Advice on Pros/Cons of Army vs Airfare vs Navy

[Prilozack]

Hey everyone!

I am considering different branches of the military for my medical education, and I want to make a full career out of it. I do have a genuine passion for serving the country, so I am not doing it just to have medical school paid for (although that is a plus).

For those who have experience in this area, what are the major differences between the branches? Pros and cons?

For you information in advising, I do plan on pursuing a surgery specialty.

Thanks!

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[ChrisMack390]

I may be ignorant, but I can't imagine the role of the physician is much different in any particular branch. It's not like you'll be out in combat or flying a plane or anything.

 

[Goro]

Among all the people I have known who were in the service, all of the ones in the Navy seemed to be the least happy with their experiences. One of them, who served on a tin can in the early 1980s, quipped, "it was like being in jail, with a chance of drowning".

Hey everyone!

I am considering different branches of the military for my medical education, and I want to make a full career out of it. I do have a genuine passion for serving the country, so I am not doing it just to have medical school paid for (although that is a plus).

For those who have experience in this area, what are the major differences between the branches? Pros and cons?

For you information in advising, I do plan on pursuing a surgery specialty.

Thanks!

 

[3characterslong]

From what i've read, Navy and Air Force require one GMO tour at minimum. Army is also much larger which makes it easier to match into a specialty, if you decided to. I'm considering army for these reasons.

You should ask milmed but do research first because they seem to blow a gasket if you ask a question answered in the sticky (which is pretty refreshing). Their advice is usually fairly practical too.

 

[Prilozack]

Among all the people I have known who were in the service, all of the ones in the Navy seemed to be the least happy with their experiences. One of them, who served on a tin can in the early 1980s, quipped, "it was like being in jail, with a chance of drowning".

I've found the similar that you have. Navy seems to be great if you want to go super specialized and don't mind traveling and postponing residency to do the GMO. I personally don't want to post-pone my residency.

 

[Prilozack]

From what i've read, Navy and Air Force require one GMO tour at minimum. Army is also much larger which makes it easier to match into a specialty, if you decided to. I'm considering army for these reasons.

You should ask milmed but do research first because they seem to blow a gasket if you ask a question answered in the sticky (which is pretty refreshing). Their advice is usually fairly practical too.

Thanks for the resource! I'll check it out for sure. Are you considering the military for this cycle or next?

 

[3characterslong]

Thanks for the resource! I'll check it out for sure. Are you considering the military for this cycle or next?

This cycle. I'm still waiting a little bit before I come to a conclusion, because my instate school hasn't gotten back to me yet and I don't believe HPSP is worth it unless you're going OOS/Private. After April 30/May 10 i'll probably scramble to find a way to shadow someone in military medicine for a month and make a more permanent decision.

My primary "concern" is increased difficulty matching into what I may or may not be interested in 4 yrs down the road. I don't feel the differences in competitivity are well documented, from what i've seen. I'm also concerned about lifestyle issues, not so much medical decision making as really basic questions like "will I be living in barracks????". MilMed irritates me because it almost seems like these questions are taken for granted and not answered. I have personal excel charts about the financial aspect and have read hundreds of anecdotes about Tricare (from 2006-2015), but I still don't know if i'll wear a tie or camo.

 

[IlDestriero]

Location, location, location.
Most of the Navy bases are near large bodies of water. That's important to me.
If you have specific questions, ask specific questions on the milmed forum. You can ask here, but you'll get a better response there.
It's not a secret, and we don't care if you join or not. In fact we almost universally tell people not to do HPSP.



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Il Destriero

 

[thenyitmedicineman]

https://sites.google.com/site/myarmyhpspexperience/

Hey everyone!

I am considering different branches of the military for my medical education, and I want to make a full career out of it. I do have a genuine passion for serving the country, so I am not doing it just to have medical school paid for (although that is a plus).

For those who have experience in this area, what are the major differences between the branches? Pros and cons?

For you information in advising, I do plan on pursuing a surgery specialty.

Thanks!

 

[Prilozack]

Location, location, location.
Most of the Navy bases are near large bodies of water. That's important to me.
If you have specific questions, ask specific questions on the milmed forum. You can ask here, but you'll get a better response there.
It's not a secret, and we don't care if you join or not. In fact we almost universally tell people not to do HPSP.



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Il Destriero

In your opinion, why do you suggest people often advise not to do HPSP?

