Army, Navy, or Air Force?

[DeltaT]

I'm non-prior and currently on the waitlist at USUHS. I want to know which service is the best for me. I would like to go from USUHS to internship and then directly into a some sort of surgery residency. Which service would give me the best chance to do this without a GMO or anything else getting in the way? It would be nice to hear from people from all three services about the pros and cons of their respective service.

[Perrotfish]

If your main priority is straight through training, your best bet is the Army.

[IlDestriero]

Originally Posted by Perrotfish

If your main priority is straight through training, your best bet is the Army.

Yes, but the Navy would have you living near the beach. That was my #1 priority, GMO or not.
Learn about the FAP program before you sign up for anything. It is a better way, for most, to get into the military and still maximize your training potential. At least review all of your options.

[dru2002]

Originally Posted by DeltaT

I'm non-prior and currently on the waitlist at USUHS. I want to know which service is the best for me. I would like to go from USUHS to internship and then directly into a some sort of surgery residency. Which service would give me the best chance to do this without a GMO or anything else getting in the way? It would be nice to hear from people from all three services about the pros and cons of their respective service.

Agree with above. I however wouldn't let that be the only aspect that determines which branch especially from USUHS. With a surgery residency (5 years right?) you will be in that branch for 12 years. If you aren't happy going straight through will be of little consolation. Read all the threads about the pros and cons of the military and then get out there and talk to as many active military doctors in each service that you can find. That's really the only way to make this an educated decision. Good luck!

But, did you just rank no preference on your branch choices at USUHS? Seems like quite a leap to apply to a military school without much knowledge of branch differences. To each their own.

[hwatson]

Originally Posted by DeltaT

I'm non-prior and currently on the waitlist at USUHS. I want to know which service is the best for me. I would like to go from USUHS to internship and then directly into a some sort of surgery residency. Which service would give me the best chance to do this without a GMO or anything else getting in the way? It would be nice to hear from people from all three services about the pros and cons of their respective service.

I have served in 2 of the 3 branches and worked with medical in many joint environments. I will give my 2 cents.

1) ARMY: best chance of training without a GMO tour (the best idea is to avoid gmo). Army also has all the specialties that you may desire. For someone not wanting to train in Primary Care, the army is head and shoulders above the other two branches. (they are so much bigger that they can train more specialists). They do deploy for longer than other branches. (for some this is a major draw back) I know many more happy Army docs than any other service.

2) Air Force: They still are the most laid back (but keep in mind, it is still the military). They primarily have primary care positions. (anything else requires you to be prior service with a great board score. Not good but great). Don't be dismayed, their GMO tours can be awesome. You can fly in jets and planes as a doctor. (flight surgeon). Read more about flight surgeon in any air force recruiting page.
Know that to get a competetive residency you may be required to do a GMO tour. (also same for NAVY)

3) Navy: Very tight knit group of physicians. Also primary care oriented. However, navy is the highest GMO producing branch in the military. Rumors have circulated for years but this program still exists and will for the future. This is a source of many unhappy navy physicians. This branch seems to have people that love it and people that hate the it. Not many in between. Also, you will spend time on a boat if you get a sweet base near the beach.

Hope it helps. that is my experience.

[Gastrapathy]

Originally Posted by hwatson

I have served in 2 of the 3 branches and worked with medical in many joint environments. I will give my 2 cents.

3) Navy: Very tight knit group of physicians. Also primary care oriented. However, navy is the highest GMO producing branch in the military. Rumors have circulated for years but this program still exists and will for the future. This is a source of many unhappy navy physicians. This branch seems to have people that love it and people that hate the it. Not many in between. Also, you will spend time on a boat if you get a sweet base near the beach.

Hope it helps. that is my experience.

Not sure how Navy Medicine is primary care oriented. GMO tours are a fact of life. We hardly ever deploy on ships (most ships don't have doctors).

[KoopaT89]

I know this has been discussed some where, but since the Army typically has more residencies how does General Surgery compare in the Army, let's say to your average University Hospital program? Pales in comparison? Sub-par? On-par? Just curious.

