All Branch Topic (ABT) Joining in med school then military residency?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

IsleyOfTheNorth

Polishing those soft skills...
Lifetime Donor
7+ Year Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2016
Messages
501
Reaction score
936
Is it possible to join the military in med school then enter a military residency without using HPSP? (Presumably passing through Commissioned Officer Training between the two.)

Members don't see this ad.
 
Alternative question: Is it possible to join before/during residency then go active duty once residency ends?

If so, is there any benefit to doing that?
 
Members don't see this ad :)
There is an hscp program. I don’t know much about it.

There is the FAP program for residents.

If you join reserves in medical school or NG you can apply to military residency. But good luck getting a spot.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
FAP (Financial Assistance Program) seems like what I'm looking for but there are no details available anywhere that I can find. I left a message for a recruiter, but so far, nada.

Related question: Does anyone know what specialties are most in demand generally/historically for the Air Force?
 

Financial Assistance Program (FAP)
Open to physicians at any point during their residency training, such as, Post Graduate Year (PGY) II and above. Must be PGY1 complete and successfully passed all three steps of the USMLE/COMLEX exams on the first attempt. Certain individuals may be eligible to apply in PGY I based on Office of the Surgeon General (OTSG) guidance. Eligibility is determined on a case-by-case basis by OTSG/GME. Provides an annual grant of up to $45,000 plus a monthly stipend of over $2,300.00. Active Duty Obligation is 2 years for the first year of FAP participation plus one-half year for each additional one-half year (or portions thereof) of participation with a minimum period of 2 years on Active Duty. Individuals must be US citizens.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Yes the Air Force has FAP. I would start looking at the regulation that governs this program for the DoD. The info for FAP starts on page 24. Let me know if the link doesn't work and I can send the PDF to you directly. Also, if it's confusing I can try to help you break it down. Looks like 14 days of active duty time (served at the nearest military installation) are required a year for FAP, but I only skimmed the regulation so I might have missed something.

For anyone who stumbles on this thread in the future, I found this post which has the FAP specifics from 2020 in the linked PDF.
 
For anyone else who's interested, current specialties in-demand in the Air Force (according to the recruiter 2022) in order:
  1. Family Medicine
  2. Internal Medicine
  3. Emergency Medicine
  4. Pediatrics
  5. Anesthesiologist
  6. General Surgery
 
Top