Uniformed Service University Experiences

[jh613]

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Not totally sure this is the correct sub forum but can anyone speak to where they were sent after residency for the 7 year service requirement and their experience? Is it mostly domestic or abroad? If you have a spouse was it challenging on your family? Also from a specialty standpoint I am interested in emergency medicine, seems like there would be a good amount of opportunity for going this path and minimal skill atrophy. I haven't put much thought into which branch I would be interested in, but any thoughts on that are welcome as well!

 

[anniekat2025]

Not a USUHS grad or a physician (yet) but I do work at a military hospital. Contrary to popular belief, emergency medicine physicians in the military actually suffer pretty serious skill atrophy. In fact, this is one of the biggest complaints of the EM physicians I've worked with during my time in the service. I don't know of a single military treatment facility (MTF) in the DOD that is a Level 1 Trauma Center. I know at our base virtually all of the high acuity patients our EMS picks up end up getting transferred to one of the local hospitals. Both the volume of patients and the acuity are drastically reduced at our hospital relative to a civilian facility.

Lots of churn in the military medicine world right now and it includes some discussion as to how this EM problem might be improved/changed. But honestly, no one from the top down seems to have a good understanding of the way forward and the future is pretty unclear. You can click around on this forum and find more information about all of these issues.

Are you planning to apply to USUHS in the near future or do you still have some time? Are you open to waiting to join the service until after residency?

 

[Helpful Troll]

... I don't know of a single military treatment facility (MTF) in the DOD that is a Level 1 Trauma Center. ...

Brooke Army Medical Center - Joint Base San Antonio. Likely the only one.

 

[anniekat2025]

Brooke Army Medical Center - Joint Base San Antonio. Likely the only one.

Right! Thank you.

 

[YouArentMySupervisor]

Brooke Army Medical Center - Joint Base San Antonio. Likely the only one.

Yes.
Also, Madigan (JBLM), William Beaumont (Ft. Bliss), and Walter Reed are the three level II trauma centers I'm aware of in the DOD.

EDIT: As to the OPs question, all the EM docs I know moonlight regularly to keep their skills up.

 

[absolutdokta]

My predecessor was EM (battalion surgeon slot) and was gone moonlighting so often that after only a month they were like “wow doc, we’ve seen you more in the last few weeks than we did the other surgeon the last 2 years.” Now that my time here is at an end I can understand why this individual did it.

My unit has a PA as well which allowed for this to happen without compromising unit care and it was a choice to moonlight THAT much but even I, being family med, find significant skill atrophy. During residency whenever I would hear “you’ll get really good at treating MSK issues” I would laugh....now I cringe.

 

[Dr. Wexler]

Also, Madigan (JBLM), William Beaumont (Ft. Bliss), and Walter Reed are the three level II trauma centers I'm aware of in the DOD.

Unless something changed recently, the state of Maryland has shown no interest in designating Walter Reed a trauma center.

I recall a bro falling off a ladder at the hospital at Bethesda. Ambulance took him from the flagship to Suburban. Because Suburban is a trauma center.

 

[Baron S]

Walter Reed is technically a trauma center, but if you've ever been in that ED...