Military Branch Differences HPSP

[shewillrun]

Hello everyone,

Most of the posts I find that remotely address my question are a bit dated. I will be accepting the HPSP for medical school in 2016. I will be attending a DO school in California. I have seen more people against the GMO/Flight Surgeon route than those who say it's a wonderful experience. I am one of the few and rare who is purposely deciding to go that route. I want to pursue the path of a flight surgeon and then complete a civilian residency after my ADT is complete for the scholarship. I have a few reasons.

So with that background information in mind...I can't find a thread that describes the process of becoming a flight surgeon for each branch. Comparisons and contrasts would be awesome to hear. I wish I could find a flight surgeon locally I could talk to but I've not had a lot of luck. I have some family history in the military but no one who was in the medical field. I'm leaning towards Air Force or Navy. I'm hearing things about both but would really like to get an overview of the two and what the differences are if I were to pursue one branch or the other. I will need to decide on a branch in the next year.

I appreciate any feedback you have to offer and thank you to those who are or have served!

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[backrow]

Air force: very abreviated flight school. Minimal actual flying experience, especially at the controls. (I have seen plenty of chances to get flight time once at a squadron though)

Navy: 6mos course, attend the same ground school as pilots, do a very abbreviated flight portion, but considerably more than Air Force, flight time in squadron depends on type of aircraft. Plenty of opportunity to fly in reality though.

 

[sonofva]

I've said this in another thread but it bears repeating: Pay will be the same. In the air force you're more likely to have doors and sides on the stalls in the bathroom on deployment. However you'll also have to deal with people poking fun that you're in the "chair-force" so that's the big difference, really. People watch you while you go vs. belittling you for your Cush lifestyle

 

[Gastrapathy]

I like coastal cosmopolitan cities. That led me to choose the navy. My deployed exposure to the army made me glad I did. Their culture is much more rigid. That said, your experience is local and they did get a **** ton of training days.

 

[deuist]

People watch you while you go vs. belittling you for your Cush lifestyle

Nothing makes me hang my head in shame more than watching an Air Force PT test.

 

[jabreal00]

Nothing makes me hang my head in shame more than watching an Air Force PT test.

I am Army medical corp and my wife is Air force medical corp. I am envious rather than hang my head in shame how much more she's treated as an officer.

 

[NotAnOperator]

I'm not a physician but I am in the Air Force and have deployed with all 4 branches and have worked in Air Force, Navy and Army MTFs so take this for what it's worth.

You'll have great opportunities, make good friends, have some good and some bad leadership, and find dirt bags in each branch. It really is what you make of it. Being a physician, you really don't have to worry about most of the stereotypes.

That being said, Air Force will most likely provide the best lifestyle, Navy the best facilities and job training, and Army the most team time (field medicine). Of course there are always exceptions like the USAF physicians on JET deployments, Army who have never deployed, and Navy in the tiny closet clinics.
As for being a flight surgeon, I'd personally go with Navy if you wanted the military experience and Air Force is you wanted the clinical experience. I would not consider Army if going for flight surgeon.

 

[pgg]

Nothing makes me hang my head in shame more than watching an Air Force PT test.

Ah, you should feast your eyes upon the spectacle of absurd mediocrity that is the bike version of the Navy test.

What a scam. 12 minutes of pedaling ... last round I hit my minimum calorie count about 7 or 8 minutes in, turned the resistance all the way down, and channel surfed the TV in front of me until the end.

 

[pgg]

OP, if your plan and desire is to be a flight surgeon and get out, the correct answer is 1000% Navy.

But. I do wonder. If you don't know the difference between Army, Navy, and AF flight surgeons, how are you so sure you want to spend 4 years as a flight surgeon?

Is it possible that you're imagining some idealized version of what the life of a "flight surgeon" is and contemplating joining the military based on that imagined world? Because that would be quite the gamble.

 

[asdf123g]

bump

 

[backrow]

bump

That's what your head will have on it if you do this again

 

[DeadCactus]

My perspective with little first hand experience: If my specific goal was to be a flight surgeon and doing aviation medicine, I would go Navy. They have the most robust initial training, the full spectrum of air frames, and a good balance between operational medicine and flight clinic medicine. Wide variety of environments (carriers, Marines, medical centers, deployed) and bases in good locations.

Army is a good option if you're strongly interested in helicopter aeromedical evacuation as they still have primary responsibility for that role but who knows if that will change.

 

[asdf123g]

What if you are interested in JUST being a doctor? What's the difference between the branches. I for example am (currently) not that interesting in helicopter aeromedical evac or aviation medicine...

 

[Red Lobster Actual]

What if you are interested in JUST being a doctor?

Don't join the military.

Ok...the real question you should be asking yourself is how do you like the pain?

If you like the pain of having your graduate medical education disrupted, join the the Navy. They will be more than happy to dish you that pain (in the form of GMOs) after your intern year. If you like that pain later, feel free to join the Air Force and Army. They will train you straight through (maybe) and then they will make you become a GMO after your residency.

If you like the pain of watching all your med school friends become kind of a big deal, refurbish their homes to smell like rich mahogany, and buy that new Mercedes with many leather bound seats while you are still driving your kids around in a beat up Toyota Sienna...heck...there's no difference between branches there. Feel free to join up with any of them!

If you like the pain of staring at corn all day, there's the Air Force. If you like the pain at staring at trailers, there's the Army. If you like the pain of staring at beaches and the ocean, well there's the Navy. "But Red Lobster, what's the problem with living next to the ocean?" you say. I say, it becomes painful when you're in Diego Garcia or Guantanamo Bay. And, because it would be funny to everyone but you, they'll send you to 29 Palms. Which is a desert.

 

[asdf123g]

Don't join the military.

lol i see what you're saying. I should probably of phrased my question more carefully. Im most interested in the general differences between the branches once you graduate.

 

[Red Lobster Actual]

Ah, in all seriousness. Generally, the biggest difference between the branches is the timing of when you will be sent on a GMO tour and GME education. I'm pretty sure the veterans can comment on differences in culture and more specific details.

 

[deuist]

I'm pretty sure the veterans can comment on differences in culture and more specific details.

Nah, they're all terrible.

 

[Kingfisher]

The general differences between services are policies and paperwork. Medicine is about the same.

 

[BigNavyPedsGuy]

The reality is most branches are similar. I would argue the variation between branches is no bigger than the variation of where you end up doing your payback time. I applied to all 3 branches for HPSP and got accepted to all three. I ended up choosing the Navy - the decision came down to things like base locations and which uniforms I liked better. That being said, I never wished I had been in a different branch.

 

[Xenoblade]

Hello everyone,

Most of the posts I find that remotely address my question are a bit dated. I will be accepting the HPSP for medical school in 2016. I will be attending a DO school in California. I have seen more people against the GMO/Flight Surgeon route than those who say it's a wonderful experience. I am one of the few and rare who is purposely deciding to go that route. I want to pursue the path of a flight surgeon and then complete a civilian residency after my ADT is complete for the scholarship. I have a few reasons.

So with that background information in mind...I can't find a thread that describes the process of becoming a flight surgeon for each branch. Comparisons and contrasts would be awesome to hear. I wish I could find a flight surgeon locally I could talk to but I've not had a lot of luck. I have some family history in the military but no one who was in the medical field. I'm leaning towards Air Force or Navy. I'm hearing things about both but would really like to get an overview of the two and what the differences are if I were to pursue one branch or the other. I will need to decide on a branch in the next year.

I appreciate any feedback you have to offer and thank you to those who are or have served!

Let's see if you still think that after you join