Air Force medical school scholarships

[Former Corpsman]

with all due respect, i am sorry, but i don't think it is right/ethical to speak for all Iraqies. Many people in Iraq are indeed miserable and unhappy with our presense. However i have great respect for soldiers who risk their lives there. very admirable indeed.

Yeah the ones that are miserable are the terrorist because we taken their power away from them. The people in Iraq, unlike the people in America, know that the process of change in their country will take time. Americans are ready to quit. Americans want a quick fix. I guess because the American people are complaining we should just pull out and let it turn into another Vietnam and let millions die at the hands of anti-American leaders.

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[Sohcahtoa]

Yeah the ones that are miserable are the terrorist because we taken their power away from them. The people in Iraq, unlike the people in America, know that the process of change in their country will take time. Americans are ready to quit. Americans want a quick fix. I guess because the American people are complaining we should just pull out and let it turn into another Vietnam and let millions die at the hands of anti-American leaders.

this may be the grossest over-generalization i've heard in quite a while.

also, i dont see the problem with asking questions about one's chances of being sent into a warzone. this is a legitimate question that is arguably of the mind of everyone that joins the military. there are plenty of ways to serve this country in the military that don't involve iraq.

 

[notdeadyet]

Yeah the ones that are miserable are the terrorist because we taken their power away from them. The people in Iraq, unlike the people in America, know that the process of change in their country will take time.

Wow. Are you trying to convince yourself of this because it makes it easier to support your political viewpoint? I know a few returned vets myself and the one thing that they uniformly do not claim is how happy the Iraqi's are to have us there. Sorry, but your viewpoint, however it was shaped, goes contrary to the viewpoints of most folks I know who were over there and every intelligent report to come out of the country from either side. I've seen and heard about nothing but mixed reception every step of the way.

The viewpoint that everyone in Iraq loves the Americans other than the terrorists is an overly simplistic way to look at anything. Being invaded by a foreign power that looks pretty tucked in is going to divide people. There are Iraqi's for the Americans and against the Americans.

To think that every Iraqi is a terrorist if they're not happy with us being there borders on racism.

I guess because the American people are complaining we should just pull out and let it turn into another Vietnam and let millions die at the hands of anti-American leaders.

If you want to compare it to Vietnam, you don't have to wait until we withdraw. That parallel started when we invaded a country with dubious cause for the sake of spreading democracy, without an exit strategy, and with the Commander-in-Chief not listening to his military about troop requirements for the sake of political gain. Ugh. Don't get me started. Like many pro-military folks, after watching Bush publicly throw Collin Powell to the wolves and ignore his military leadership in time of war, I can't hear the man's voice without gritting my teeth.

 

[Pedsbro]

this may be the grossest over-generalization i've heard in quite a while.

also, i dont see the problem with asking questions about one's chances of being sent into a warzone. this is a legitimate question that is arguably of the mind of everyone that joins the military. there are plenty of ways to serve this country in the military that don't involve iraq.

This might be true, but to come into this process with the condition that you don't want to get sent to a war zone is naive. The bottom line, and the end of this discussion, should be: if you join the military, as a doctor or any other position, you have a chance to be sent to a war zone. If this risk worries you or is not acceptable, then don't join and you avoid it completely. IMO, it truly is that simple. I certainly see how current and former soldiers, especially those who have served in combat already, would look upon someone who seemingly wants the money and doesn't want the risk and conditions that come with it. To be fair, the OP certainly never said he wasn't willing to serve, but at the same time, looking again at his first post to start this discussion, the very first sentence was about not wanting to go to a war zone. And while there are indeed ways to serve in the military w/o going into combat, you have to be ready for that possibility and not try to "play the odds" and join the service that you think is least likely to send people. Speaking of that, at least two posters on here have stated that Air Force docs are indeed in Iraq and Afghanistan, so that should end the discussion about which branch has the least chance of deploying docs to the front lines. The OP also stated he doesn't like boats...while I believe most Navy docs are stationed on land, there's a possibility of getting assigned to a ship or sub...is that going to be another prereq, just like not wanting to go to war? I guarantee that as desperate as the branches are for people, few if any recruiters would accept anyone with that attitude coming in.
There are other ways to get money for med school from the govt (National Health Service Corp-(nhsc.bhpr.hrsa.gov)) without involving the military. Keep in mind though, that even this has conditions...I believe you have to practice in a rural or "underserved" community for the number of years they pay (someone can check me on that). No such thing as a free lunch. Nobody is going to tell the OP what to do here and I wish him the best of luck, whether he joins the service or not...it's all about respecting each other and each other's opinions, even when you disagree. Good luck all...May 14 will be here in no time

