OT: Air Force application denied after 8 months. Back to square one. (Long)

You say: So, here I am rejected and back at square one scratching my head.  Primary care is not what it used to be.  Overhead is rising.  Reimbursement is at an all-time low.  Demands on time are higher than ever.  Malpractice rates are unbelievable.  It's either specialize or find another career at this point in my life.
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I've been a physician recruiter for nearly 10 years. Here is my unsolicited advice. Do locum tenens work for the gov't. You can work on base, as a contractor and no one cares about your surgery. The agency takes care of your malpractice insurance. There is no office overhead. You don't have to worry one bit about reimbursement, because you get a flat hourly rate and a stipend to be on call.

Please PM me if you have any questions. I will answer truthfully about the various agencies out there, what to look for in locum contracts, what you can ask agencies to pay for that they don't offer up front, etc.

Also, my boyfriend is an Internal Medicine resident, so I'm very familiar with the anxiety about finding a career in Primary Care.

Good luck :)

Bethany

Can you go over their heads?

I read this last night but honestly didn't know what to say. Especially not without getting on a soapbox about insurance companies, which would have been silly.

I really hope things work out. Perhaps there's something even better out there just waiting to be found.

Hi Steve,

My parents are both veterinarians (and registered nurses prior to that), and they wanted to join the army at about your age. They're 55 now. They were rejected due to age even though they were 44 when they applied and 45 when their applications were rejected. They didn't want to run a clinic anymore because of the enormous overhead, getting robbed by crazy people, getting sued by crazy people, and other complications like that. 

They went back to school and got degrees in Epidemiology, which didn't take very long really, and got jobs at the CDC, NIH and DHS since then. They make a lot more money and don't have to worry about a clinic and all the overhead that goes with it, plus they travel around the world, so that's pretty cool. You'd probably have to move out of Lubbock, but I don't know if you'd have to leave Texas. You might find some good options at USAjobs though.

Steve, I'm so sorry for the decision that the Air Force has made....their loss!  I remember when I first came over to the DS forum you were just beginning this process!

I'll say a prayer that the Lord will guide you in the direction that is right for you and your family.

You're a great man/Dr., with a wonderful family, and we all love you very much!  Keep the chin up, prayers will be answered!