A place for family?

[Tales of C]

Hi, I'm Chris and I've been reading from this board forever getting info on HPSP (first post, though).

Basically, my situation is that I'm considering the Army HPSP, but I'm concerned about what that would mean for me if I were trying to start a family. Although I can't say I know for certain what I'd be doing professionally after med. school, most of the things I'm considering would require a 5-6 year committment on AD once I'd finished residency/fellowship.

How hard is it to start a family under conditions like this (particularly with the Army)? Do you see the wife and kids? Are there some specialties that keep you stateside more often than not?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[colbgw02]

Deleted due to duplication.

 

[colbgw02]

Hi, I'm Chris and I've been reading from this board forever getting info on HPSP (first post, though).

Basically, my situation is that I'm considering the Army HPSP, but I'm concerned about what that would mean for me if I were trying to start a family. Although I can't say I know for certain what I'd be doing professionally after med. school, most of the things I'm considering would require a 5-6 year committment on AD once I'd finished residency/fellowship.

How hard is it to start a family under conditions like this (particularly with the Army)? Do you see the wife and kids? Are there some specialties that keep you stateside more often than not?

As someone who has experienced the Army on both sides of this issue, I guess I know a little something about this...

Neither the army or medicine by themselves are typically a 9 to 5 jobs. Even as a civilian resident, and often times as a civilian attending, you're working long hours. As an army officer (not a physician) you're probably working just as hard, especially if you're in a combat arms branch. Put the two together and things don't change much. If this family thing is a real sticking point for you, then maybe medicine, much less army medicine, isn't for you. I don't say that to be a jerk; just realize that deciding to not do HPSP won't automatically mean it'll be smooth sailing with the family.

That said, you can definitely have a family. People do it all the time. Obviously you have to have a very understanding spouse, who, preferably, already knows something about military life. Growing up, I would often go 2-3 weeks at a time without seeing the old man, but kids can persevere through a lot and I like to think I'm relatively well-adjusted.

Regarding staying stateside (i.e. avoiding deployment?), there's no way to predict. If you haven't started medical school yet (???), you won't even be considered for deployment until you've completed residency - a minimum of 7 years from now. Let me put it this way, would anyone in 1999 have thought that we'd be in Iraq in 2006?

Speaking of specialties, they say not to pick your specialty based on the difficulty of the residency. So I don't see why you'd pick your specialty based on whether or not you're more likely to be deployed. Do what you love and the rest will work itself out.

 

[Mirror Form]

I'm considering the Army HPSP, but I'm concerned about what that would mean for me if I were trying to start a family. Although I can't say I know for certain what I'd be doing professionally after med. school, most of the things I'm considering would require a 5-6 year committment on AD once I'd finished residency/fellowship

Yeah, the army can be tough on people trying to start a family. There are two major problems. First, if you're single, the army will likely have you stationed in areas that don't have much of a singles scene. So it's tough to find Mr/Ms right when you live in the middle of nowhere (people who are used to nice cities just don't understand this concept). Second, once you do settle down, your spouse has to be very understanding of you having to move frequently and getting deployed for long periods of time.

 

[RichL025]

Hi, I'm Chris and I've been reading from this board forever getting info on HPSP (first post, though).

Basically, my situation is that I'm considering the Army HPSP, but I'm concerned about what that would mean for me if I were trying to start a family. Although I can't say I know for certain what I'd be doing professionally after med. school, most of the things I'm considering would require a 5-6 year committment on AD once I'd finished residency/fellowship.

How hard is it to start a family under conditions like this (particularly with the Army)? Do you see the wife and kids? Are there some specialties that keep you stateside more often than not?

How hard? Well, can't quantify it, but many of the residents around here have rugrats running around, biting at their ankles. People do it all the time.

Will it be as easy as if you had a 9-5 working in a bank somewhere? No - but there's plenty of single mothers out there who manage to do it while working 60 hrs/wk, if you're in a 2-parent household and your spouse doesn't _also_ have a crazy job, you'll be fine.