Air Force pharmacist

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rielazegui

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I am about to sign with the air force and my recruiter says that I will get 40k for tuition repayment, 30k signing bonus, 900-2000 a month for housing depending where i live, 300/month food allowance, 3660/month base pay and 15k/year to be a licensed pharmacist. For a 6 year commitment.
The total is 73k-86k/year +40k tuition+ 30K bonus. Is this correct? With these numbers I know it is still a pay cut compared to being a civilian pharmacist but I think it is still acceptable. I just dont want to get different numbers after I get commissioned.

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I am about to sign with the air force and my recruiter says that I will get 40k for tuition repayment, 30k signing bonus, 900-2000 a month for housing depending where i live, 300/month food allowance, 3660/month base pay and 15k/year to be a licensed pharmacist. For a 6 year commitment.
The total is 73k-86k/year +40k tuition+ 30K bonus. Is this correct? With these numbers I know it is still a pay cut compared to being a civilian pharmacist but I think it is still acceptable. I just dont want to get different numbers after I get commissioned.


I just got my selection letter from the Air Force today, so congrats to you as well. The numbers I've seen are 3660 a month as base pay, plus housing and food.

a 6 year commitment gets you 40K/30K (both taxed). Additional loan repayment installments add 2 years a piece to your commitment. And yeah 15 K a year for being a pharmacist essentially. That sounds about right.
 
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I just got my selection letter from the Air Force today, so congrats to you as well. The numbers I've seen are 3660 a month as base pay, plus housing and food.

a 6 year commitment gets you 40K/30K (both taxed). Additional loan repayment installments add 2 years a piece to your commitment. And yeah 15 K a year for being a pharmacist essentially. That sounds about right.

Is that 15K for being a pharmacist going to be every year or only for a few years?
 
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I just got my selection letter from the Air Force today, so congrats to you as well. The numbers I've seen are 3660 a month as base pay, plus housing and food.

a 6 year commitment gets you 40K/30K (both taxed). Additional loan repayment installments add 2 years a piece to your commitment. And yeah 15 K a year for being a pharmacist essentially. That sounds about right.

Did your recruiter tell you before hand or did you find out initially from your selection letter? Was the letter via regular mail or email?
 
Did your recruiter tell you before hand or did you find out initially from your selection letter? Was the letter via regular mail or email?


My recruiter got the letter and called me with the news, and then emailed me a scan of it. It had my selection status and base assignment on the letter
 
My recruiter got the letter and called me with the news, and then emailed me a scan of it. It had my selection status and base assignment on the letter

You still have the option to turn it down if you didn't like your base assignment or something correct? Nothing is permanent until you sign the letter you just received?

Congrats though, should be an exciting experience!
 
You still have the option to turn it down if you didn't like your base assignment or something correct? Nothing is permanent until you sign the letter you just received?

Congrats though, should be an exciting experience!

correct, and thank you

I'm pleased with my assignment even though it wasn't technically on my list.

Now if only I could get into COT before January :rolleyes:
 
correct, and thank you

I'm pleased with my assignment even though it wasn't technically on my list.

Now if only I could get into COT before January :rolleyes:

Thanks so much for the information Jbuprepharm and to everyone!!! I acually contacted my recruiter who recently had been out of the office. He said that I had been offered a position!!!! I am not quite sure of the COT date, but he confirmed that the summer COTS were full :(
 
Thanks so much for the information Jbuprepharm and to everyone!!! I acually contacted my recruiter who recently had been out of the office. He said that I had been offered a position!!!! I am not quite sure of the COT date, but he confirmed that the summer COTS were full :(

awesome, congrats, do you know your assignment location?
 
Thanks so much for the information Jbuprepharm and to everyone!!! I acually contacted my recruiter who recently had been out of the office. He said that I had been offered a position!!!! I am not quite sure of the COT date, but he confirmed that the summer COTS were full :(

If your guys are going to be in COT in Jan, I will see you there.
 
