Transitional Year followed by a military GMO tour

[njones9]

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Hi everyone! I was wondering if anyone was aware of any civilian Transitional Year programs that may be friendly to military applicants interested in doing an operational medicine tour after intern year? It seems that a lot of programs like to see you going on to something like thoracic nuclear radiation dermato-oncology... 😉

 

[WernickeDO]

Hi everyone! I was wondering if anyone was aware of any civilian Transitional Year programs that may be friendly to military applicants interested in doing an operational medicine tour after intern year? It seems that a lot of programs like to see you going on to something like thoracic nuclear radiation dermato-oncology... 😉

If you are asking about joining, then there will be no problem with that. As for being a civilian doc in with an operation unit, I can't imagine that happening. There is already a pool of military docs to pull into battalion or brigade surgeon spots. If you are about to graduate and are interested in the military, there's always FAP. Check the sticky.

 

[njones9]

Thanks for the reply. I apologize for not making my situation clear. I am a third year Air Force HPSP student, and will have a 4 year active duty commitment. I am interested in doing at least some of that time in operational medicine. My understanding is that most of the active duty transitional year positions go to either pre-select applicants who will be going on for an advanced residency, or USUHS students who are by law required to complete their PGY-1 in the military. This leaves many HPSP students to pursue civilian intern years. I am just curious if anyone is aware of particular transitional year programs that have showed interest in (or at least are open to considering) students without an advanced residency position lined up after PGY-1.

 

[WernickeDO]

Perhaps that is how the AF functions, I don't know. In the Army the TY pool is made up of a small percentage of pre-selects and undecideds. The majority are people who did not match. If you are interested in operation medicine I assure you that you will get that chance. Your best move is to get through residency now and do your operational time later. This is better on a professional, personal, and financial level. The military has NO problem taking a board certified physician and putting them in an admin role.

 

[WernickeDO]

Of course, if you truly want to do operation medicine now just apply for TY and work with HRC to get in with a unit the following year.

 

[j4pac]

Perhaps that is how the AF functions, I don't know. In the Army the TY pool is made up of a small percentage of pre-selects and undecideds. The majority are people who did not match. If you are interested in operation medicine I assure you that you will get that chance. Your best move is to get through residency now and do your operational time later. This is better on a professional, personal, and financial level. The military has NO problem taking a board certified physician and putting them in an admin role.

Is that true though? I know I would rather have skills atrophy after med school rather than after residency. I would only want to go back to FS (as much as I like it) if I was become bored or burnt out in my specialty.

 

[WernickeDO]

Is that true though? I know I would rather have skills atrophy after med school rather than after residency. I would only want to go back to FS (as much as I like it) if I was become bored or burnt out in my specialty.

I'm sure it varies from individual to individual. An EM doc might be able to moonlight enough to keep her skills sharp but as a general practitioner you are limited to doc-in-the-box type places. Personally I would have preferred to finish residency before my operational time.