 

[notdeadyet]

also, i dont see the problem with asking questions about one's chances of being sent into a warzone. this is a legitimate question that is arguably of the mind of everyone that joins the military. there are plenty of ways to serve this country in the military that don't involve iraq.

I think you're missing something here. When you sign up for the military, you don't sign up for a particular war, you sign up to serve the military in any capacity they have in mind for you. A lot of folks signed up immediately after 9/11 for military service, thinking they'd be going to fight Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. By the time they finished training, they watched the mission switch to invading Iraq to find the WMDs.

'Tis the nature of the beast. You may not like the war we have now and there's no guarantee that you'll like the next one any better. But do not sign up for the military unless you're willing to support any mission they have or may have in the future. If you're not willing to make that leap of faith, and are not willing to do so willingly, you have no business signing up in the military. It ain't a cafeteria.

 

[notdeadyet]

if you join the military, as a doctor or any other position, you have a chance to be sent to a war zone. If this risk worries you or is not acceptable, then don't join and you avoid it completely. IMO, it truly is that simple. I certainly see how current and former soldiers, especially those who have served in combat already, would look upon someone who seemingly wants the money and doesn't want the risk and conditions that come with it.

Oh, I very much remember lots of buddies being totally dismayed when they found out that the military would involve actual combat when the first war on Iraq came on the radar. It may seem odd now, being involved in a war for so long, but there was a time about 20 years ago when people signed up for the military for the scholarship money, thinking they were safe and being prett shocked to see that it all comes in cycles.

Seems silly now, I know, when even signing up with the National Guard is a very big risk for going to the sandbox. Not that long ago, the most dangerous thing they were involved in was natural disasters.

The OP also stated he doesn't like boats...while I believe most Navy docs are stationed on land, there's a possibility of getting assigned to a ship or sub...

The Navy does not station doctors on subs. They use Independent Duty Corpsmen. But your point is well taken.

No such thing as a free lunch.

Amen to that.

 

[Jolie South]

: if you join the military, as a doctor or any other position, you have a chance to be sent to a war zone. If this risk worries you or is not acceptable, then don't join and you avoid it completely.

I couldn't agree more.

By accepting this scholarship, I have no right to complain about being deployed.

 

[Pedsbro]

I couldn't agree more.

By accepting this scholarship, I have no right to complain about being deployed.

Congrats on that by the way. My brother did HPSP for the Air Force and absolutely loved the experience it offered him. Saw your mdapp...congrats on Baylor too...great school!

 

[butiwuvu]

Why not question your motive. All the benefits I get are after the term of service. Therefore, I am not a leach.

Actually, I do question your motives. You probably did minimum time in the military solely to get your tuition paid. (This may or may not be the case, but if you can question my motives, I can question yours).

I payed the price. With some disabilities to boot.

Sorry. That doesn't add an weight to what you say. It's like a little girl bursting into tears to get her way.

Iraq is a good cause. I say this from my experience with the people in Iraq. They need us and they will be the first to tell you that.

Yeah the ones that are miserable are the terrorist because we taken their power away from them.

The people in Iraq, unlike the people in America, know that the process of change in their country will take time.

Didn't take us long to f**k it up.

Americans are ready to quit. Americans want a quick fix.

