Women and Military Medicine

[MissM]

Hi everyone - I've spent a lot of time over the past few weeks reading this forum and I really appreciate the diversity of perspectives here. I'll be starting med school this fall and am considering either the 3-yr HPSP or FAP, most likely in IM or Peds. (Then again, I haven't even started med school yet so who really knows, lol.) The financial aspect is not significant to me (although I wouldn't mind being fin independent during med school); service to my country and to people who devote their lives to it and are in need of quality care is my primary motivation. That being said, I am going to a top-tier EXTREMELY expensive med school, where virtually nobody is in the military and I won't have anyone else to talk to about it.

I would really like to hear about the experiences of women in military medicine, particularly Army and AF and extra-particularly those with young children who are just starting their family during med school or residency. How does deployment/random base assignment etc affect young families? If you have anecdotes about yourself or people you know, please share those also!

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[MissM]

as an addition to that, has anyone heard about the experiences of HPSP or FAP docs who went to one of the top ten private med schools? My experience from an ivy-league college leads me to believe that the military will be sneered at, looked down on, etc but maybe it's different... I hope.

 

[cavaor]

I go to a pretty $$ school (since I pay out of state tuition) and am a 2 y HPSPer. I am the only person at my school in the program, so I know where you are coming from in THAT respect. I have had to do a good bit of self educating and admin educating along the way so far. As for as getting information, you will find this forum will answer probably 90% of your questions.

Regarding Family: My step-daughter is 5yo and we have sole custody of her. We have been planning around her as well through the process. Though Im still in medical school, I can share the experiences that have been passed on to me. Its my understanding that the deployment/random base assignments for those with a young family is much easier than older children as the younger ones often don't realize the impact that teens would. As with any job, you have to work around both careers, whether you are military or civilian. Overall, bases are fairly family friendly really.

Tentatively, I am planning on delaying OBC till after medical school. Yes, its longer if you do that...however I know of several people who had their families come down and stay at hotels, etc making it an easier transition. They spend weekend and evening time with them (minus the field training). I have been told its easier with the extended training rather than the abbreviated one to do such. If I match in TX, then the family would be moving anyway so it will not be a big issue. You will always find a way to make it work, its a matter of bending a little.

 

[snman31]

I'm at an upper-tier school, and the attitude towards the military has been nothing but positive (and that's even in a very liberal city). I was quite pleasantly surprised! That being said, I'd still advise against doing HPSP; better to avoid the whole issue and make a decision in residency (FAP) than go through the HPSP program. But of course if you've been reading these forums you know everyone has thier own opinion on that one.

Hope it helps.