Joining ARNG after Step 1?

[theo177]

Hi all,

I am an incoming MSI considering joining ARNG. From what I have read on SDN, it seems ASR was a great program but has since been discontinued, and it appears a lot of people are against the other programs/taking any $ from the Army. Any thoughts on joining during med school? How would it work?

Since NG has drill obligations during med school, I am considering joining after preclinical years/Step 1 so I can focus on academics first. Consider financial incentives during med school irrelevant, I am interested in serving (former ROTC first 2 years college but did not commission).

1. Even though ARNG appears to be more flexible (civilian vs army residency match), does joining NG hurt competitive residency options (e.g. ortho or neurosurgery)? Do PD's look down on it b/c of the additional time obligations?
2. Overall, how's ARNG life during med school? Apart from drill and 1 summer BOLC, what are the commitments?

Thanks!

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[notdeadyet]

A couple of thoughts:

Since NG has drill obligations during med school, I am considering joining after preclinical years/Step 1 so I can focus on academics first.

You are going to discover that your first two years of medical school counts relatively little and third year counts a whole lot. Many medical schools don't have grades during the first two years, reflecting this. Most residencies do not care how you perform in your first two years. From a residency's perspective, the first two years of medical school pretty much exist to help you do well on the Step 1, which counts for a lot.

Also, you will have more free time in your first two years of medical school than your MS-3 year.

Consider financial incentives during med school irrelevant, I am interested in serving (former ROTC first 2 years college but did not commission).

Good. If financial incentives are irrelevant, definitely do not take any obligation-incurring incentive like MDSSP or STRAP before serving for a while. ROTC does not give good impression for what serving in the Guard is like.

1. Even though ARNG appears to be more flexible (civilian vs army residency match), does joining NG hurt competitive residency options (e.g. ortho or neurosurgery)? Do PD's look down on it b/c of the additional time obligations?

When you apply to residency, you need to check two boxes about the military, one of which is about having a commitment, to which you must check "yes." You have a box to then explain, in which you can explain the Flexi-Training program and that you only need to drill as infrequently as every other month (potentially, depending on command) and doing AT (the two weeks in the summer) every other year (potentially, depending on command). When you interview, you can then explain that the state tries to be flexible and accommodating, when it can. After you start residency, your program can learn the pain of what happens when the Army can't be flexible and your program needs to accommodate you by federal law.

In terms of how programs feel about Guard duties, it's going to be dependent on the individual PD. It's a bigger impact the more packed the schedule, so working in neurosurgery residency will be a nightmare to have a Guard doc in. That said, there are also Army docs overrepresented in the surgical and internal subspecialties, so you might get some added love. It's hit and miss.

2. Overall, how's ARNG life during med school? Apart from drill and 1 summer BOLC, what are the commitments?

I would do an advanced search for ARNG or Guard and you'll get lots of threads with good descriptions. It varies a lot by state and by individual command. Some places you do not drill at all. Some places you show up at drill but just study. Some places you are assigned busy work but expected to be there. Some places they try to integrate you into doing 2LT-appropriate duties on a regular basis and each weekend is time away from medical school. It is a highly variable experience. Prepare for the latter experience and be pleasantly surprised if you encounter one of the former examples.

 

[theo177]

Thank you for the prompt response. If MSIII is harder than preclinical years, when's the best time to join during med school? Would you recommend holding out until after residency?

 

[deleted480308]

Thank you for the prompt response. If MSIII is harder than preclinical years, when's the best time to join during med school? Would you recommend holding out until after residency?

if you don't need the money at all, I wouldn't recommend joining during medical school

wait until you are in residency or after residency to see if you still want to be in