No. Your language is loaded. American's aren't "ready to quit". They're tired of dumping trillions of dollars and thousands of lives into a useless black hole when there's countless millions at home who are poor, hungry, without health insurance, with no education etc etc etc. And American's aren't looking for "a quick fix". That was what Bush was looking for when he went there in the first place. Most Americans can see that the problems causes by being there now massively outweight the benefits. Most Americans don't want to see more of our soldiers killed for this so-called cause. Don't assume that you know better than the average American simply because you've been there. For your information, there's many, many concerned citizens over here who actually give a damn about keeping you guys out of harms way, and the best way to do that (and the most beneficial thing for the Iraqis right now, other than getting a time machine and going back to pre-war life) is getting out.

I guess because the American people are complaining we should just pull out and let it turn into another Vietnam and let millions die at the hands of anti-American leaders.

Wow. What a ill-informed, Kool-Aid drinking statement! Where do I start on that one...

Just regurgitating the proven-false propaganda about Iraq makes for a kinda dumb argument these days.

 

[Ki45toryu]

US Public Health Services....

You have the same benefits of the military scholarship...without being in the military.

Well, you can be commissioned in the Coast Guard if you want...thats a pretty sweet deal.

Or you can work for the US Park Services, NOAA, FDA, Indian Health services.

I believe you pretty much have to be primary care...but if you like primary care...then there ya go.

 

[elderjack21]

Yeah the ones that are miserable are the terrorist because we taken their power away from them. The people in Iraq, unlike the people in America, know that the process of change in their country will take time. Americans are ready to quit. Americans want a quick fix. I guess because the American people are complaining we should just pull out and let it turn into another Vietnam and let millions die at the hands of anti-American leaders.

Aren't you an American too?

I respect the differences of opinions on here about the Iraq war and military conflict in general. I think that having been to both Iraq and Afghanistan has given me an added perspective on the situations in both countries, a perspective that many people will ask me about when I meet them, but it still doesn't make my opinions the only right ones or make me any better than someone else who chose to use thier freedoms not to join the military.

Are most Americans miss-informed about the war? Sure they are, but that is more a matter of only knowing what you hear from the media (we can't all be there on the streets right?)...but they are concerned about what is going on and are extremely supportive of the troops...just not the politics behind the war. And I respect that as well. I think the same can be said of many of the troops. Many do not want to be over in Iraq, but are bound by duty and honor to do what they were sworn in to do. And they are doing their best in an extremely difficult situation. The complexity of the problems in both Iraq and Afghanistan are tremendous and no one has a simple or quick fix.

Vets are universally proud to have served and all of them appreciate the support that we receive at home from millions of Americans (both those for and against the war).

I count myself blessed to have been part of the military today when we aren't spit on and yelled at like vets during Vietnam.

 

[elderjack21]

Actually, I do question your motives. You probably did minimum time in the military solely to get your tuition paid. (This may or may not be the case, but if you can question my motives, I can question yours).



Sorry. That doesn't add an weight to what you say. It's like a little girl bursting into tears to get her way.










Didn't take us long to f**k it up.



No. Your language is loaded. American's aren't "ready to quit". They're tired of dumping trillions of dollars and thousands of lives into a useless black hole when there's countless millions at home who are poor, hungry, without health insurance, with no education etc etc etc. And American's aren't looking for "a quick fix". That was what Bush was looking for when he went there in the first place. Most Americans can see that the problems causes by being there now massively outweight the benefits. Most Americans don't want to see more of our soldiers killed for this so-called cause. Don't assume that you know better than the average American simply because you've been there. For your information, there's many, many concerned citizens over here who actually give a damn about keeping you guys out of harms way, and the best way to do that (and the most beneficial thing for the Iraqis right now, other than getting a time machine and going back to pre-war life) is getting out.



Wow. What a ill-informed, Kool-Aid drinking statement! Where do I start on that one...

Just regurgitating the proven-false propaganda about Iraq makes for a kinda dumb argument these days.

Your statements are rather ignorant and close-minded, but I probably didn't need to point that out to anyone else.

No doubt, Iraq is a mess, how much better was it for Iraqis before is questionable as well, but at this point we can't change the past.

