Guam OB

Guam Gouge as of July 2024

Contacts

• Dr. Megan Klocek, LCDR

  • Main POC = Guam OB department head 

  • megan.e.klocek.mil@health.mil

  • 671-483-6921

• Dr. Jena Glavy, LCDR

  • jena.c.glavy.mil@health.mil

  • 703-346-9084

• HM2 Apaw (LPO)

  • francis.k.apaw.mil@health.mil

  • Email DOD ID, HIPPA, and cyber awareness certificates 1-2 weeks prior so they can set up computer access. They will then send you a SAAR form to sign and return. 

• Our RPA will email you your TTR (look over it closely regarding dates and costs – (remember you lose a day when you travel over there and show up the same day you leave when you come back). Make sure your TTR has a rental car on it. It will also need CO/XO approval/signature which is the RPAs job to get not yours so don’t stress over it.

• You have to call the navy lodge and “try” to stay there first. If they have availability, you have to stay there; if they don’t they should give you a CNA (certificate of nonavailability) *** Pro tip the later you call to book the navy lodge the less likely they’ll have space so push this as close to when you’re leaving as you can. 

  • Navy lodge will book another hotel for you (ask for Dusit or Tsubaki as these are nicest on the island and have military rates)

  • Marcus in the DTS office told me just to cancel that and keep what I had in DTS/upload the CNA to DTS; but if they do the same thing for you essentially just pick the nicer hotel and cancel the other. 

  • Make sure you obtain a Tax Exemption form to present to the hotel at check-in. 

• Download Whatsapp, that’s what they use over there. 

• Many places don’t take amex so make sure you have a visa/mastercard/etc. option.

• Turnover is at 0715 in the mother-baby unit (MBU) on the 2nd floor of the hospital on weekdays, and at 0800 on the weekends. 

  • If you know who is on call, you can usually text them in the morning instead of showing up. They are very chill about you not being at the hospital unless you have to be there

  • Essentially every day I checked in at turnover and if there was no one laboring or they were not very far along they would send me home and say they’d text me. The OBs and a family doc alternate call every day and you’ll meet them in the morning when you go to sign out. 

• Hospital scrubs are in the MBU next to the nurses station/work area in room 2X10. You don’t need to bring your uniform just a pair of shoes you don’t care about getting dirty with gross OB fluids. 

• You can get your badge at CMD which is on the first floor. When you come in through the main entrance take a left at the pharmacy and another left down a hallway and you’ll see the sign for CMD. All you need is your CAC. Tell them you’re a visiting provider on TAD and need same access as Klocek (OB attending); ie MBU and ED. 

• Write your name and phone number on the MBU board. Check in with the nurses! 

• You should make sure the attending for the day knows to text you but also talk to the nurses/charge nurse and give them your number because the attendings can be bad at it and the nurses honestly have a better sense of how close people are to delivering because they do a lot of the cervical checks without the attending present. 

• If you want a better sense of what's going on while you’re not there I’d also probably ask to be texted when someone in labor is admitted and whether they’re multip or primip because that can give you a sense of when they might call you.

• To be safe (at least until you get 7 minimum/ideally 10) I would stay if it’s a multip at pretty much any stage and if it’s a primip you’re probably good to dip until they’re in active labor (5-6 cm). If they’re that far along I’d probably just stay or at least be at one of the cafes 5 minutes away. Your hotel will likely be 15-20 minutes away and you ideally need like a 30 minute heads up but frequently they don’t let you know things are happening until patients start “pushing” and this can last 5 min or an hour so it can be hard to judge and can be really easy to miss babies. 

• Go to c-sections; you can scrub if you want but I think it’s better learning if you stick with the pediatrician. You can practice NRP and get more comfortable with the panda warmer. 

• Commissary on the main base has best prices for groceries. There is a mini nex, a package store (booze), and gas on the hospital base.

• Hospital gym: take a right when you drive into base; it’s the first building to your right. The code is 5314 (would confirm this with someone before you go just in case they change it).

  • There is a fantastic gym at Big Navy (Charles King Fitness Center)

Travel

• If you want a great lay down first class seat, within 24 hours of your flight (can do at the airport), see if the flight from Hawaii to Guam has upgrades. Within 24 hours they are $200-250. This extra cost IS NOT REIMBURSED!! Its only if you want to pay for the comfort. 

To pack

• Gym clothes

• Bathing suits/ lots of sunblock

• Sunglasses

• If you even think you will hike/hash – long pants, long sleeve shirts, hiking boots, bug spray, +/- camelback (sword grass hurts and the sun is intense)

  • If you go hiking and enter river water/waterfalls, obtain doxycycline for prophylactic use the day before, day of, and day after…leptospirosis! 

Restaurants/Cafes 

• Coffee

  • Slingstone Café (drive through only)

  • Slowalk (great place to study and get work done near hospital)

  • Infusion tea and coffee

  • Café gudtcha 

  • Frances Bakery 

• Food

  • Carabao brewery: good food and beer; close to the hospital so you can chill here and study if you’re worried about someone delivering soon but don’t want to stay at the hospital. 

  • Might purple café – acai bowls 

  • Stax smash burger –insane burgers with the ultimate flavor profile 

  • Mosas joint –great if you’re feeling homesick for America 

  • Meskla 

  • Bahn Thai –note they have buffets for lunch

  • Shirley’s Café

  • Crust (thanks Dr. Iteen for the great rec)

  • Pizzakaya (Japanese fusion pizza. Best sweet potato fries)

  • Dusit restaurants (highly recommend Sunday Brunch one day for bottomless mimosas and an insane amount of food)

Things to Do/Places to go

• Hikes (really should go with someone for all hikes at least once bc trail markers suck- use All trails)

  • Mt Jumollong/Mt Lamlam (start at Mt Jumollong than continue onto Lamlam)

  • Sella Bay (Instagram tree for pictures)

  • 1000 steps (cool to see but be careful as people’s gas tanks get drilled into here)

  • Tinago falls (not much water in May but here its great after rainy season)

  • Tarzan falls

  • 7 falls (need to scale side of waterfall so must be really comfortable climbing)

  • Mushroom rock to shark cove

  • Pagat cave hike

• Snorkeling/Diving (currents can be rough so don’t go alone)

  • Gab Gab (main Navy base): sea turtles, reef sharks – also good beach to hang

  • Fish eye: lots of small fish as tourist feed them

  • Gun beach (follow pipe lines out) – sea turtles (sometimes), reef sharks

  • If you would like to become dive certified, reach out to Esther Bartlett for her contact: Jeff Houser, previous SEAL and husband to ER PA LT Stephanie Houser. 

• Activities/ Sites

  • Chamorro Village: Wednesday nights near the hospital, little shops and food trucks. Most of it is cash only. (highly recommend)

  • Two Lovers Point 

  • Ypao beach park 

  • Asan beach/ridge trail 

  • Underwater world: cheap (military discount), cool aquarium 

  • Monday sunset yoga at RHIGA at 1800. First time is free. Buy a ticket online beforehand. 

  • Run club on Tuesday nights (5k): They meet at 1745 outside the Guam Museum (department of Chamorro affairs). It’s near Carabao and the run ends at Carabao and everyone gets beers after. 

• Ritidian point/beach (Wildlife Preserve)

• Daily morning yoga at Dusit Beach for those who stay there

*If needed for whatever reason, there is a USO in Dusit Place near the Dusit hotel on the second floor (near Hardrock Café)