 

[medic86]

In your opinion, why do you suggest people often advise not to do HPSP?

Because the military is a special kind of suck.

You really should check the milmed forum.

 

[williameb23]

From what i've read, Navy and Air Force require one GMO tour at minimum. Army is also much larger which makes it easier to match into a specialty, if you decided to. I'm considering army for these reasons.

You should ask milmed but do research first because they seem to blow a gasket if you ask a question answered in the sticky (which is pretty refreshing). Their advice is usually fairly practical too.

Bolded isn't true. Last year about 1/3 (89/258) of Navy interns went straight-through (as opposed to GMO, flight surgery or undersea med).

The Navy does have great locations (San Diego, DC, Portsmouth VA) compared to Army and Air Force, but the chance of GMO is a big deterrent. The milmed forum is a great resource but it's also filled with a lot of crusty and disgruntled military docs.

The best advice I got on HPSP vs. FAP vs. reserves vs. no military is that you can only do so much to control your own destiny in either the military or civilian world. You'll always come across barriers - patients, policies and people you dislike - and the military offers a lot of unique experiences. But everyone will tell you that money can't be #1 on your list of reasons. There are plenty of other options for loan forgiveness after residency.

 

[LoveBeingHuman:)]

Is it a good idea to let a medical school know you are considering military medicine since they want to produce doctors for their own communities?

 

[Prilozack]

Is it a good idea to let a medical school know you are considering military medicine since they want to produce doctors for their own communities?

Good question! I would like to know this as well. I was thinking of not mentioning it since it could make me unattractive if they want to produce local physicians. However, they would be getting all their money right away so wouldn't that be better for medical schools?

Anyone care to chime in? Thanks!

 

[Prilozack]

Bolded isn't true. Last year about 1/3 (89/258) of Navy interns went straight-through (as opposed to GMO, flight surgery or undersea med).

The Navy does have great locations (San Diego, DC, Portsmouth VA) compared to Army and Air Force, but the chance of GMO is a big deterrent. The milmed forum is a great resource but it's also filled with a lot of crusty and disgruntled military docs.

The best advice I got on HPSP vs. FAP vs. reserves vs. no military is that you can only do so much to control your own destiny in either the military or civilian world. You'll always come across barriers - patients, policies and people you dislike - and the military offers a lot of unique experiences. But everyone will tell you that money can't be #1 on your list of reasons. There are plenty of other options for loan forgiveness after residency.

True! I'm really wanting to pursue it simply because of the chance to conduct medical missions and travel. Being in a single place for 10 years+ (like in a local hospital) does not interest me. However, being in an academic institution for that long would.

 

[Mad Jack]

Is it a good idea to let a medical school know you are considering military medicine since they want to produce doctors for their own communities?

Good question! I would like to know this as well. I was thinking of not mentioning it since it could make me unattractive if they want to produce local physicians. However, they would be getting all their money right away so wouldn't that be better for medical schools?

Anyone care to chime in? Thanks!

With no hard commitment to the military, I doubt they'd care one way or the other. I don't really think it'd be worth mentioning unless you have prior service, honestly.

 

[Mad Jack]

True! I'm really wanting to pursue it simply because of the chance to conduct medical missions and travel. Being in a single place for 10 years+ (like in a local hospital) does not interest me. However, being in an academic institution for that long would.

Something you should consider that is unique to military practice is skill atrophy. Most of your patients are healthy, prime-aged men, which leaves you unable to use many of the skills you use in residency regularly enough to keep them at a functional level.

 

[Prilozack]

Something you should consider that is unique to military practice is skill atrophy. Most of your patients are healthy, prime-aged men, which leaves you unable to use many of the skills you use in residency regularly enough to keep them at a functional level.

I've never heard of this. It would depend on your institution and demands. I agree that if you're in the same environment over and over, year after year, you would experience skill atrophy. However, don't local physicians also experience the same?

 

[Mad Jack]

I've never heard of this. It would depend on your institution and demands. I agree that if you're in the same environment over and over, year after year, you would experience skill atrophy. However, don't local physicians also experience the same?

Ask about skill atrophy in the milmed forum, they'll let you know what's up. Particularly in surgical fields, it is a very big deal.

 

[IlDestriero]

I've never heard of this. It would depend on your institution and demands. I agree that if you're in the same environment over and over, year after year, you would experience skill atrophy. However, don't local physicians also experience the same?

Skill atrophy is a real concern for specialists.


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Il Destriero