At Dayton, Ohio they have an Air Force base with psychiatrists.
Yes, most Air Force bases have psychiatrists on staff with Wright-Patterson AFB (in Dayton, OH) and JBSA/Lackland (in San Antonio, TX) having the additional benefit of a dual civilian/military psychiatry residency attached to them.
Can one go through Air Force training and become a community psychiatrist?
Sure can. As previously mentioned, there is quite a bit of community psych in the military population.
I feel there is a huge stigma against mental health services in the military and this is depressing to me.
Yeah, well that's par for the course for mental health in general and I wouldn't characterize the stigma as any worse in the military population. Sure, for the aircrew, presenting with certain psychiatric illnesses can definitely end their flying career (a valid concern for anyone who has invested so much of themselves into a job). But then again, that's where it's important for military mental health professionals to educate and encourage members to speak up about their problems, so they can be addressed before it gets to the career ending point (in which by and large a majority of cases never make it to that point with successful treatment).
But I am considering joining the military in order to get my life back on track. (hate to sound selfish).
Don't mean to be a debbie-downer here, but this is seriously a HORRIBLE reason for wanting to join the armed forces. Like I counsel the younger/unmarried generation about making sure you are a "complete" person yourself before deciding to tie-the-knot, you should also have a clear head on your shoulders and be thinking about what you have to offer to the Air Force (heck, the 2nd core value is "Service Before Self"). You can't expect the military to fix/organize/or otherwise set your life on the right path. Furthermore, as an officer, you will be expected to lead and take on way more responsibility than an ordinary "civilian" physician would otherwise have to bear. If you come into this world with a selfish "not willing to serve your fellow servicemembers" attitude, then you will be sorely disappointed and looking for the first way out from the day you start Commissioned Officer Training. Now, please don't misinterpret my point as I know there are plenty of 17-18 year olds (or older) out there without clear direction or sense of purpose in life who join the military and have successful careers, but they are in a different boat because 1. it's kind of generally accepted that the younger you are, the more misguided/undisciplined you tend to be and 2. as an enlisted member (non-officer), you are not placed in a leadership role until you have proven yourself capable (being a capable leader is "assumed" for anyone with the discipline and intelligence to complete medical school/become a doctor). So in essence, if you are not prepared to be a leader and serve those who serve our country, then being a military physician may not be the right path for you. To put things in perspective, I'm deployed right now as I'm typing this, living in a tent, taking my daily malarone to combat the frequent mosquito bites, and have been on call literally 24 hours/day for the past few months for any medical emergencies as I'm the only medical asset available for my deployed unit. Sure it sucks compared to being back in my nice mosquito-free/air-conditioned home, being able to sleep next to my beautiful wife, and not having to worry about bad guys trying to give me more work. But, I knew this was a possible reality from the moment I rose my right hand to take the oath of office, so I take it all in stride and consider myself blessed to be able to serve my country in such a way that less that 1% of the U.S. population will be able to experience (as a disclaimer, I am a flight surgeon currently and although psychiatrists get deployed, your responsibilities would be vastly different) . If you have that same level of committment to duty, then by all means, please sign up to share the workload with me, lol!
What is the pathway for an Air Force physician?
Have you started medical school yet? If not, you have a couple of options:
1. Apply to USUHS (Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences) and complete a military oriented medical education
2. Apply to any medical school and apply for an Air Force HPSP (Health Professions Scholarship Program) scholarship
3. Complete medical school then apply for the FAP (Financial Assistance Program) during residency
Each option has it's own pros/cons which you can evaluate in full detail over in the military medicine forums. No matter which path you choose, be aware of the fact that you will be held to the same military professional standards as any other non-medical member in regards to physical fitness, grooming standards, and the following of military customs and courtesies. Again the military forums have a great deal of things you should consider prior to signing on the dotted line.
I also would like to treat addicts, I'm guessing this is not common in the military.
Yep, addicts we unfortunately have them! Remember too that you will be responsible for seeing dependents (spouses/children) who may present with their own interesting mix of psychopathology (including problems with addiction). So again, outpatient community psych is a big part of military psychiatry.
I'm headed off to psych residency myself this summer, so feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions/concerns!
