Accompanied percentage

[James Sonne]

I'm pre-med, application sent out, considering USUHS and am going to be married before matriculation. My major concern at the moment is post-USUHS in regards to residency and serving. I do not plan on going career military. My preference is Air Force.

What I want to know is, from people that have been there, how many months out of how many months you have served, have you been stationed in a CONUS that is unaccompanied, or have deployed. And also whether or not you have a family, as well as the branch of service.

I want to know how many months over the 7 years of service that I would be away from my family, and if the military gives preference to officers with family; but want to know from people who have been there and been deployed. I have read a lot on what the military claims and what other people tell me. I want quantifiable statistics if you would be so kind. [i.e. 12/84 months unaccompanied or deployed, with family, in Navy.] That's what I want

Thank you a great deal for your replies. This is very important to me.

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[Pemberley]

What I want to know is, from people that have been there, how many months out of how many months you have served, have you been stationed in a CONUS that is unaccompanied, or have deployed. And also whether or not you have a family, as well as the branch of service.

I'll start out with vocabulary. There is only one CONUS. It is never unaccompanied, and neither are people who are stationed there.

There are three types of assignments in the Air Force (officer rules only -- enlisted are totally different)
1. CONUS. 3 years, accompanied.
2. Long tour (overseas, usually Japan or Europe). 2 years for single, 3 years for married, accompanied.
3. Short tour (overseas, usually Korea, a few Turkey/middle east). 1 year, most often unaccompanied.

Deployments happen when you leave your family at your home station and go somewhere else. They are generally 4-6 months long, most frequently to Qatar or Iraq or Turkey, and are unaccompanied.

I was not a medical officer, so I can't tell you the probabilities. The truth is that the probabilities change so fast, that anything we tell you may be out of date by the time you graduate. I was in for 7 years and deployed once, for four months to Baghdad. It was actually the best experience of my career (might not have been if the mortar fire had been more accurate.) Technically I "deployed" again 1.5 years later, to Florida for four months. You can decide whether you want to count that or not.

Best advice I can give you: if you enter the military you will deploy. Decide now whether you and your wife can be happy with that certainty. Then either don't enter the military, or enter and don't get all pissed off when they deploy you.

-Pemberley

 

[NavyFP]

Unfortunately your question is a bit loaded. There are a multitude of factors that will have impact on your deployment/unaccompanied time.

1) You state you are not planning on a career. OK. Are you planning on doing a residency or spending the whole time as a GMO/FS? What residency are you considering? Some residencies are more likely to deploy than others. If you choose surgery/anesthesia/emergency med expect to be deployed 6 out of 18 months. By the time you finish training, there will most likely be a unified medical command and docs, regardless of uniform will be deploying with other services. If you pick pathology, not a lot of call for those in deployed positions. (forensic pathologists are an exception). The others are in between. I think it would be safe to predict a minimum of 2- 6 month deployments during your time in service. I have done 2 since 2003.

2) There is no diferrence (nor should there be) between single and married docs. After a while the single docs would start to feel put upon.

I will say I enjoyed my deployments (most days), but it can be wearing on the family. You will need to make sure your wife has a good support network, although most units have an ombudsman, it varies as to how active they are.

 

[mitchconnie]

James,

I'm in the Air Force and have been out of training for almost three years. I have deployed twice for a total of 8 months. I would plan on the same for any of the most deployable specialties (surgery, ortho, anesthesia, ER,etc). Maybe less if the war slows, maybe more if current manning trends continue.

I find deployment in the desert to be moderately unpleasant, but my family bitterly despises it. Think twice about putting your wife and kids through it.

You also mentioned that you are not considering the military as a career, but are still planning on going to USUHS. I'm not sure I understand. USUHS incurs a 7 year payback period, and USUHS graduates are also obligated to do a military residency, so you end up with a MINIMUM of ten years service time. Add to that possible time as a GMO, and additional years tacked on for a longer residency or fellowship, and you could easily end up committed for 14 or 15 years--very close to a career.

