Recruiter Lying? AF?

Flyerlax42 · Dec 10, 2006

I met with an AF recruiter several weeks ago. He told me the following regarding the AF residency selection. The top 8-10% get military residencies. Everyone else matches civilian. If you want to be an optho or EM or orthopedic surgeon and match in the civilian world you can do this without the air force playing a hand in which residency you get?

Sounds too simple. Any insights? does the air force regulate what residencies and specialties you go into? Is their a set number of deferred (insert competative speciality here) a year? As in, they will only approve 10 slots for one year and if you don't get one you can't study that speciality? If you get a military residency do you have to take it over a civilian?

Galo · Dec 10, 2006

Flyerlax42 said:
I met with an AF recruiter several weeks ago. He told me the following regarding the AF residency selection. The top 8-10% get military residencies. Everyone else matches civilian. If you want to be an optho or EM or orthopedic surgeon and match in the civilian world you can do this without the air force playing a hand in which residency you get?

Sounds too simple. Any insights? does the air force regulate what residencies and specialties you go into? Is their a set number of deferred (insert competative speciality here) a year? As in, they will only approve 10 slots for one year and if you don't get one you can't study that speciality? If you get a military residency do you have to take it over a civilian?

All you have to do is read this forum, and you will easily learn that you were handed a bold faced lie. You should call that recruiter and his boss up, and refer them to this site and let them know that unscrupolous behavior like that will not be tolerated. Read one of the first few of the sticky threads about AF GME, to see that once you sing that line, they OWN you. They do not have to let you do your specialty of choice, and in today's military, you are very unlkely to do a civilian residency. If you do, and get exposed to good or great training, then you will come back into a system so decrepid and useless that you will be nothing but frustrated.

You were lied to BIG TIME.

orbitsurgMD · Dec 10, 2006

Flyerlax42 said:
I met with an AF recruiter several weeks ago. He told me the following regarding the AF residency selection. The top 8-10% get military residencies. Everyone else matches civilian. If you want to be an optho or EM or orthopedic surgeon and match in the civilian world you can do this without the air force playing a hand in which residency you get?

Sounds too simple. Any insights? does the air force regulate what residencies and specialties you go into? Is their a set number of deferred (insert competative speciality here) a year? As in, they will only approve 10 slots for one year and if you don't get one you can't study that speciality? If you get a military residency do you have to take it over a civilian?

If that is what you were told, then they left out some very important details.

You might get to do a civilian residency but you may not be deferred in order to do it. You may instead be allowed only one year of deferral for internship after which you may be required to report for service as a GMO or FS. Your opportunity to do a civilian residency may come after you have completed your repayment service obligation.

If they really explained things that way, then they are very cleverly misleading you by not explaining what they mean by "doing a civilian residency." If I were you, I would make them explain in writing the likelihood of your being allowed to defer for the length of an entire civilian residency before doing any active-duty repayment. When you get your deferment is just as important as whether you get one.

mitchconnie · Dec 10, 2006

does the air force regulate what residencies and specialties you go into? Is their a set number of deferred (insert competative speciality here) a year? As in, they will only approve 10 slots for one year and if you don't get one you can't study that speciality? If you get a military residency do you have to take it over a civilian?

This is EXACTLY how it works. The number of active duty and deferred training spots for each specialty is set every summer at the integrated forcast board (IFB). If there are more applicants than slots, then some people will be forced to do internship only and then do a tour as a GMO or flight surgeon (primary care people). If the military wants you for their program, then you are forced to take it and cannot do deferred training. There are almost never any exceptions made. If the Air Force does not have a particular need for a given specialty, you cannot start the residency, period.

I don't think recruiters outright lie, but they either don't know the real scoop (none are actual physicians), tell about the way things were in the past, or just give you half the story. Either way you end up being totally misled.

The White Coat Investor · Dec 10, 2006

Ex-44E3A · Dec 11, 2006

Yeah... he did NOT give you the whole story.

The AF attempts to predict their future needs, then sets the number of slots they need for a given specialty on any given year. If you want something that they don't need, then you don't get to do it... period. The "needs of the Air Force" are paramount, and since they're paying the bills (and YOU signed the contract), their wishes rule the day.

Take home lesson: If you pick a specialty that they're already fat in, you will get a one-year deferral for internship, and you will be forced into a flight-surgeon slot (most commonly).

Flyerlax42 · Dec 11, 2006

Thanks for all of your information both PM and forum. Is the air force notoriously bad in placement? I know the navy pretty much demands a GMO if you want a competative residency. Does the army offer the greatest "success rate" in getting the residency you want since they have the greatest number of training programs? Basically in the army are you more likely to get a competative speciality if you want one?

Would the FAP be a better plan? or are they just as likely to not take a FAP radiologist since they already have so many hpsp people wanting that speciality?

Thanks again

resxn · Dec 11, 2006

Flyerlax42 said:
Thanks for all of your information both PM and forum. Is the air force notoriously bad in placement? I know the navy pretty much demands a GMO if you want a competative residency. Does the army offer the greatest "success rate" in getting the residency you want since they have the greatest number of training programs? Basically in the army are you more likely to get a competative speciality if you want one?

Would the FAP be a better plan? or are they just as likely to not take a FAP radiologist since they already have so many hpsp people wanting that speciality?

Thanks again

Worst thing that can happen when you apply to FAP in radiology is that they tell you they don't need you and you don't get the money or the commitment.

Worst thing that can happen when you apply to HPSP hoping to match in radiology is that they tell you you can't go into radiology and you have to go GMO or pick another specialty.

Personally, I'd opt for the first choice if I had to go the military route.

Also, "recruiter" is a euphemism for bald-faced liar at least in AF parlance. And I would challenge anyone who has gone through HPSP AND then is in or has finished his ADC to tell me they were given the 100% pure truth by their liar. . .I mean recruiter.

Recruiter Lying? AF?

Flyerlax42

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Galo

Senior Member

orbitsurgMD

Senior Member

mitchconnie

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The White Coat Investor

Practicing Doc and Blogger

Ex-44E3A

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Flyerlax42

Junior Member

resxn

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