular physicals. You will see sick call for all eligible active duty personnel, not just squadron. Flight time is required but pretty minimal. Depending on the available aircraft types, you can get the required time in a single flight or you may have to take several flights. Stick/yoke/cyclic-collective time is possible but don't expect to do t/o or landing unless you are working at one of the few training wings. You may find yourself getting tapped for TAD somewhere forward if a flight surgeon is needed.

 

[DrMetal]

You mentioned an age waiver, so is there a formal age restriction on pursuing a flight surgeon GMO tour?

There is an age restriction, I don't remember what it is. It can be waived. Such requests are entertained depending on the manning of the community. If you were applying to the FS community today, you would likely succeed in getting a waiver (community is very undermanned). If the community is over-manned 5 years from now (when you're applying), likely no go. You just can't predict it.

You like to fly? Maintain your civilian pilot's license, join a flying club. You'll get more opportunities and likely better experience.

Your utmost questions/concerns right now should be about getting thru medical school and completing a residency. Flight, Dive, other operational roles are 'fun' things that pop in out of our careers. But your main focus is becoming a well-trained physician.

You may find yourself getting tapped for TAD somewhere forward if a flight surgeon is needed.

Quite true. Even if you don't deploy, if you're home, you might find yourself covering down for other gapped billets. Our flight/dive officers are some of the most over-worked and burned out GMOs. You can tell they're unhappy, and they GTFO at their first chance. The "sexy" facade of these communities is very much mis-leading.

At least in the Surface Navy and USMC, they tell you from the beginning that it's gonna suck!

 

[comp1]

Consider the VA HPSP! No age requirements or deployments.

 

[pgg]

Consider the VA HPSP! No age requirements or deployments.

I didn't know the VA had flight surgeons.

 

[pawprint]

Loved being a Navy flight surgeon. Clinic hours were easy, and the meetings/squadron time that take up the rest of your time are pretty low stress.

That being said, the op tempo right now is horrible. Due to low flight surgeon manning, I was getting tasked every few months to go somewhere. Showed up to my first squadron, was there a month and then deployed for 7 months. Got home, was home for 4 months and then deployed again for 3 months. Was home for a month and then got sent for a predeployment exercise for a month. Was home 3 more months and then got deployed again for 3 months. I always thought it was funny that the predeployment assessments were expected to be completed sometimes a year before your deployment. Who knows they are deploying a year in advance? Most of my deployments were notifications that came with 96 hours notice and then I was gone for several months.

And that was just my first 2 years. Went to another squadron where my op tempo was even greater. You basically start to fill the gaps of other squadrons who are deploying since a deploying squadron needs a flight doc. My base had 20 flight docs for 20 squadrons when I showed up. When I left, there were 7 flight docs covering for the 20 squadrons. But whenever those squadrons deployed, it fell on the remaining 7 flight docs to cover them.

Fortunately was able to meet my wife in the midst of it all and she convinced me to get out 😂.

Now I’m a civilian peds resident…nice to not have to deploy anywhere but my clinics are way busier than anything I ever saw as a flight surgeon with way more complicated patients. There are plenty of days I miss my flight surgeon clinic time…it was so easy. But it was balanced with terrible op tempo that kept me away from home and the people I care about.

 

[PugetPounder]

Echoing @pawprint , I think the current deployment tempo needs to be at the forefront of FS discussions. Personally, while I'm aware of the FS operation tempo, I wouldn’t have signed up for HPSP had I been older.

OP, are you in a relationship or have children? At 36 I would assume that deploying often is not preferable in your case.

I also don’t see this deployment schedule getting any better as more physicians are avoiding military service, but the size of the military continues to grow ever so more slightly – and I bet it’s going to get bigger with this recession on the horizon. DO students might be more likely, but I can't speak for them.

It beats me why the military can’t fill these billets by increasing the number of USUHS seats. Probably the quickest and most cost-effective way of doing things. Then again, I’m just a medical student, so clearly the flag officers know something I don't...right?

 

[DrMetal]

That being said, the op tempo right now is horrible.

Now I’m a civilian peds resident…

Yeah, sounds about right. I rest my case . . .

 

[flightdoc09]

I really enjoyed my time as a flight surgeon. I honestly worked harder than I did as an intern, but I chose to do flight instead of pursuing PGY2 because it was something I wanted to do. I flew helos. My pilots let me take off, land, hover, and even do diving gun runs in the Cobra (minus the guns and rockets). My squadron loved me, but I worked really hard for them. I networked and managed to fly in a total of 9 different military aircraft. One of the highlights was an F16 flight during basic fighter maneuver training. I flew a training mission with the Air Force Aeromedical Evacuation squadron on a KC135 and watched F18s refuel in flight over the sea of Japan. I shot a bunch of different guns out of the back of a Huey. I was basically just living out every dream a boy has growing up.

I do not believe you'll have a hard time becoming a flight doc if that's what you want - assuming you can pass a flight physical. But you will likely be granted waivers. That being said, sometimes the waivers can restrict what type of air craft you're qualified to fly in. Take flight school seriously, make good grades, and that could potentially make it easier to get the billet you want (Not sure if they changed how billet selection works these days or not, but grades are always the fallback).

But, to echo some of the above, being primary care kind of sucks in the military due in large part to the administrative burden. I thought it was worth it. I got to do stuff that would have cost me 100's of thousands of dollars to do as a civilian (assuming I got to do it at all). Also, unfortunately, they've been cutting back on flight training more and more for flight surgeons over the years. Hopefully they stop that.