Modern Pros and Cons? [2015]

[raptarious]

I read the pros and cons but they seem a little dated (2006).

I'm a premed interested in serving post-medical school. I am pretty sure I'll apply to USUHS and make the 7-year commitment if it's my only choice, but I am also pretty sure I'll be taking HPSP anyway if I get into a civilian school.

What are the pros and cons of physician life in the military?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[pgg]

If I were to list the high points of change since 2006:

Better: lower deployment op tempo now that Afghanistan/Iraq have wound down; I'm not a resident any more and life as staff is pretty good

Worse: less commitment to GME as evidenced by CME funding cuts and reduced fellowship opportunities; an even higher burden of "online training" garbage; greatly (greatly!) reduced odds of promotion to O5 and O6; pay (ie medical "bonuses") is unchanged which really amounts to pay cuts given inflation

Unchanged (these are pros for me): same deserving, 100% insured, relatively compliant patient population; mostly good people to work with; the scenery changes every few years courtesy of PCS orders

 

[psychbender]

Well, this gets right to one of the big problems with the programs, things change between now and when you are out of training. Some of the things that were big problems back when I signed up, such as the certainty of one or more long deployments, are now not so big (op tempo is down, duration of deployments is down, as well for most). However, now we have to deal with things that were not even on our radar when I was a premed or med student like fully trained sub-specialists being tasked to become paper pushers for two years, or a complete lack of funding for CME (and GME budget cuts).

In five to eight years, when you are done with internship or residency, we may have invaded another country, in which case op tempo is back up. The bonus pay structure may get slashed, and you'll be making an even small fraction of what your civilian counterparts make. Something else utterly bizarre may come to the fore, and you'll be forced to adapt.

Or, maybe they'll increase the bonus pay to realign with the civilian sector, resume funding CME as they realize that their doctors have to actually keep up with the ever-changing field of medicine, stop sending out all dependents, retirees, and interesting or complex care to the civilian world, and basically go back to a pre-Tricare era.