[Charlie0318]

Originally Posted by Gastrapathy

Not sure how Navy Medicine is primary care oriented. GMO tours are a fact of life. We hardly ever deploy on ships (most ships don't have doctors).

Really this is not what I have heard? Where do most Navy Docs/GMOs deploy then?

[IlDestriero]

Originally Posted by Charlie0318

Really this is not what I have heard? Where do most Navy Docs/GMOs deploy then?

Iraq, Afghanistan, humanitarian hearts and minds missions, more remote branch medical clinics, flight surgery, dive medicine, also some ships, but it's not straightforward ships vs marines. Watch out for "tri-service initiative" creep here as well. ie. Navy can't fill a spot or deployment, than send an Army guy, and vice versa.

[Perrotfish]

You can fly in jets and planes as a doctor. (flight surgeon).

If this is a priority for you all three services have the option of working as a flight surgeon, and of the three the Navy offers the most pilot training to personel doing flight medicine. Also the thing about AF and Navy being more 'primary care' oriented seems baseless.

Anyway, there are several thousand threads on this forum comparing the different military branches, but the OP made it very clear what his priority was (straight through training) and that has a single, unequivocal answer (Army).

[MedicoBoomstick]

This thread seems dead enough, so I won't feel bad hijacking a bit:

What are the deployment differences between Army and Navy? Specifically length and ability to contact home (either phone, internet, or leave).

[Jet915]

Originally Posted by hwatson

I have served in 2 of the 3 branches and worked with medical in many joint environments. I will give my 2 cents.

1) ARMY: best chance of training without a GMO tour (the best idea is to avoid gmo). Army also has all the specialties that you may desire. For someone not wanting to train in Primary Care, the army is head and shoulders above the other two branches. (they are so much bigger that they can train more specialists). They do deploy for longer than other branches. (for some this is a major draw back) I know many more happy Army docs than any other service.

2) Air Force: They still are the most laid back (but keep in mind, it is still the military). They primarily have primary care positions. (anything else requires you to be prior service with a great board score. Not good but great). Don't be dismayed, their GMO tours can be awesome. You can fly in jets and planes as a doctor. (flight surgeon). Read more about flight surgeon in any air force recruiting page. Know that to get a competetive residency you may be required to do a GMO tour. (also same for NAVY)

3) Navy: Very tight knit group of physicians. Also primary care oriented. However, navy is the highest GMO producing branch in the military. Rumors have circulated for years but this program still exists and will for the future. This is a source of many unhappy navy physicians. This branch seems to have people that love it and people that hate the it. Not many in between. Also, you will spend time on a boat if you get a sweet base near the beach.

Hope it helps. that is my experience.

The one thing I will add, Navy Flight Surgeons get more training and fly alot more than Air Force Flight Surgeons (In most cases, of course it depends on the bird you get assigned to, also we actually get stick time).

[Jet915]

Originally Posted by MedicoBoomstick

This thread seems dead enough, so I won't feel bad hijacking a bit:

What are the deployment differences between Army and Navy? Specifically length and ability to contact home (either phone, internet, or leave).

Navy is usually 6-7 months (unless we get IA'd to the Army, then it is 12 months). Army is usually 12 months. Air Force is 3-4 months usually. Ability to contact home is based on where you are stationed. As a doc, you are generally somewhere w/some sort of access to communication so I wouldn't worry about that.

[MedicoBoomstick]

Originally Posted by Jet915

Navy is usually 6-7 months (unless we get IA'd to the Army, then it is 12 months). Army is usually 12 months. Air Force is 3-4 months usually. Ability to contact home is based on where you are stationed. As a doc, you are generally somewhere w/some sort of access to communication so I wouldn't worry about that.

You're a wizard of some kind, cause that's the simplest answer i've ever gotten. Gracias.

Follow-up for anybody, typically how long is the down time between deployments (I assume it's longer for Army and shorted for Air Force, but that's just a guess)

[PhDtoMD2010]

Originally Posted by hwatson

I have served in 2 of the 3 branches and worked with medical in many joint environments. I will give my 2 cents.