Just about everyone knows that if we weren't spending the money over in Iraq, we wouldn't be spending it over here to fix those programs you mentioned. Government doesn't work like that, and in general Americans care a lot less about those things you mentioned than they do about supporting the US Soldier. That is just the way it is, that is why those issues you mentioned are always just given lip service each election cycle, yet nothing ever changes.

 

[MeGrimlock]

Wow, this thread just turned into a whole big mess. I'll throw one in Corpsman's corner by saying I don't agree with his points on a wholesale level - but I can fully understand the sentiment he espouses because has been in the fight and feels like the OP's question indicates someone who is probably not the best fit for military service.

NotDeadYet was spot on - it's not a cafeteria. As a member of the military, you are simply a small (very small) part of the machine that has no say in policy. The military is a tool that is used at the behest of the politicians. The hammer does not get to pick and choose which nails to hit.

I think what we've got here is a tad of zealous energy from Corpsman and lack of proper perspective from the OP on what it really means to be in the military.

Perhaps Corpsman is really just trying to express his views on what kind of person he wants to have standing next to him in the fight... and the OP doesn't fit his idea of that type of person... Understandable that this would illicit such a strong reactions backed by words that are a bit harsh.

Anyone remember the episode of "The Office" with Michael and Dwight doing the "hug it out b!tch?" Yeah - don't see that happening here!

 

[Sohcahtoa]

I think you're missing something here. When you sign up for the military, you don't sign up for a particular war, you sign up to serve the military in any capacity they have in mind for you. A lot of folks signed up immediately after 9/11 for military service, thinking they'd be going to fight Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. By the time they finished training, they watched the mission switch to invading Iraq to find the WMDs.

'Tis the nature of the beast. You may not like the war we have now and there's no guarantee that you'll like the next one any better. But do not sign up for the military unless you're willing to support any mission they have or may have in the future. If you're not willing to make that leap of faith, and are not willing to do so willingly, you have no business signing up in the military. It ain't a cafeteria.

i agree with this completely.

i wasnt trying to advocate being a fairweather military serviceman/woman with my post. i was simply trying to defend someone's legitimate worries about what may/will happen to them during military service. but i agree with ya, if you join you better be ready to accept and follow through with the whole 9.

 

[ScratELT]

To the OP:

I was in the Navy, but I didn't work in the medical field.. so I'm speaking from a spectator's point of view on the whole "I don't want to go on a boat" thing. It seemed to me that most of the docs in the Navy never stepped foot on a boat, and if there was a doc on the boat then it was only one. Most of the medical staff on boats are corpman (enlisted medical people), and all of them are corpman on submarines. A lot of the docs did go out to sea once in a blue moon in the submarine fleet, but it was only for a couple of days and they were treated like kings.

However, there's always the chance that you could go to an aircraft carrier, which do have actual medical departments and docs, but the chances are probably just as great getting sent to Iraq as an Air Force doc (although I'm sure there are Navy docs over there as well). I guess what I'm saying is, don't rule out the Navy just because you don't want to go on a boat.

 

[butiwuvu]

To the OP:

I was in the Navy, but I didn't work in the medical field.. so I'm speaking from a spectator's point of view on the whole "I don't want to go on a boat" thing. It seemed to me that most of the docs in the Navy never stepped foot on a boat, and if there was a doc on the boat then it was only one. Most of the medical staff on boats are corpman (enlisted medical people), and all of them are corpman on submarines. A lot of the docs did go out to sea once in a blue moon in the submarine fleet, but it was only for a couple of days and they were treated like kings.

However, there's always the chance that you could go to an aircraft carrier, which do have actual medical departments and docs, but the chances are probably just as great getting sent to Iraq as an Air Force doc (although I'm sure there are Navy docs over there as well). I guess what I'm saying is, don't rule out the Navy just because you don't want to go on a boat.

That's some good advice. I don't think being on a sub for three months or longer would be fun. Just a hunch, but I bet those places are cramped and stink, and I do like a little daylight once in a while. A carrier wouldn't be bad - that's less like a boat to me and more like a floating city.

I'll look into the Navy a little more.

 

[elgin]

s

 

[RogueUnicorn]

way to power bump a stupid thread.

