Ask an Army Dentist

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wait so doing a 1 year AEGD would add another year to your pay back (4 to 5 years)? I swear I read a thousand times on this forum that it was a neutral year and wouldnt add to your 4 years. but your saying it is like this for example.. you do a one year AEGD so you have 5 year payback making your total time in the military 6 years

if you do a 1 year aegd it is a neutral year. meaning after you complete that year of residency you have to then complete your 4 years of hpsp payback. so yes you would be in the military for a total of 5 years as an active duty officer. afterwards, you would be on reserve/IRR for the remaining term of 3 years to fulfill your contract of 8 years.

when you sign up for the 4 year hpsp, it is an 8 year obligation. it is written on the contract.

Originally Posted by preDENT1210

if you do a 1 year aegd it is a neutral year. meaning after you complete that year of residency you have to then complete your 4 years of hpsp payback. so yes you would be in the military for a total of 5 years as an active duty officer. afterwards, you would be on reserve/IRR for the remaining term of 3 years to fulfill your contract of 8 years.

when you sign up for the 4 year hpsp, it is an 8 year obligation. it is written on the contract.

Correct...Sorry I wasn't clear. When the previous statement said that the 1 yr AEGD did not incur a service obligation I was just trying to clarify that it would result in a total of 5 years time served for those on a 4 yr HPSP. About 8-10 years ago it used to not have any type of additional time requirement so I was just trying to make that clear that you would owe 5 years if you did it.

I thought the 4 years in the reserves was during school. So after you finish your contract or 4 year payback in the army you are completely done

^ nope, the IRR/reserve component is after

...no its four years active duty plus four years of either active reserve or IRR lol.

i'm curious strikeout...did you sign your contract already?

This was my understanding too. 8 year commitment total - 4 years active duty followed by 4 years in IRR.

Originally Posted by koreano

...no its four years active duty plus four years of either active reserve or IRR lol.

No I definitely have not, I'm going to make sure I know everything. My recruiter has told me a lot of things that seem to be completely wrong.

Originally Posted by Strikeout13GB

No I definitely have not, I'm going to make sure I know everything. My recruiter has told me a lot of things that seem to be completely wrong.

what are the other things that he told you that seem completely wrong?

Yes. You can work for the Army as a dentist (doesn't require any real application other than basic eligibility). However, that would not be the most cost effective way to pay your debt. I do think they have a program that allows you to work for them, and they also give you up to 40,000 a year to pay off loans. But I think that's something you have to apply for. Again, I'm not sure about that though. Try talking to a recruiter, as well as other army dentists (recruiter will tell you what you wanna hear)

Originally Posted by xjh915

I am a tufts dental student. I wasn't lucky enough to get military scholarship. I was wondering if there is a program or any way to help me out of this massive debt if I work for army after I graduate from school. So I would be applying to be General dentist in army but not in any pay-tuition scholarship program. Thank you.

If you are a US citizen you can join the Army after you graduate and sign up for loan repayment for $40k/year for 4 years. If you want to join the Army Reserves they will pay off your loans up to $250k for a 6 year commitment. Of course this is how things are now, don't know if budget cuts will affect things in future years.

If you want to work for the military as a civilian they will typically not hire you unless you have done a 1 yr AEGD/GPR or have several years of experience.

If I was recently accepted into dental school, and want to submit my application now that I have a LOR, is there any chance of getting at least the 3 year scholarship? Or are they pretty much all taken up?

I commissioned as a 2LT in the USAR in 2012 May. I am applying to dental school this June, deploy for 9 months starting in July, and plan to go to dental school when I return in 2014 as a 1LT. My question is am I still eligible for the HSPS? If the answer is yes, would I still be able to drill with my unit while attending dental school?

Originally Posted by RSalha17

If I was recently accepted into dental school, and want to submit my application now that I have a LOR, is there any chance of getting at least the 3 year scholarship? Or are they pretty much all taken up?

If you get your packet in now you will have a chance for the 3 year scholarships. You will still be competing against other individuals, and there will be more applicants than scholarships...but you have a chance. The scholarships are given out in October.

Originally Posted by hannahu13

I commissioned as a 2LT in the USAR in 2012 May. I am applying to dental school this June, deploy for 9 months starting in July, and plan to go to dental school when I return in 2014 as a 1LT. My question is am I still eligible for the HSPS? If the answer is yes, would I still be able to drill with my unit while attending dental school?

Yes you are still eligible. No you won't be able to drill with your unit. The decision to go HPSP will put you in the IRR and take you out of your TPU unit. Part of the reason is that in a regular reserve unit you can be required to deploy or do you AT which may interfere with school. The Army want you to get in and get done with school. You will also be reduced in rank back to a 2Lt with HPSP, but then promoted to CPT upon graduation.