1) ARMY: best chance of training without a GMO tour (the best idea is to avoid gmo). Army also has all the specialties that you may desire. For someone not wanting to train in Primary Care, the army is head and shoulders above the other two branches. (they are so much bigger that they can train more specialists). They do deploy for longer than other branches. (for some this is a major draw back) I know many more happy Army docs than any other service.

2) Air Force: They still are the most laid back (but keep in mind, it is still the military). They primarily have primary care positions. (anything else requires you to be prior service with a great board score. Not good but great). Don't be dismayed, their GMO tours can be awesome. You can fly in jets and planes as a doctor. (flight surgeon). Read more about flight surgeon in any air force recruiting page.
Know that to get a competetive residency you may be required to do a GMO tour. (also same for NAVY)

3) Navy: Very tight knit group of physicians. Also primary care oriented. However, navy is the highest GMO producing branch in the military. Rumors have circulated for years but this program still exists and will for the future. This is a source of many unhappy navy physicians. This branch seems to have people that love it and people that hate the it. Not many in between. Also, you will spend time on a boat if you get a sweet base near the beach.

Hope it helps. that is my experience.

The air force information is not correct. If you check the GME results for several years, there are equal proportions of all the specialities as in the civilian world. Also Air Force has stopped doing the GMO/flight surgery programs. Check with your recruiter/physicians in the branches to get correct information. I have heard the most negative things about the army, that the air force is better about deployments, about nice living conditions, and about the treatment of medical professionals. I heard this information from actual physicians, including physicians from the army that were trying to switch into the Air Force.

[dwb8p]

Also Air Force has stopped doing the GMO/flight surgery programs. Check with your recruiter/physicians in the branches to get correct information.

Quite an interesting development you speak of. Does the Air Force surgeon general know about this new policy? Because he gave a briefing about 2 months ago at my school saying that there are no plans in the foreseeable future to end the flight surgeon / GMO billets for PGY1 docs. And what about the 5+ recent air force grads I know personally who were selected to fill flight surgeon billets starting a year from now?

Perhaps your policy-setting recruiter friends simply haven't gotten word down the chain of command yet...

I have heard the most negative things about the army, that the air force is better about deployments, about nice living conditions, and about the treatment of medical professionals. I heard this information from actual physicians, including physicians from the army that were trying to switch into the Air Force.

Nonsense.

Originally Posted by PhDtoMD2010

The air force information is not correct.

Sorry, but you're the misinformed one here.

[a1qwerty55]

Originally Posted by PhDtoMD2010

The air force information is not correct. If you check the GME results for several years, there are equal proportions of all the specialities as in the civilian world. Also Air Force has stopped doing the GMO/flight surgery programs. Check with your recruiter/physicians in the branches to get correct information. I have heard the most negative things about the army, that the air force is better about deployments, about nice living conditions, and about the treatment of medical professionals. I heard this information from actual physicians, including physicians from the army that were trying to switch into the Air Force.

I'm sorry to burst your balloon but you aren't remotely correct on any of the above assertions.

The AF has not and will not be doing away with GMO's anytime soon

The AF treats their physicians the worst of any of the services not to mention not supporting them with anything that looks like a functional healthcare system. Ask any of the legion of disgruntled AF docs on this site if you doubt this.

Lastly, I have never, ever met a single Army physician trying to get into the AF - I only have 20 years of experience to base this on.

[Jet915]

Originally Posted by a1qwerty55

I'm sorry to burst your balloon but you aren't remotely correct on any of the above assertions.

The AF has not and will not be doing away with GMO's anytime soon

The AF treats their physicians the worst of any of the services not to mention not supporting them with anything that looks like a functional healthcare system. Ask any of the legion of disgruntled AF docs on this site if you doubt this.

Lastly, I have never, ever met a single Army physician trying to get into the AF - I only have 20 years of experience to base this on.

Yeah, from reading through thiis forum, it seems like most of the disgruntled military docs are air force docs. Not something I would have expected initially.