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Any advice for an anaesthetist looking to join RAMC

Newbie_Doc

Swinger
Hi all

Have just joined the site as I am looking for some useful info (beyond the usual recruiting stuff). I am a Registrar in Anaesthetics in the NHS with about 3 years to go till CCST, and I am looking to join the Army to finish my training rotation and then to work as a consultant. I guess I am looking for more from life than the NHS is giving me.

Quick CV: Yr 2 Spr ; FRCA ; DipIMC ; HEMS Doc ; BASICS Doc ; ALS / ATLS / MIMMS Instr ; interest in Remote Medicine and Trauma Care

Also: fit (ish!) ; into climbing ; Diving instructor ; skiing ; kayak

Have spoken to a lot of Army Docs and they have mentioned 16 CS which seems interesting and exciting..any thoughts?

I am unclear if I would be required to do the 2-3 yr period of General duties...or if I would be pushed through to Consultant with little break?

If attached to 16 CS / other units is it possible to do the necessary qualifying courses (eg. P Coy, All arms, jumps, whatever it may be). I ask this not to be a 'badge collector' but have heard that sometimes people say that as a Doc you are unable to do these courses as you would be attached to a unit regardless of passing or failing. I have always found in life that if you are going to work with / operate with a group of people you should do the same things they have....is this a philosophy that applies to the forces?

Any help and advice please...on these points or in general.

As a timeline I am hoping to attend a board early in the New Year. I may be taking a year abroad with the British Antarctic Survey Sept 06-June 07 so hopefully would go to Sandhurst in Sept 07

Cheers in advance
 
the services are very short of gasmen and you will no doubt be snapped up.

16 CSMR is an "interesting" place to work and you will be "encouraged" to attempt your BBC.

Routine work wise, you'll be sent to an MDHU like the rest of us to work and no doubt earn a few extra pennies!

As for what its like as a gasman, Foxy will "enlighten" you if you ask nicely!
 
Yes! Please!!

(We're a tad short on the anaesthetist side of things, as dui_lai mentioned)

If you join the Regulars, most of your service will be spent in the MDHUs (minor units integral to NHS hospitals that serve as a pool of clinical staff). But you'll be regularly swiped out to go to op theatres with the Fd Hosps and will therefore be expected to occasionally exercise with them (regular and TA).

Tours for surgical specialists are generally only for 6 weeks at a time for reasons of clinical currency. Otherwise, you'll find that life in the MOD is similar to life in the NHS except for the lack of overtime pay.

IF
 
Thanks to both of you...a few more questions if I may:

Is 16 CS more 'operationally active' for an attached Consultant than elsewhere within RAMC? If so is that reflected in the contracted % split in time between NHS committments and Military role (as a consultant)?

Also any thoughts on future developments in Pre-hospital care within the forces. I have heard quite a bit of talk about role 2+ and forward surgical teams but am unsure how this pans out in practice. I may ask Prof Greaves if I see him at Basics conf. this weekend.

Any idea how general duties works for someone already firmly established in a specialty. I would love to spend some time doing 'full-time' unit medicine but as I understand it the RCoA would frown on significant time spent out of anaesthesia during SpR years....and the Army are likely to want a qual. Consultant sooner rather than later. Any thoughts?

Cheers in advance

R
 
as a gasman, surgeon, ODP, lab tech, x-ray tech, nurse etc... it doesnt matter which unit you go to, youll deploy very often, in fact youll have less chance of a routine deployment if you go to 16, MDHUs are used as a pool for clinical staff from which all deployments are made up of. 16 CS often dip their cup into the pool to make up their numbers.
 
Filbert Fox said:
RAF_Nurse! said:
Advice?.......Don't bother!
You would be wasting your time.

thanks for that, but he is asking about the RAMC not tour shirking crabs.

The RAF anaesthetists and other CCAST team members can hardly be accused of tour shirking, Filbert.

Newbie_Doc: have a look at the DMS forum on doctors.net - several military anaesthetists are regulars there.
 
I was actually talking about the tour dodging RAF nursing mob, but i can see how my badly worded post could be mis-read. good to see that RAF Nurse is a one post wonder.
 
No such luck! Sadly, some of us 'tour-dodging RAF nurses' have other responsibilities to attend too....like writing annual appraisals for the ill-informed...like yourself!
 
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