Most USUHS grads I have met who are planning to exit the military feel that USUHS was a big mistake because of the huge committment. Those with prior service, or those planning on staying for a career obviously think USUHS is a good deal because all that payback time counts toward retirement.

 

[Galo]

James,

I'm in the Air Force and have been out of training for almost three years. I have deployed twice for a total of 8 months. I would plan on the same for any of the most deployable specialties (surgery, ortho, anesthesia, ER,etc). Maybe less if the war slows, maybe more if current manning trends continue.

I find deployment in the desert to be moderately unpleasant, but my family bitterly despises it. Think twice about putting your wife and kids through it.

You also mentioned that you are not considering the military as a career, but are still planning on going to USUHS. I'm not sure I understand. USUHS incurs a 7 year payback period, and USUHS graduates are also obligated to do a military residency, so you end up with a MINIMUM of ten years service time. Add to that possible time as a GMO, and additional years tacked on for a longer residency or fellowship, and you could easily end up committed for 14 or 15 years--very close to a career.

Most USUHS grads I have met who are planning to exit the military feel that USUHS was a big mistake because of the huge committment. Those with prior service, or those planning on staying for a career obviously think USUHS is a good deal because all that payback time counts toward retirement.

My buddy, will be getting out this summer after 4 years. He was deployed twice for a total cumulative time of 10 months, in which time he did less than 10 surgical cases. He was tagged back to back. Others in my squad were deployed once, some got skipped over. Married or not matters nothing. If its your turn to go, or you have a slimy piece of **** boss COL who can manipulate the system, you will go more often than not. Also depends of what base you are at. There does not seem to be much rhyme or reason. Some of the bigger hospitals seem to be able to spread the deployments farther than smaller hospitals with less staff.

The point was very well made by mitchconnie. You are committing yourself for potentially over a decade of being told what to do, when to do it, and often by people who are not even in your job field, and are so incompetent that they become leaders. Its a bad situation, quickly getting worse. You've been told plenty be people on this forum what to expect, alot of it has been negative. You have information we did not!!. Use it wisely.

Good luck

 

[James Sonne]

Thanks for your feedback. I am considering Family Medicine but have other interests also and nothing is written in stone.

 

[island doc]

Thanks for your feedback. I am considering Family Medicine but have other interests also and nothing is written in stone.

Family Medicine in the Air Force! Have you lost your mind???

 

[Croooz]

Thanks for your feedback. I am considering Family Medicine but have other interests also and nothing is written in stone.

James,
Do the PHS. You have all the financial benefits of active duty military yet none of the deployment. Job locations and such are iffy but it's basically HPSP.

You are not going to find the data you are looking for. Changes from year to year and month to month. It's the nature of the beast. That is why some people can get out and love their experience while another would set fire to the whole establishment. It's not in your control on how great/bad you get treated. Sure your attitude matters so why make a bad decision worse by complaining all the time. Problem is keeping a stiff upper lip and just being macho about it doesn't change the fact that it's a crap shoot who likes it and who doesn't.

These contracts prey on the naivete, ignorance, and patriotism of premeds. No one would ever consider signing a 10-15 year contract with a business but don't hesitate for 1 second when it comes to HPSP or USUHS.

I'm glad you're asking questions but the answers aren't going to change. Some like it. Many don't. In the end you have to think about you and your family. If money is not an issue then seperation and work environments will be. Since work environments seem to be more of an attitude adjustment according to you then it boils down to family life. If you're worried about seperations then you have your answer because you will deploy and one thing you will hear if you put on the uniform is "if the military had wanted you to have a spouse, they'd have issued you one".

 

[James Sonne]

Thanks again, I appreciate the help. PHS = Public Health Service? I had not heard of that option before.

 

[Croooz]

Thanks again, I appreciate the help. PHS = Public Health Service? I had not heard of that option before.

