Do you guys still think it is better to stay away from the mil.med? EMDP2 will add additional 2 years from HPSP-4year or USUHS-6yrs.
I am 29 and highly interested in OB, FM, and PMR
Just FYI, the commitment to USUHS is still 7 years, as it was when I started in 1986:
Uniformed Services University
Be sure to pay attention to the IRR requirements if you do fewer than 10 years on AD after graduation. Many, many docs lost their civilian practices and hair when they were recalled from the IRR for Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Liberation (OIL) due to
Sheer Poor Planning (R) on the part of the military and a
trivial percent retention rate among physicians at ETS. Read the fine print.
And don't forget that you can be recalled involuntarily back to active duty for the remainder of your natural life if you retire as an officer:
All Branch Topic (ABT) - More specific reasons why I left SDN in 2006
I am not the Anti-Recruiter Poster Boy for the U.S. military. However, as someone who dedicated his life from age 17 until 41 to pursuing a career in military medicine and then succeeding for 15 years, only to be devastated when that career went up in flames due to the massive changes in Air Force medicine that pulled the rug out from under me, I feel it to be a matter of honor that future aspiring military physicians go into their careers with more information about the "real world" you will face after HPSP/USU/civilian practice than I did.
I am in the process of updating my original
"35 Reasons Not To Join or Stay in Military Medicine" for 2020 and beyond.
I also wrote this one regarding
The Hidden Catches of HPSP/USUHS. I know many people had a hard time with number 11 if they are from that religious tradition, but it
was and
still is true.
There is also NavDoc47's classic
"40 (and counting) Reasons not to Join". People flamed him for his #1 reason, but it's a real phenomenon for people to consider, especially when you are in your youth (all you younguns less than 55 are youth to me).
There is a long
thread here with more recent perspectives (considering I left in 2005).
You may also be interested in
this thread, which links to both pros and cons of milmed (thanks,
@Homunculus. You said my name three times in your mind not long ago. Oops.)
As always, when you talk to a medical recruiter, read a forum or social media post,
etc., remember the Latin phrase "
Cui Bono"--> who benefits from telling you information pro/con/otherwise, and what axe to they have to grind? I've been upfront about my PTSD from the loss of my military career, and my strong desire to make insider information about the sorry state of military medicine (not to be confused with "health care") known to the masses before the masses sign their lives away. Your mileage may vary.
Best of luck,
