U.S. Navy as a D.O.

[Joshua]

I have been strongly considering a career in the Navy. The military has long been a part of my family's heritage, and I proved to be one of the only males never to join the armed forces. As I grow and begin to mature from my selfish youth to a duty oriented adult, I am feeling a strong call to service. We live in the greatest country in the world, and I feel that it is my responsibility to give back to my nation.

With that said, I was hoping to solicit some advice from those who have chosen this path. What are the pros and cons? Is there room to grow professionally? Can I specialize in the Navy if I someday choose to?

I am starting UNECOM in the fall, and have spent much time contemplating my future. Is the pay in the military comparable to that of civilian medicine? Does it have to be a primary care field that I enter? Although I am almost certain that I want to enter primary care, (thus the D.O. route), I am not yet certain.

Any advice at all would be most appreciated. If anyone cares to e-mail me, my new e-mail is [email protected]

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[Sherry]

Joshua
I spent 12 of the most wonderful years of my life as a Navy Nurse and then a Nurse Practitioner. I made lifelong friends, saw more of the world than I ever thought possible, and am very proud to be a former Naval Officer. I have served in times of peace and war, I have worked with refuges and disaster victims, and had experiences others only dream of. The medical community in the Navy is a close knit family and the commradarie is unparalled in civian life. I worked along some of the most comptetent professionals of my life while active duty.

I will be starting medical school this August (AZCOM). I have the Navy Medical and Nurse Corps to thank for planting the seed. I got to know many MD and DO physicians well and their encouragement and support have helped me along this long and sometimes grueling path. I would still be active duty if my spouse was not a pilot. Joint spouse assignments are very difficult to achieve, especially if the two are in different career paths. Still no regrets!

I would encourage you to follow your "calling". There is nothing remotely similar in the civilian world. While the money and initial "benies" on the outside appear so appealing, the intangable rewards of life with the Navy cannot be simply stated. By the way, there is also opportunity to specialize. Surgery, internal medicine, and ortho are three of the biggies.

Oh yeah, there is a quaint little "rivalry" between the west and east coasts: The EAST coast is by far the "better" choise (another personal bias)! Newport, Bethesda, Annapolis, Norfolk, Pensacola just to name a few of the beautiful places you may get a chance to live in and practice. Not to mention how good everyone looks in their summer whites!!! YUM! YUM! (Or so my husband says!!!)
Enjoy!!!

 

[dreamTeam]

Joshua,
I have done a ton of research on the HPSP scholarships and have recently been commissioned into the Navy. I will be attending UHS this coming Fall along with my wife who is going to apply for the three year scholarship. I also have a half-brother who graduated from USUHS and is serving in the Army. He has had a wonderful experience as a military physician and has decided to make a career out of it. He is currently doing a civilian fellowship in pediatric cardiology in Pittsburgh. If you have any specific questions about the application process, please send me an email. Good luck.


[This message has been edited by dreamTeam (edited 06-05-2000).]

 

[fmfcorpsman]

The east coast is only good if your into office politics. It is much better on the west coast. Bremerton WA is one of the most enjoyable hospitals to work at.

 

[Sherry]

Bremerton is great if you like rain 300 days a year and don't mind living in substandard housing. Pensacola; sunshine, beaches and the nicest hospital in the sOutheast. (my opinion of course, everyone's entitled) By the way if you think there are less politics in Bremerton you must have had your head in the sand [OH, I FORGOT , THERE'S NO SAND IN BREMERTON EITHER !!!)

 

[fmfcorpsman]

So sensitive arn't you. I just added that comment as a joke. Why insult? I guess that when people read this they can see for themselves the difference between east coast and west coast sailors. I know great people on both sides, but for some reason alot of east coasters are bitter.

 

[Sherry]

No insult intended, the East and West Coasts have always had FRIENDLY rivalries, just having some fun. I personally believe all Naval Medical Personnel are the cream of the crop. Relax!!!

 

[babytrey99]

It is great to have experienced Military people in this forum! My question is this: I broke my femur 10 years ago in a motorcycle accident and I now have limited range of motion in my left knee. I cannot sit "Indian style" or run, but I do walk without a limp. What are my chances of being accepted into any branch of service once I am accepted into DO school? I always wanted a service career, but I figured the accident scuttled any chances for me. Lately I have been hearing that someone like me could be accepted into the service as a DO. True or totally goofy? Thanks in advance
Vaya con Dios.

 

[babytrey99]

P.S. My sister in a Navy RN and she has been stationed at Oak Knoll (San Fransisco) and just finished with Newport, Rhode Island. She liked both of those place equally, but for her next assignment she's going back to Japan for the COLA! Go figure! Lot's of beautiful open spaces in the West, but lots of rich history in the East! Both are super!

