Air Force Operational Residencies (OEM)

[KilgoreSnout]

There was a discussion on the AF HPSP that piqued my curiosity regarding operational residencies in the Air Force.

"OEM is an active duty residency pathway at one of five available civilian institutions, that ultimately results in being a wing wearing flight surgeon by the end of your training. The commitment is no different than a traditional emergency medicine residency. Our residents will at the very least attend the Aeromedical Primary, but there are also opportunities for additional special trainings throughout residency to prepare for a tip of the spear assignment after completion. Our emergency medicine graduates typically gravitate towards the spec ops community."

So if someone is interested in emergency medicine, being a flight surgeon, and generally being on the "hooah" side of the house, are there any drawbacks to the program? The folks on the page with experience in the program were saying that opportunities for jungle medicine rotations, antarctica trips, dive medicine training with the Navy etc. were commonplace.

Is it as great as it sounds for someone who likes TDY and wants to work in those communities? Are there any downsides?

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[armytrainingsir]

In general (and there are always exceptions):

the downside to operational medicine is it heavy on operation, and light on medicine.

A doc that has been playing spec op exclusively for 3 years will generally be clinically less competent than the guy slugging it out in a busy ER during those same three years due to not seeing sick people or only seeing them occasionally.

That said, two points:
First, ER is likely the easiest specialty for a doc to moonlight and retain clinical competence. Finding the occasional shift is easy pretty much anywhere compared to every other specialty.
Second, the AF is or has implemented a policy allowing 2 days of moonlighting per month without using leave, per a conversation with a friend who is an AF pilot-doc, now in an ER residency. He also told me the AF is committed to alternating such docs between operational and clinical assignments to keep their skills up. Who knows for sure, as such policies are at the whim of the AF


Good luck!

 

[KilgoreSnout]

In general (and there are always exceptions):

the downside to operational medicine is it heavy on operation, and light on medicine.

A doc that has been playing spec op exclusively for 3 years will generally be clinically less competent than the guy slugging it out in a busy ER during those same three years due to not seeing sick people or only seeing them occasionally.

That said, two points:
First, ER is likely the easiest specialty for a doc to moonlight and retain clinical competence. Finding the occasional shift is easy pretty much anywhere compared to every other specialty.
Second, the AF is or has implemented a policy allowing 2 days of moonlighting per month without using leave, per a conversation with a friend who is an AF pilot-doc, now in an ER residency.


Good luck!

I am glad to hear the moonlighting allowance seems to be in full effect! Can you shed some light on what operational medicine is doing most of the time? I have shadowed some flight surgeons in traditional units, and it seemed (in the few days I was there) to be waiting around for a flier to come in with the sniffles.

Is it common for docs "at the tip of the spear" to have similar experiences in garrison/non-combat deployment? I am under no illusion that I'll be kicking in doors, but it does seem that these docs are getting chances to go to SCUBA school, freefall etc. Is that just because the funding and slots exist, or are there truly operational needs to be sending the doc to those trainings?

 

[armytrainingsir]

Is that just because the funding and slots exist, or are there truly operational needs to be sending the doc to those trainings?

Yup. The money is on the operational side, and the more elite etc, the more money.

So, an aviation unit is gonna have more cash and 10000x the incentive to send a doc to jump school than a MEDCEN is gonna have to send you to some fun school.

 

[DeadCactus]

From my understanding in talking with AD colleagues, the HPSP residents who were interested in this sort of work have generally been able to use elective time to go to training courses relevant to their career goals and it never really sounded like it was hard to get an operation spot if you spent residency performing well, networking, and attending some training opportunities. At most this is an interest track in a standard residency but they are trying to bill it as a whole new type of residency. Maybe I'm not understanding the full scope of what the Operational residencies are.

 

[armytrainingsir]

Maybe I'm not understanding the full scope of what the Operational residencies are.

I think it is about identifying and getting the hooah type docs into civilian residencies that are gonna be accommodating to .mil elective rotations (and all the BS that entails, lol). And the doc knows they are going to do field stuff right off the bat when finishing residency. Makes sense to track the hooah types into hooah jobs and not send the guy that just wanted medical school paid for into a field slot where both the doc and the unit end up unhappy.

Just a guess.

 

[KilgoreSnout]

I think it is about identifying and getting the hooah type docs into civilian residencies that are gonna be accommodating to .mil elective rotations (and all the BS that entails, lol). And the doc knows they are going to do field stuff right off the bat when finishing residency. Makes sense to track the hooah types into hooah jobs and not send the guy that just wanted medical school paid for into a field slot where both the doc and the unit end up unhappy.

Just a guess.

That is my impression of it. Looking at some of their websites though, it seems like the part that makes it "hooah" is 2 Air Force elective periods... Unless I'm missing something, 3 cumulative months over 3 years just doesn't sound like enough to make it more military-centric than doing a military residency (in a better location) and being the first to volunteer for selective positions or operational billets.