Dr Gradus ad Parnassum
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- May 16, 2024
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I am an IM-certified community hospitalist. I’ve strongly considered a medical career in the military for many years, but due to health reasons feared there was a good chance I wouldn’t pass the physical requirements to be accepted.
I enjoy but am not completely fulfilled with my career in private practice. My experience treating veterans in a VA setting in medical school and residency was very brief, but my memories were very fond. Veterans were the best patients, and even now when I take care of them in a non-VA setting it is rewarding work. I know that the VA is resource-limited, but I appreciated their mission to provide the best level of care possible at minimal or no expense to the veteran. Differing insurance coverage for patients, prior authorizations, peer-to-peers, etc are major factors driving patient care in my current job, and I have optimism that all of these barriers would be less significant if practicing in the US military.
I’m giving serious thought again to pursuing the military career; if they accept me great, or if their health/physical requirements disqualify me then it is what it is and I will just continue practicing civilian medicine (of note, my health has not impacted my ability to perform my current job duties at all, though there is no “boot camp” where I have to run an obstacle course or scale a wall). However, reading through this forum, I do fear that my impression of military medicine may be naïve or unrealistic because I do notice a number of people with multiple years of experience who seemed unhappy. I wanted to ask a few questions people with first-hand experience with military medicine:
1. Is it likely I would be able to live or practice in my home state, or would I most likely be moved around the country, overseas or both frequently?
2. Is there much role for hospital medicine physicians in the US military? With my license and certification I can practice outpatient general IM, which I’m fine with, though most of my experience is inpatient
3. Would you recommend one particular branch over another (Army, Navy, Air Force, etc)?
4. I fully understand that the pay in military medicine will be less than the private sector. However, do you find other aspects of the job (treating veterans, support from medical staff and leadership, not dealing with insurance companies, possibly less fixation with metrics and volume) more rewarding?
5. Any other pieces of advice you might recommend regarding things I may have lacked the knowledge to even ask about?
I enjoy but am not completely fulfilled with my career in private practice. My experience treating veterans in a VA setting in medical school and residency was very brief, but my memories were very fond. Veterans were the best patients, and even now when I take care of them in a non-VA setting it is rewarding work. I know that the VA is resource-limited, but I appreciated their mission to provide the best level of care possible at minimal or no expense to the veteran. Differing insurance coverage for patients, prior authorizations, peer-to-peers, etc are major factors driving patient care in my current job, and I have optimism that all of these barriers would be less significant if practicing in the US military.
I’m giving serious thought again to pursuing the military career; if they accept me great, or if their health/physical requirements disqualify me then it is what it is and I will just continue practicing civilian medicine (of note, my health has not impacted my ability to perform my current job duties at all, though there is no “boot camp” where I have to run an obstacle course or scale a wall). However, reading through this forum, I do fear that my impression of military medicine may be naïve or unrealistic because I do notice a number of people with multiple years of experience who seemed unhappy. I wanted to ask a few questions people with first-hand experience with military medicine:
1. Is it likely I would be able to live or practice in my home state, or would I most likely be moved around the country, overseas or both frequently?
2. Is there much role for hospital medicine physicians in the US military? With my license and certification I can practice outpatient general IM, which I’m fine with, though most of my experience is inpatient
3. Would you recommend one particular branch over another (Army, Navy, Air Force, etc)?
4. I fully understand that the pay in military medicine will be less than the private sector. However, do you find other aspects of the job (treating veterans, support from medical staff and leadership, not dealing with insurance companies, possibly less fixation with metrics and volume) more rewarding?
5. Any other pieces of advice you might recommend regarding things I may have lacked the knowledge to even ask about?