Originally Posted by hannahu13

I commissioned as a 2LT in the USAR in 2012 May. I am applying to dental school this June, deploy for 9 months starting in July, and plan to go to dental school when I return in 2014 as a 1LT. My question is am I still eligible for the HSPS? If the answer is yes, would I still be able to drill with my unit while attending dental school?

You may run into some trouble with both dental school admissions and HPSP application if you're deploying for nine months starting this July. Even if you already submitted your completed application, you'll be gone and out of touch for all of interview season and won't be able to meet with your HPSP recruiter 20 times to sign all of the papers over and over. It may not be the best year to apply.

I am going to be graduating from dental school in May 2014. I was wondering when I go on active duty and when I move? And if I do a residency when does that start?

On another note I am doing ADT in Hawaii (looking at the 2 yr AEGD) and was wondering where I am going to be during that, Tripler, Shafter or Schofield?

Thank you

Originally Posted by bike15

I am going to be graduating from dental school in May 2014. I was wondering when I go on active duty and when I move? And if I do a residency when does that start?

On another note I am doing ADT in Hawaii (looking at the 2 yr AEGD) and was wondering where I am going to be during that, Tripler, Shafter or Schofield?

Thank you

If you haven't done OBLC, then you will go on active duty when that starts. Your stuff will be picked up and moved prior to that. You will not go there, graduate, and then go home for a while...you're in the Army now after that . Get any vacations of family functions done prior to that. Since there are 2 OBLC cycles in the summer, your start date and active duty time will begin based on whichever one you get in. You will not receive active duty pay until you go to OBLC, so from the time you graduate from school until you go to OBLC you will not get any money.

If you do residency you will go to the location where your residency will be following OBLC. You will then likely work as a general dentist for a year until your program starts the following summer.

If you are going somewhere for ADT Ms. Roxanne Flores should help to coordinate that and provide you with a point of contact wherever you are going. Typically in Hawaii you will be at Schofield (AEGD program and most specialties ) and Tripler (OMFS) with the majority of the time at Schofield. There are no dental facilities as Shafter.

Ok I have done OBLC, so is there a start date for dentists to go on active duty after they graduate and done OBLC? Does the 1 year AEGD start in August and other specialties start when? I remember dentists who were going to 1 year AEGD after OBLC.

Thanks for your help

What is the average starting salary for an army dentist for your first year getting out of dental school? And also, for the HPSP, during those four years that you serve are you most likely going to get deployed or just work on a base?
Thanks!

Originally Posted by bike15

Ok I have done OBLC, so is there a start date for dentists to go on active duty after they graduate and done OBLC? Does the 1 year AEGD start in August and other specialties start when? I remember dentists who were going to 1 year AEGD after OBLC.

Thanks for your help

If you have done OBLC then you will have a report by date. This will usually be a few weeks before the AEGD if that is what you are doing, or late summer/early fall if you aren't. Your orders will usually have the option of reporting up to 30-60 days earlier. Remember you don't get paid from the time you graduate dental school until you come on active duty.

Originally Posted by at4444

What is the average starting salary for an army dentist for your first year getting out of dental school? And also, for the HPSP, during those four years that you serve are you most likely going to get deployed or just work on a base?
Thanks!

Search the posts. Covered multiple times.

In terms of deployment, is the environment you practice pretty modern? Or does it vary? Just wondering if there's a potential to be in a little hut in Korengal seeing patients, which I think would actually be kind of cool.

Also, at BOLC, do you learn basic military skills? Drilling, weapons, basic tactics, etc?

On deployment the clinics can vary widely from a fixed building to a portable clinics and from small bases to large ones. Depends on where they send you. When I was deployed I had the equipment and supplies to do any procedure I needed to.

Your BOLC will be an introductory course. They understand that in the medical profession you will not have to be as intimately familiar with all aspects of Soldiering, so you learn the basics and try them out, but they are not drilled into you like your peers outside of the medical arena will experience.

Weapons familiarization and training, gas masks, land navigation, obstacle courses, etc...

Originally Posted by SteinmetzMD

In terms of deployment, is the environment you practice pretty modern? Or does it vary? Just wondering if there's a potential to be in a little hut in Korengal seeing patients, which I think would actually be kind of cool.

Also, at BOLC, do you learn basic military skills? Drilling, weapons, basic tactics, etc?

As mentioned...it does vary widely. In my deployment in 2004...I worked in the Green Zone in Saddam's old dental clinic...in 2007...I worked in 2 different locations..one had up to date equipment..and 2 chairs..the other was literally just a trailer that had a field chair and field equipment...very cool actually!

Your experience will vary...just cherish any chance you get to deploy!