Now again...gotta take the good with the bad. PHS or actually the NHSC has issues as well. You are basically agreeing that you will be go into primary care. So no matter what happens during school to change your mind into a specialty you are contractually bound to go into primary care. What's worse is that you can not go into a fellowship until you've paid back your 4 years. You also can not go into any dual residencies.

So there are pros & cons to everything. With this though you can elect after you finish school to go into the PHS and essentially you are a commissioned officer. Not "real" military but whatever.

Some things to consider:
-working in prisons
-working with severely underserved and just dirt poor folk
-working in 3rd world conditions within the US of A.
-many patients view you as the bottom of the barrel because why else would a successful doctor go this route

Nothing's an easy decision. The vets I know went into the PHS because they can payback their time and get their retirement. Rank is easier in the PHS. You are only required to wear your uniform on Wednesdays. However these gentlemen are older (40's) than I believe you are and felt IM was the way to go for them. I can't see it myself but that's just me.

Check this out to get the basics:
http://nhsc.bhpr.hrsa.gov/join_us/students.asp

 

[RichL025]

Now again...gotta take the good with the bad. PHS or actually the NHSC has issues as well. You are basically agreeing that you will be go into primary care.

But that agreement is apparently non-binding.

Of the 3 PHS graduates of the USUHS class of 2006, one went into general surgery, another into ortho. I don't know what the third went into.

 

[rotatores]

The other one went into FP.

rotatores

 

[Croooz]

But that agreement is apparently non-binding.

Of the 3 PHS graduates of the USUHS class of 2006, one went into general surgery, another into ortho. I don't know what the third went into.

To clarify. PHS thru USUHS is open to any specialty. NHSC into PHS is binding to primary care. PHS from NHSC isn't "encouraged" since you aren't really going into underserved areas. However you can elect after your primary care residency to join the PHS for your payback. So NHSC is basically HPSP but with a mandatory primary care residency & the option of joining the PHS..... clear as mud.

 

[MicroBugs]

To clarify. PHS thru USUHS is open to any specialty. NHSC into PHS is binding to primary care. PHS from NHSC isn't "encouraged" since you aren't really going into underserved areas. However you can elect after your primary care residency to join the PHS for your payback. So NHSC is basically HPSP but with a mandatory primary care residency & the option of joining the PHS..... clear as mud.

I didn't realize PHS was an option through USUHS. Do you apply normally through USUHS and desginate PHS or do you have to apply to PHS separately?

 

[Croooz]

I didn't realize PHS was an option through USUHS. Do you apply normally through USUHS and desginate PHS or do you have to apply to PHS separately?

Not sure how it works. When I went over to USUHS I was told their PHS slots were reserved for IHS applicants. I then contacted the IHS and their requirement is for the applicant to be Native American. So I'm no help with how to get into PHS via USUHS.

If anyone can acknowledge that the PHS route thru USU is thru the IHS that would be great.

ACRONYMS OR DIFFERENT LANGUAGE.........I know of a MSIV who was at the BOQ because no BAH but got COMRATS thanks to PSD's SOQ who knew the MSIV was SOL thanks to the LES not acknowledging his W2 status or HOR correctly. Makes you wonder what the HELL anyone is talking about in the military sometimes.

 

[rotatores]

If anyone can acknowledge that the PHS route thru USU is thru the IHS that would be great.

I'm not sure what IHS stands for....but...being Native American is not a requirement to be PHS at USUHS.

rotatores

 

[jsnuka]

I'm not sure what IHS stands for....but...being Native American is not a requirement to be PHS at USUHS.

rotatores

IHS=Indian Health Service

 

[deegs]

I didn't realize PHS was an option through USUHS. Do you apply normally through USUHS and desginate PHS or do you have to apply to PHS separately?

apply to USUHS, and then on interview day you say what service you are interested in (i.e. PHS #1, wouldn't accept appointment in the other 3) there's only 2 PHS slots. the payback "tour" is supposed to be through IHS, and is supposed to be in primary care, although I gather there is a bit of wiggle room on these..... this information used to be on the website, but with the "new" website, it is no longer there. maybe this means something?