question about joining the army reserve??

[sunny_day]

Hi, Im a 4th year med student considering joining the army reserve during residency. We recently had someone come in and talk to us about the topic for a few minutes, he didnt give much information beside telling us that we get a $550 monthly stipend and $30000ish per year for loan repayment, and for every 1 year of money i have to pay back with 2 years of service. He said i wouldnt have to attend the one weekend per month training while in residency, but i will have to do that after i finish residency! He really didnt talk about service obligations/deployment issues at all...so i feel like there is more to the story....
I personally dont know anyone who has been through this, and would appreciate more information, can you guys please share any advice/suggestion/wisdom about this topic?? Thank you in advance! I do plan on going to a local office to ask more questions, but i figured i will learn more about the topic right now, so i can ask some educated/good questions!
(ps: i tried to search for this topic on the forum, but didnt find it, if this has been discussed else where, please let me know)

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[24Kevin]

He is talking about Specialized Training Assistance Program(STRAP) and Loan Repayment. The service obligation is actually 1 year for every six months(or portion thereof); meaning if you take 2 years and one day, you repay 4 years and 6 months(so time it wisely). The monthly stipend is $2178.90(pretax) not $550. The Health Professionals Loan Repayment Program(HPLRP) is $40,000(pretax) per year up to a maximum of $250,000. You CAN satisfy your duty obligation(one weekend per month and 2 weeks and two weeks out of the year) during your residency. There is a form you have to fill out every month that I cannot think off of the top of my head. ***I would recommend you ask your recruiter to put you into contact with a Reserve physician to discuss what life is like in the Reserve. Recruiters can only answer some of your questions; there is no substitution for someone whose actually living it.

 

[notdeadyet]

Agree with 24Kevin with the exception of this:

You CAN satisfy your duty obligation(one weekend per month and 2 weeks and two weeks out of the year) during your residency. There is a form you have to fill out every month that I cannot think off of the top of my head.

If you take STRAP you are on drill status. In some spots you may not be required to drill, but this is far from guaranteed. It is not your call. So assume that you will be willing to drill one weekend/month and 2 weeks every year and be pleasantly surprised if it turns out you don't.

I think the form you might be thinking of is a SUTA and it's approval is up to the chain of command. I couldn't SUTA in residency unless I was drilling with another unit.

 

[lepetit]

Agree with 24Kevin with the exception of this:

If you take STRAP you are on drill status. In some spots you may not be required to drill, but this is far from guaranteed. It is not your call. So assume that you will be willing to drill one weekend/month and 2 weeks every year and be pleasantly surprised if it turns out you don't.

I think the form you might be thinking of is a SUTA and it's approval is up to the chain of command. I couldn't SUTA in residency unless I was drilling with another unit.

this is referring to army guard policy, not army reserve correct? as i understand it, reserve is a different set of rules.

 

[SDN]

I did STRAP with the Army Reserve. At the time we were not required to drill during residency (as it would be nearly impossible at most programs). There was no expectation for drilling until following BOLC (OBC), which is ideally completed the Summer of graduation from residency.

STRAP repayment doesn't start until you start getting 'good years' - which is a minimum number of weekend drills + 2-weeks/year. So it's to your advantage to get BOLC out of the way ASAP and start drilling to get good years. Most Reserve units (typically Combat Support Hospitals) are pretty flexible with physicians and will let you do longer drill weekends (MUTA 6 or more) so that you only drill quarterly or every-other month. I strongly recommend this over doing AMEDD Professional Management Command (APMC). While APMC is a good option, it's not ideal for physicians that do not have prior service.

The "catch" with STRAP is that you can be mobilized or deployed anytime. Generally a deployment is 12 weeks + 2 for training. You will usually either be mobilized to a MEDCEN or deployed downrange. However, there are few Reserve deployments and mobilizations now that our deployed footprint has gone down so much in the past two years. But during the high-period of 2005-2010, 3-month deployments were generally every 18-24 months or so.