 

[fmfcorpsman]

Sherry Im fine, just playing off this rivalry thing. I agree the Navy has by far the best structure in military medicine. It starts with the corpsman,who in my opinion are the best generally trained medics in the armed forces, then the Nurses who I have yet to meet one that I didn't like, and the doctors who are the furthest thing from a "military" officer and really make work enjoyable. So when you go into the Navy as a Doctor you have a great supporting cast that will back you up and make your life easier.

 

[Sherry]

babytrey99

I would say your chances are slim to none. As a military officer you have to meet all the same demanding physical rigors that other troops must meet, regardless of what brnach (Army, Navy, Air Force). You will have routine physical training tests (all branches have a unique name for this). Remember as a military officer you may be called upon to serve your country in times of war and if you are not physically fit to be deployed around the world at a moments notice you cannot be retained.

There are a few cases where medical personnel can get waivers for some physical annomily, but never something as significant as restricted ROM or a bad knee. You might want to check into the National Health Service Corps. They actuially have two branches; one is the "Unifromed" branch and the requirements and committments are identical to the military (same rank and structure, etc.). The other "nonuniformed" branch is more like civilian service and you can serve if you have orthopedic problems etc. They also have scholarships availble similar to the military.

Corpsman,
I know corpsman are great, I trained them for four years!!! I agree with you on all other counts as well.

 

[nostromo]

Joshua,

As a practicing Navy Flight Surgeon and Head of Aviation Medicine at the Naval Hospital in Corpus Christi, perhaps I can offer some insight in what it's like to be a D.O. in the Navy.

Will be happy to outline the pros and cons. Feel free to e mail me at [email protected], as I prefer not to post this discussion in a public forum.


Yours,

Lt. Michael Suls, D.O., MC (FS), USNR

 

[daveyboy]

I am also considering a career as a military physician. I am very certain that I want to go into surgery and I think that one of amed services is the way to go for this. However, I have seen several posts stating that there is very little freedom in pick a residency when you are a military doctor. Most of these come from non-military people who are not directly involved. What is the scoop on this?

daveyboy

 

[docmoody]

Military Medicine is great, As a USN Corpsman FMF (now UNR), I have worked in the military medical setting and the quality of life for Physicians seem to be much less stressful than the civilian counterparts especaill when it come donw to HMO and INSURANCE! I plan on practicing medicine in the military espicially in the navy if possible. Anyone go through the HPSP process, and can you explain some details about the process? Thanks!

 

[docflight2]

I would be glad to answer questions pertaining to HPSP scholarships, internship and residency. I trained in San Diego (Balboa), Pensacola, and did four years with the Marines. If you have any particular questions related to these areas of interest feel free to ask away!

 

[bebop]

Hey all:
I just graduated from Officer Indoctrination School with the HPSP scholarship (4Yr). I can just about answer any question or at the very least point you in the right direction for answers. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]

The most commonly asked question I saw on the above posts was "Can I do the residency I want?" The answer is YES! The very small catch is the "Needs of the Navy must be met first" How these needs are met and how docs fit in occurs thru' many avenues. I'd be happy to detail/map them out for you. I did it for reasons other than the money. I am happy I did it.

Good luck in your future endeavors!

Beth

[This message has been edited by bebop (edited 07-05-2000).]

 

[8404]

Sherry,

I just finished Officer Indoc School with a guy Matt who will be in your AZCOM starting class. Bebop, what company were you in??

 

[bebop]

84:

I think I knew your Matt. He was BC. I was in Alfa Co.

 

[8404]

bebop,

right you are! good luck to you with your upcoming year.

8404
TUCOM 2003

 

[Rainy Guy]

Out of curiosity--I have another physical question, like the fellow above who broke his femur.

Do the military branches do a hearing test b/f you can get in? I'd like to apply for the scholarship, but I have a slight hearing difficulty (about 35% loss). People don't realize it when they are just talking to me, but it will show up on a hearing chart if a test is administered.

My brother tried to get in the Army, but couldn't b/c he had arthritis in his right hand. He was latent, and had full motion, but they still wouldn't let him in. I thought that odd.

 

[doatc]

Rainy,

Yes, the Army will test your hearing, but I can't say what the requirements are. I would call a recruiter and ask them. If they say they don't know, then ask them to find out by calling their local Military Entrance Processing center.

 

[fmfcorpsman]

A hearing tip:

Wear ear plugs for at least two days prior to your test. The military will do anything they can to get you in. I failed the hearing test the first time I took it, then passed the second. If you pass it once then your in.

 

[bebop]

Another tip for the hearing test:

The beeps come in series of threes, progressively getting softer.

You are supposed to hit the button as soon as you hear something. Since the first beep will be the loudest, hit the button IMMEDIATELY after you hear the first beep, not the third. Your accuracy will be much higher. The ear plugs are a good tip too.

Good Luck!

[This message has been edited by bebop (edited 07-19-2000).]