I am thinking about joining the air force as well in january. Can you tell me any negative aspect? Have any of you spoke with actual PharmDs who are currently employed by the the air force?
 
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I am thinking about joining the air force as well in january. Can you tell me any negative aspect? Have any of you spoke with actual PharmDs who are currently employed by the the air force?

I've spoken with a couple on the phone and 1 in person, they all were happy and said they would do it all over again, two of them being close to retirement

I'll delve into this more later, busy with a project at the moment
 
I am thinking about joining the air force as well in january. Can you tell me any negative aspect? Have any of you spoke with actual PharmDs who are currently employed by the the air force?

Some "negative" aspects may be:
-having to move from base to base every couple of years (3-5)
-having not much say in where you may be going
-deploying for however long it is
-pt tests
-you may wind up doing things nowhere related to pharmacy as your rank up (Lt Col and above especially)
etc

These are all part of the military life, and are not really negatives, but is usually seen as such. You're not just going to be a pharmacist, you're going to be an Air Force officer and a pharmacist.

I've spoken to someone who has been in for about 15 years, and he likes it.
 
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Does anyone know what pharmacists do during deployment? Like specific tasks?
 
Does anyone know what pharmacists do during deployment? Like specific tasks?
we do the same exact things we do at a clinic or a medical center in the United States...the only difference is that it may take longer for order aquisition and you're in a war zone. You also carry a weapon with you at all times. (I had to use mine last weekend!)
 
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we do the same exact things we do at a clinic or a medical center in the United States...the only difference is that it may take longer for order aquisition and you're in a war zone. You also carry a weapon with you at all times. (I had to use mine last weekend!)

Wow why did you have to use it? And I thought there wasn't weapons training in AF COT? (I guess there is in the Army?)
 
Interesting, the AF pharmacist I talked to told me there wasn't training (which didn't make sense to me, since it is the military)



Well, my recruiter said there was, and I had to verify that I had never had a firearm related offense so I would be eligible for weapons training, so maybe it's new, but my understanding is that we do get the training. But I don't know for certain
 
The recruiter I spoke with said I would no go over seas? Is that a lie?
 
The recruiter I spoke with said I would no go over seas? Is that a lie?

Yup... any recruiter that claims you will "never" go overseas isn't giving you the whole truth.

AF has many bases overseas - and many of those bases have pharmacists. While you may not be forced overseas, there is a possibility of deployment (maybe) or some other unforeseen issue... Anyone giving you a straight "No" is lying.
 
So what are the odds of being forced to go over seas? Only if there is a war?
 
So what are the odds of being forced to go over seas? Only if there is a war?

Outside of the branch managers (or the AF equivalent), I'm not sure anyone can know the odds. A war is only one reason a pharmacist would go overseas...

If going overseas is a major issue for you - Perhaps you should focus your attention on the Public Health Services... they are uniformed, have the same pay scale, but do not deploy overseas.
 
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Who would I contact about the public health service?
 
My recruiter said i would have to go to iraq every 4 yrs or so
your recruiter is an idiot...your chances of deploying are a little higher in the AF than the other service branches but its a 6 month deal.

Now think about this logically...after 2011, we will most likely no longer have a presence in Iraq. So that leaves Afghanistan, Qutar, UAE, and Kyrigistan (SP?) for AF deployment assignments.There is only 1 AF hospital in Afghanistan...you do the math.
 
Are their positions available if you actually want to be stationed overseas? I spent my childhood on Air Force bases in Japan and Germany. I loved it so much, I really want to go back.
 
Are their positions available if you actually want to be stationed overseas? I spent my childhood on Air Force bases in Japan and Germany. I loved it so much, I really want to go back.
In the Army, we have positions in Germany, Italy, South Korea, and Japan.
 
@ Jbuprepharm
and
@ rielazegui

They are giving you 40 k, for 6 years, and then if you wanted another 40 k it would be an additional 2 years?

It seems like I heard the commitment was shorter in the past.
 