 

[lepetit]

I did STRAP with the Army Reserve. At the time we were not required to drill during residency (as it would be nearly impossible at most programs). There was no expectation for drilling until following BOLC (OBC), which is ideally completed the Summer of graduation from residency.

STRAP repayment doesn't start until you start getting 'good years' - which is a minimum number of weekend drills + 2-weeks/year. So it's to your advantage to get BOLC out of the way ASAP and start drilling to get good years. Most Reserve units (typically Combat Support Hospitals) are pretty flexible with physicians and will let you do longer drill weekends (MUTA 6 or more) so that you only drill quarterly or every-other month. I strongly recommend this over doing AMEDD Professional Management Command (APMC). While APMC is a good option, it's not ideal for physicians that do not have prior service.

The "catch" with STRAP is that you can be mobilized or deployed anytime. Generally a deployment is 12 weeks + 2 for training. You will usually either be mobilized to a MEDCEN or deployed downrange. However, there are few Reserve deployments and mobilizations now that our deployed footprint has gone down so much in the past two years. But during the high-period of 2005-2010, 3-month deployments were generally every 18-24 months or so.

thanks for the reserve info. for those soldiers who have completed bolc during medical school, are they required to still drill the traditional way during residency? also, for those not interested in STRAP throughout residency, the original qual of not deployable during residency is in place still, correct?

i took a look at the critical skills specialties list provided on this thread (http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/mdssp-strap-hplrp-and-my-situation.1112156/) - very helpful btw - and my specialty is not on the list for army national guard or reserve, or ANG for that matter. it is on naval reserve - does that mean i would have to transfer to the navy?

thanks again for all the insight

 

[sunny_day]

He is talking about Specialized Training Assistance Program(STRAP) and Loan Repayment. The service obligation is actually 1 year for every six months(or portion thereof); meaning if you take 2 years and one day, you repay 4 years and 6 months(so time it wisely). The monthly stipend is $2178.90(pretax) not $550. The Health Professionals Loan Repayment Program(HPLRP) is $40,000(pretax) per year up to a maximum of $250,000. You CAN satisfy your duty obligation(one weekend per month and 2 weeks and two weeks out of the year) during your residency. There is a form you have to fill out every month that I cannot think off of the top of my head. ***I would recommend you ask your recruiter to put you into contact with a Reserve physician to discuss what life is like in the Reserve. Recruiters can only answer some of your questions; there is no substitution for someone whose actually living it.

Thank you 24Kevin for clarifying stipend and loan repayment are 2 separate thing! I thought STRAP also offered additional money to pay for my loan, i didnt realize it only provides a monthly stipend. I was wondering could you briefly tell me how do i qualify/apply for HPLRP and what are my obligations for taking their money?? (and you are absolutely right, i do need to reach out to a reserve physician, i started talking to the navy reserve this past friday, but she knew less than i did. However she was very pleasant, she said she will do some research and get back to me...)
Thank you

 

[sunny_day]

Agree with 24Kevin with the exception of this:

If you take STRAP you are on drill status. In some spots you may not be required to drill, but this is far from guaranteed. It is not your call. So assume that you will be willing to drill one weekend/month and 2 weeks every year and be pleasantly surprised if it turns out you don't.

I think the form you might be thinking of is a SUTA and it's approval is up to the chain of command. I couldn't SUTA in residency unless I was drilling with another unit.

Thank you Notdeadyet, i will definitely keep that in mind

 

[sunny_day]

Agree with 24Kevin with the exception of this:

If you take STRAP you are on drill status. In some spots you may not be required to drill, but this is far from guaranteed. It is not your call. So assume that you will be willing to drill one weekend/month and 2 weeks every year and be pleasantly surprised if it turns out you don't.

I think the form you might be thinking of is a SUTA and it's approval is up to the chain of command. I couldn't SUTA in residency unless I was drilling with another unit.

SUTA is the form that i need to fill out if i cant drill in a particular month?

 

[sunny_day]

I did STRAP with the Army Reserve. At the time we were not required to drill during residency (as it would be nearly impossible at most programs). There was no expectation for drilling until following BOLC (OBC), which is ideally completed the Summer of graduation from residency.