 

[NavyHPSPAdvisor]

Hello Everyone....if you even clicked on this thread name...then I would advise you apply to the HPSP scholarship.
When I say you should apply I mean apply to all 3 branches Army, AF and Navy.
While your application is being put together and you are going through the motions and waiting to hear back from the selection boards...gather all the info you need to make an educated decision on whether military medicine is truly the place for you and which branch would be your number one pick. Way the pros and cons for civilian vs military and branch vs branch.
While in the past all branches had trouble with filling positions for the HPSP but in the past few years the military has become a veru popular option for Medical Professionals for a number of reasons.
I advise that you apply to each branch because you never know if the Army will close out for scholarships before the AF or the Navy or vise versa.
As I said if you clicked on the thread you should at least talk to an expert..meaning someone that is in the Service you are thinking about applying to....ask for the service to send you to one of their hospitals and see it for yourself (navy offers all expenses paid trips to visit) and speak with a recruiter and a current HPSP student to get the cold hard facts. The CURRENT facts...not the facts from 5 to 10 to 30 years ago..programs are constantly being updated.
Officer recruiters do not have the time to give false impressions about the military or what your benefits and options would be...we have way too many applicants to beat around the bush.....send me a message if you want to hear more.

 

[VTBuc]

Think about it this way: who needs medical care more than the soldiers in Iraq? Nobody. I'm doing the Army HPSP and plan on volunteering for combat zones as soon as I'm out of residency. I grew up on Air Force bases and have nothing but the highest admiration for those guys who are brave enough to defend the rest of us.

If you're not willing to go help those guys...the guys with bullet wounds...the military isn't for you. The military offers you a free education, a good stipend, much higher residency pay, and an experience of a lifetime with an opportunity to serve your country...of COURSE they want something in return. If that is something you're interested in, check out the HPSP. If the thought of working in a hospital in Iraq terrifies you, then I'd look at financial aid and other types of loans instead. Money is not a good reason to get involved with military medicine. Make no mistake: the military is a lifestyle.

 

[mfrizzo3]

Think about it this way: who needs medical care more than the soldiers in Iraq? Nobody. I'm doing the Army HPSP and plan on volunteering for combat zones as soon as I'm out of residency. I grew up on Air Force bases and have nothing but the highest admiration for those guys who are brave enough to defend the rest of us.

If you're not willing to go help those guys...the guys with bullet wounds...the military isn't for you. The military offers you a free education, a good stipend, much higher residency pay, and an experience of a lifetime with an opportunity to serve your country...of COURSE they want something in return. If that is something you're interested in, check out the HPSP. If the thought of working in a hospital in Iraq terrifies you, then I'd look at financial aid and other types of loans instead. Money is not a good reason to get involved with military medicine. Make no mistake: the military is a lifestyle.

How about the veterans of the last 4 or 5 wars?

 

[Perrotfish]

Hello Everyone....if you even clicked on this thread name...then I would advise you apply to the HPSP scholarship.

You're paid to advise that. Just saying. BTW are you actually in the Navy, or are you one of the civilian recruiters that they've been hiring lately? If you're in the Navy, do you have any medical experience?

While in the past all branches had trouble with filling positions for the HPSP but in the past few years the military has become a veru popular option for Medical Professionals for a number of reasons.

WTF are you talking about? Last year was the first time in almost a decade that the Navy even had enough applicants to give away all of their scholarships, and it was still just under a 100% acceptance rate. The year before that they gave away barely 60% of their scholarships and would take anyone with a pulse. In what sense is that 'very popular'?

As I said if you clicked on the thread you should at least talk to an expert..meaning someone that is in the Service you are thinking about applying to....ask for the service to send you to one of their hospitals and see it for yourself (navy offers all expenses paid trips to visit) and speak with a recruiter and a current HPSP student to get the cold hard facts. The CURRENT facts...not the facts from 5 to 10 to 30 years ago..programs are constantly being updated.