Are their positions available if you actually want to be stationed overseas? I spent my childhood on Air Force bases in Japan and Germany. I loved it so much, I really want to go back.

From my understanding, the first 3 years you are stationed in the US in the AF.
 
@ Jbuprepharm
and
@ rielazegui

They are giving you 40 k, for 6 years, and then if you wanted another 40 k it would be an additional 2 years?

It seems like I heard the commitment was shorter in the past.

40K for 3 years, then additional 2 years for each additional 40k

6 years is the 40k (loans) + 30k (sign-on), then the additional 2 per 40k
 
correct, and all lower 48 according to the list I saw

although the one fella is talking about going to AK first, so I dunno for sure

I had a couple of my classmates do a rotation in the elmendorf afb and they loved it. I think that it would be a cool place to get stationed. Well if you like the outdoors.
 
@ Jbuprepharm
and
@ rielazegui

They are giving you 40 k, for 6 years, and then if you wanted another 40 k it would be an additional 2 years?

It seems like I heard the commitment was shorter in the past.

These programs are definitely evolving with the times. When I began looking at loan repayment (3 yrs ago), neither the AF nor the Navy offered any (Loan repayment). Today, all three offer it, but they vary.

AF - See above.
Navy - 120k for 3yrs LRP
Army - 120k for 3yrs LRP

All of the programs are subject to availability (I believe one of the programs is already out of money).

There are other programs out there that my be combined with loan repayment. These include accession bonuses (30k for signing up), residency, and additional years of loan repayment.

EDIT: Corrected for number of ADSO years...
 
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Anyone in the Air Force care to share their experience? Or does anyone know someone who is in the Air Force as a pharmacist? I have completed my application and now I just have to wait and see if they select me. I just want to know what I'm getting myself into if I accept it.
 
Anyone in the Air Force care to share their experience? Or does anyone know someone who is in the Air Force as a pharmacist? I have completed my application and now I just have to wait and see if they select me. I just want to know what I'm getting myself into if I accept it.

Ditto...I went through MEPS yesterday, and I have to say it was a huge turn-off to the military. It literally took from 6am-2pm to get a physical that would have taken about 2 hours at any private practice office.

The actual pharmacy part of the job looks great, but it seems like you have to put up with alot of B.S. and bureaucracy as well. Any perspectives would be useful....
 
Ditto...I went through MEPS yesterday, and I have to say it was a huge turn-off to the military. It literally took from 6am-2pm to get a physical that would have taken about 2 hours at any private practice office.

If you disliked MEPS that much you would probably not like being in the military. All of my friends that have/are served/serving have told me about how life in the military follows the unofficial mantra of "Hurry up and wait".

My experience with MEPS was much shorter fortunately.

@aboveliquidice... The numbers you posted for the Navy are from last year. Current figures are 80K loan repayment for 4 years, with a 30K signing bonus.
 
Ditto...I went through MEPS yesterday, and I have to say it was a huge turn-off to the military. It literally took from 6am-2pm to get a physical that would have taken about 2 hours at any private practice office.

The actual pharmacy part of the job looks great, but it seems like you have to put up with alot of B.S. and bureaucracy as well. Any perspectives would be useful....

Military is the bureaucracy of all bureaucracies... It is something you knowingly accept before beginning. If taking orders (which includes wasting 8 hrs for a 2 hr procedure) is something you cannot stand, perhaps the military isn't right for you.

For perspective - MEPS blows, but like you said, MEPS processing won't be your job. It will eat 1 or 2 days of your multi-year career.
 
I did the HPSP with the AF. I am going to COT in a few weeks. Then will be stationed at Wright Pat. Usually to get answers and to talk to pharmacists who have been working with the AF for a while, talk to your recruiter. They will put you in contact with the right individuals.

Typically the AF accepts around 5 applicants, at least when I was accepted in 2008. So everyone interested should apply. A lot of applicants will get turned down because of medical issues. They are pretty strict about that.

