What he is trying to say is that joining the .Mil for the money is a terrible idea. Recruiters prey upon the fear of debt in order to entice pre-meds to sign up. They use it as a sort of cudgel. Student loan debt, while daunting (especially if one attends the newer, outrageously expensive D.O. schools) has been managed since the first medical student matriculated.
If one does well in medical school, and lives within their means, then the salary they will earn as an Attending will easily pay off the debts they incurred as a student, and then some. If you join the Military, especially the Air Force or Navy, you are looking at the very real possibility of 4 years as a GMO or Flight Surgeon, going back into residency 4 years late, and being 4 years behind your peers in the prime of your earning potential.
Furthermore, you cannot put a price on the personal havoc that a Military career can wreak on your life- extended separations, constant uncertainty, living in very undesirable places for the most part.
Military service is a noble calling, but it should not be undertaken lightly and without serious forethought. To me, taking the HPSP "scholarship" puts your career in jeopardy before it has even begun. How can anyone prognosticate accurately about their circumstances/aims 4 years in the future, as is done when you sign on that dotted line? So many things can change in the interim- specialty goals, marriage, children etc.
If you unequivocally place being an Officer at least on par with being a Physician, and money, whether debt or otherwise, is not even a peripheral concern, then you stand a good chance of being reasonably satisfied in the end.
The "scholarship" is a good deal for a select few. D.O. students come to mind because it opens up training opportunities. For most others, I would recommend looking into FAP or one of the other programs which allow you to join on your terms, after you've already obtained your hard-earned training in the specialty or field you desire.
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