The latest graduates of Madigan Healthcare System's residency programs are preparing to join the operational Army and become the next generation of Army Medicine's best by completing a Transition to Practice Seminar May 19 and 20.

The Transition to Practice Seminar is intended for Madigan's resident and intern physicians who have completed their training and are ready to start a new assignment practicing in their specialty. Those doctors have typically spent three to six years honing their medical specialty skills and will now join the rest of Army Medicine's physicians at military treatment facilities, in garrison, and on operational assignments throughout the Army. The seminar was broken into two days and two themes.

"Today we talk a lot about military finance, writing OERs and NCOERs, how to be successful as an Army officer and a doctor, and things like managing a clinic and writing a profile," said Capt. (Dr.) Jason Sapp. "The second day is the operational day. We talk about deployment and how to get ready for deployment."

The doctors in attendance shared a sense of excitement about their future as independent practitioners.

"It's exciting, it's also kind of scary, because for the first time I guess I am the final word. It's also kind of fun because most of us are going somewhere else and it's always nice to be able to start fresh," said Capt. (Dr.) Cong Zhi Zhao, who is graduating from the residency program in neurology. She has been a resident for four years at Madigan.

Topics at the event on the first day included powers of attorney and wills, military moves, deployments, promotions and career progressions, managing a clinic, profiles and the medical evaluation board process. The second day featured an operational theme and discussed preparing for deployment, military officer expectations, detainee medical care, and roles of deployed surgeons, flight surgeons and specialty care in deployment.

"During the internship we have a military-unique curriculum and I think that folks focus toward trying to develop those medical skills to make them successful doctors," Sapp said. "This is sort of at the end of their residency where they are ready to be on their own as providers. They are going to have to enter this world of Army Medicine, so I think these topics are much more applicable now as they are about ready to step out, and I think that they are able to look out a few months ahead and say, ‘Boy I'm going to have to be doing these things and people tend to be much more engaged (in the briefings).'"

The doctors each came with an interest in one or more of the topics.

"I had a lot of concerns about moving and PCSing and some about being deployed," said Capt. (Dr.) Dan Douce, who will graduate from the internal medicine residency in June and head to Fort Polk, La. When he arrives on station he'll have just a few months before he deploys.

Sapp worked in cooperation with Julius Bunch, program director of Graduate and Continuing Medical Education, to plan the event. Bunch coordinated the logistics, while Sapp planned the speakers for the event. The days' speakers focused on the transition of doctors from students to Army officers.

"Most of (the attendees) are graduating from their residency. The preponderance is residents going out into their first clinical assignment or to their first operational assignment," Sapp said. "We offer it to all of the graduating interns which are about 60 people. We typically have about 35 that attend, year to year."

At the end of the event a number of doctors were grateful for the event.

"I'm really glad that Dr. Sapp put this on. There's just so much stuff that goes into this," said Capt. (Dr.) Jeremy Goins, who will graduate from the Internal Medicine residency and head to Fort Riley, Kan., this summer.