And after you are accepted into the AF HPSP, you are assigned a mentor who helps you through the process. And that mentor, for me at least, was another HPSP student who was currently active duty.

So far things have gone smoothly. We will see how COT goes.

Hope this helps for anyone interested in the AF HPSP for Pharmacy

Great info...
 
as it turns out I won't be going to COT until March 2011

apparently I put a bun in my wife's oven, and it's due smack dab in the middle of the January COT class. Sucks to push it back, but I'm not missing the birth of my first kid for COT
 
as it turns out I won't be going to COT until March 2011

apparently I put a bun in my wife's oven, and it's due smack dab in the middle of the January COT class. Sucks to push it back, but I'm not missing the birth of my first kid for COT
Don't get used to them bending over backwards for you! This is the last time they will! My wife is pregnant too and Im deployed! yay!?
 
Don't get used to them bending over backwards for you! This is the last time they will! My wife is pregnant too and Im deployed! yay!?

I figure as much, but I haven't signed anything yet (other than my assignment) so I'm not technically "in" yet. I figure I still have "me" as a bargaining chip for the time being.


speaking of, I have a question, since it'll be next fiscal year before I start, should I wait until October to swear in? So that if the finances change I'm not stuck. You know, if they decide, no money for pharmacy this year, I can get out and not get screwed? I want to serve, but I can't afford it without financial assistance of some sort. Or, if they increase the money, I could try to get in on that instead of what the current offer is.

I'll obviously ask my recruiter, but after all, he's a recruiter, I don't know how straight of an answer I can get
 
I figure as much, but I haven't signed anything yet (other than my assignment) so I'm not technically "in" yet. I figure I still have "me" as a bargaining chip for the time being.


speaking of, I have a question, since it'll be next fiscal year before I start, should I wait until October to swear in? So that if the finances change I'm not stuck. You know, if they decide, no money for pharmacy this year, I can get out and not get screwed? I want to serve, but I can't afford it without financial assistance of some sort. Or, if they increase the money, I could try to get in on that instead of what the current offer is.

I'll obviously ask my recruiter, but after all, he's a recruiter, I don't know how straight of an answer I can get

What is in your contract is in your contract... The monies that run out are bound to the contracts they already have in place (meaning they allocate the funds).

If the specific programs are not listed in your contract, then they don't exist.

Of course, nothing is concrete until we swear in. You do however, have a signed contract which means they have agreed to pay said obligations (assuming you fulfil your obligations as well).

EDIT - sorry about the grammar
 
I figure as much, but I haven't signed anything yet (other than my assignment) so I'm not technically "in" yet. I figure I still have "me" as a bargaining chip for the time being.


speaking of, I have a question, since it'll be next fiscal year before I start, should I wait until October to swear in? So that if the finances change I'm not stuck. You know, if they decide, no money for pharmacy this year, I can get out and not get screwed? I want to serve, but I can't afford it without financial assistance of some sort. Or, if they increase the money, I could try to get in on that instead of what the current offer is.

I'll obviously ask my recruiter, but after all, he's a recruiter, I don't know how straight of an answer I can get
Yeah, as ALI said, your contract is your contract. They are not going to take it away from you unless you flatly decline to show up for COT. You notified the AF already and had your class changed. Starting at different times of the year is not going to have any financial benefit for you. The sooner you start, the sooner your date of rank, the sooner you can get promoted and the sooner you retire if you make it a career.

Some food for thought as well: do you and your spouse currently have insurance? One reason to start COT on the original date is to have TRICARE pay for the pregnancy. She can choose to have the babies where ever she wants. Not sure how COT works, but during Army OBC, I had weekends off and was able to fly back home to see and take care of my wife. I know it's not ideal for you but just another option. Another thing to think about too, by moving the date to january, you will not be seeing your baby for a while where as if you go to COT as scheduled, you may or may not miss the birth but you will get to be with your wife and baby for the time following COT. Hopefully you will be moved to San Antonio at that point but I know how that goes too! Good luck!
 
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