Army Omfs

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I am a dentist and want to get my residency done in the millitary; Is it possible to get in the OMFS residency right from the start once I get accepted into the Army as dental officer? Please advise

After finishing a contract in corporate-dentistry-hell, I actually day-dreamed about this too... serve your country and do OS, a win-win combination.

But i'm betting you have to join as a general dentist, serve a couple years, then apply like any other candidate.

Yeah I think this was addressed in a thread a month or two back, and one of the seasoned guys said you can't join up and immediately matriculate into residency. You'd have to join as a general dent and go through the application process with everyone else after you're in.

Originally Posted by straightteeth

I am a dentist and want to get my residency done in the millitary; Is it possible to get in the OMFS residency right from the start once I get accepted into the Army as dental officer? Please advise

Each December applications are taken for specialties. The board just met and selected applicants, so your next chance to apply for OMFS will be next November 2013. You can apply as a dentist without having already joined the military. If selected you must join the Army. You will not start residency until the following summer (18 months later), so you will work as a general dentist prior to that. Although you can apply as a civilian, your chance will be better once in the military.

Originally Posted by krmower

Each December applications are taken for specialties. The board just met and selected applicants, so your next chance to apply for OMFS will be next November 2013. You can apply as a dentist without having already joined the military. If selected you must join the Army. You will not start residency until the following summer (18 months later), so you will work as a general dentist prior to that. Although you can apply as a civilian, your chance will be better once in the military.

Just curious. Is this in theory? Or have civilian dentists actually got in this way?

No, this is not in theory. I have known people get into specialties right out of dental school and from private practice. The only thing you have to understand is you are competing for a specialty slot with dentists who are currently in the army. And military service (deploying) does count for something. Meaning they want people who want to be in the army. And you are accepted 18 months prior to starting your residency, which adds time to your overall army commitment. So a 4 year OMFS residency is actually a 9.5 year payback.