USUHS vs Civilian rout to orthopaedic surgery

[Wppqm1]

Hey everyone,

I am a premed student getting ready to apply for med schools next summer and am looking for opinions/advice on the idea of doing military medicine. I have always wanted to serve in the armed forces, specifically the Marines, however my primary passion is medicine. I am very interested in doing orthopeadic surgery and would like to practice in the Navy, hopefully greenside working on Marines. I am considering applying for USUHS. I only know as much as I can find on brochures and school websites and would really apreciate your thoughts. Is it possible/ how likely is it that I would land a surgery residency in the Navy?
Would I do better to go civilian rout and join the navy after I get through residency, or do the military scholarship program?
I don't mind the length of service if I can practice surgery. Would not mind trauma or general surgery, though I would prefer ortho.
Again, I am seeking advice so assume that hypothetically I will definitely be accepted to wherever I apply.

Thanks so much!

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[SirGecko]

Yes, the Navy trains orthopedic surgeons. No one can really tell you the future but the basic answer is that the Navy could potentially restrict your chances. Because you are competing in a smaller pool this could help or hurt your chances. If a lot of people want to do ortho your year your chances go down and vice versa. Also you are pretty much betting at that point that one of three programs will want you so there is that. If you are set on one specialty (remember everyone changes their mind in med school at least once) and are not flexible on your timeline to get there the standard advice is get trained as a civilian and then join. That said the Navy definetly trains ortho doctors and I doubt they will stop any time soon so its not like you are talking about wanting to do Rad Onc or something. (We have like five total of those in the Navy I think)

 

[militaryPHYS]

I'm Navy ortho. Did med school at USUHS, then Portsmouth residency. Just finished first year as staff. Happy to answer any specific questions you may have.

Like SirGecko said, nobody can predict the future. If you maintain good scores and do well on rotations with research experience and other extra-curricular, there is no reason why ortho shouldn't be an option. Even with recent changes to BUMED/DHA etc, ortho has maintained it's status as a critical wartime specialty that will continue to be manned (at least for now). But he is right that a lot depends on your year group, and there is no way to predict that. In reality though, no matter how many there are, if you are a top contender then you have a great shot. Even better shot with USUHS education.

BUT, no matter what, focus on whether or not you want to do the military regardless of specialty. Your choice of specialty will change, your life will change. If you sign the dotted line, the one thing that can't change is your obligated service years that you owe back.

 

[j4pac]

Ive known a few med students who were EXCELLENT applicants who didn’t match to Ortho, did they’re time in GMO land, and matched right away at great civilian ortho residencies. It varies significantly from year to year depending on how many applicants are interested that year, and often how many spots are granted. That variability doesn’t exist in the civilian sector nearly as much, so you usually have a very good idea if you will match based on your resume before the process begins. I think that there’s a misconception that the military is desperate for bodies and you have an easy track to your career path...and that’s often false.

As a tie breaker...I’d consider opportunities for fellowship and pay. I don’t think that USUHS is worth the cost unless you want to be a career military guy. The investment is just too high...the commitment is too long and screws your opportunity to do 4 and GTFO. The pay is good at USUHS but the COL is also very high in Bethesda, and I’d be surprised if you broke even financially considering how much more you make as a civilian orthopedic surgeon.

If you want to serve but are unsure about being career military, I’d consider the other military scholarship programs. If Ortho is a war-time specialty...it may qualify for FAP.