STRAP repayment doesn't start until you start getting 'good years' - which is a minimum number of weekend drills + 2-weeks/year. So it's to your advantage to get BOLC out of the way ASAP and start drilling to get good years. Most Reserve units (typically Combat Support Hospitals) are pretty flexible with physicians and will let you do longer drill weekends (MUTA 6 or more) so that you only drill quarterly or every-other month. I strongly recommend this over doing AMEDD Professional Management Command (APMC). While APMC is a good option, it's not ideal for physicians that do not have prior service.

The "catch" with STRAP is that you can be mobilized or deployed anytime. Generally a deployment is 12 weeks + 2 for training. You will usually either be mobilized to a MEDCEN or deployed downrange. However, there are few Reserve deployments and mobilizations now that our deployed footprint has gone down so much in the past two years. But during the high-period of 2005-2010, 3-month deployments were generally every 18-24 months or so.

Thank you Lee for sharing your experience, i really appreciate it! I am a little confused now, so STRAP does offer their own loan repayment?? Is this the same thing as HPLRP??
May i ask what is the usual minimum number of weekend drills + 2 weeks/year i need to complete before qualifying for "good years" for loan repayment?

 

[SDN]

Thank you Lee for sharing your experience, i really appreciate it! I am a little confused now, so STRAP does offer their own loan repayment?? Is this the same thing as HPLRP??
May i ask what is the usual minimum number of weekend drills + 2 weeks/year i need to complete before qualifying for "good years" for loan repayment?

No. It's not loan repayment. You can use the money however you like. But no matter how you use it, it will carry a hefty tax bill since no taxes are removed.

Good years are based on points - I believe the minimum is 50 points (2 points per weekend drill day) (1 point for annual training days). Not that hard to get a good year.

 

[SDN]

thanks for the reserve info. for those soldiers who have completed bolc during medical school, are they required to still drill the traditional way during residency? also, for those not interested in STRAP throughout residency, the original qual of not deployable during residency is in place still, correct?

i took a look at the critical skills specialties list provided on this thread (http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/mdssp-strap-hplrp-and-my-situation.1112156/) - very helpful btw - and my specialty is not on the list for army national guard or reserve, or ANG for that matter. it is on naval reserve - does that mean i would have to transfer to the navy?

thanks again for all the insight

Make sure you're talking with an Army healthcare recruiter. Basic recruiters don't know the details of the medical field and all the possible benefits.

I wouldn't make any decisions until you've looked at Reserve and National Guard and discussed with healthcare recruiters from each.

Your local recruiting station can link you up with the healthcare recruiters in your area.

 

[lepetit]

Make sure you're talking with an Army healthcare recruiter. Basic recruiters don't know the details of the medical field and all the possible benefits.

I wouldn't make any decisions until you've looked at Reserve and National Guard and discussed with healthcare recruiters from each.

Your local recruiting station can link you up with the healthcare recruiters in your area.

I spoke with an Army Reserve AMEDD recruiter just now. He told me that one has to be in either STRAP or loan repayment program with the Army in order to qualify for APMC, which is an umbrella where you don't actively drill during residency (since we know residents have to be focused on their medical training), with a reserve commitment after residency. Are there options for those soldiers who are not interested in STRAP/Loan repayment at all?

National Guard requires you to drill every other month, something that is not feasible with my residency program and specialty. Not sure what other options there are at this point

 

[lepetit]

bump?

 

[Maxlife]

Is anesthesiology consider for the ARMY Reserve this year?

 

[el mero mero]

Is anesthesiology consider for the ARMY Reserve this year?

Not a recruiter, but I'm going through the process of joining. The aoc (army officer classification) for an anesthesiologist is 60N. It is on the list for FY15. I hope it continues to stay that way since that's the field I'm entering. Pm for details.

 

[Maxlife]

Not a recruiter, but I'm going through the process of joining. The aoc (army officer classification) for an anesthesiologist is 60N. It is on the list for FY15. I hope it continues to stay that way since that's the field I'm entering. Pm for details.[/QUOTE
thanks! see pm