I would also advise applicants talk to an someone that can give you the facts, by which I mean neither someone that is neither paid to talk to you nor hand selected by paid recruiters because of their over the top positiviity. Try asking your medical school for Emails of past students that have graduated under the HPSP scholarship, or just post on SDN's military forum. I mean by all means take advantage of the free weekend vacation if you're interested in milimed, but it's not a good source of information.

Officer recruiters do not have the time to give false impressions about the military or what your benefits and options would be...we have way too many applicants to beat around the bush.....send me a message if you want to hear more.

Hore****. Maybe this is true for the guys recruiting line officers, but the guys recruiting for Med Corp (who recruit nothing else) have a full year to bring in a grand total of 8 doctors to meet their quota. Even if they have 3 applicants for every slot (which they don't) they have over 2 full weeks per applicant. More than enough time to 'beat around the bush', accidentally lie to you, deliberately lie to you, and still have time left over to write BS posts on SDN.

 

[caniac]

You're paid to advise that. Just saying. BTW are you actually in the Navy, or are you one of the civilian recruiters that they've been hiring lately? If you're in the Navy, do you have any medical experience?




WTF are you talking about? Last year was the first time in almost a decade that the Navy even had enough applicants to give away all of their scholarships, and it was still just under a 100% acceptance rate. The year before that they gave away barely 60% of their scholarships and would take anyone with a pulse. In what sense is that 'very popular'?




I would also advise applicants talk to an someone that can give you the facts, by which I mean neither someone that is neither paid to talk to you nor hand selected by paid recruiters because of their over the top positiviity. Try asking your medical school for Emails of past students that have graduated under the HPSP scholarship, or just post on SDN's military forum. I mean by all means take advantage of the free weekend vacation if you're interested in milimed, but it's not a good source of information.


Hore****. Maybe this is true for the guys recruiting line officers, but the guys recruiting for Med Corp (who recruit nothing else) have a full year to bring in a grand total of 8 doctors to meet their quota. Even if they have 3 applicants for every slot (which they don't) they have over 2 full weeks per applicant. More than enough time to 'beat around the bush', accidentally lie to you, deliberately lie to you, and still have time left over to write BS posts on SDN.

I'm inclined to agree w/ Perrotfish. I'm proud to be accepting an HPSP scholarship, but NavyHPSP's statements seem overly "recruiter-y" and differ substantially from posts by current and former HPSP students on this site.

I think HPSP is worth investigating if you have a sincere interest in serving your country. If so, go talk with a recruiter IN PERSON. Don't trust anything you read about HPSP unless it has an approved by date on it (aka -- unless you get it in writing from the military), this site included.

And FYI, according to several sources (my recruiter included) AF HPSP was at a 50% acceptance rate this year.

 

[Morsetlis]

4-year scholarships are not competitive AT ALL. Automatic acceptance is 3.6 GPA and 30+ MCAT. However, that's just to reserve a scholarship... if you get into med school at all there's probably a scholarship for you.

3, 2, and 1-year scholarships are a little bit more competitive because some people for some reason get into more debt than they can handle or want to match into a military residency.

The Army uses PA's to fill GMO billets. There's like a 1% chance you will be asked to do line duty (as in, not in a hospital) unless you volunteer for it. That's because there's PA's, medics, and nurses. However, I've heard of anesthesia/CCM on helicopters before. That's pretty rad.

I shadowed a DO Family Practitioner that stayed in the Navy for 20 years because he loved flying. The difference between the Navy and the Air Force? If you overshoot when landing in the Air Force, you don't fall into the ocean.

 

[LizzyM]

Don't assume that a particular service or a particular specialty training will keep you from going to "the sandbox". I know a Navy gynecologist who ended up stationed there for >8 mos serving with the Army. The need is great; don't sign up unless you intend to serve where you are needed.

 

[Perrotfish]

The Army uses PA's to fill GMO billets. There's like a 1% chance you will be asked to do line duty (as in, not in a hospital) unless you volunteer for it. That's because there's PA's, medics, and nurses. However, I've heard of anesthesia/CCM on helicopters before. That's pretty rad.

Army uses docs fo batallion surgeons and flight surgeons just like the other services. Unlike the other services they do give a much greater percentage of those slots to primary care practicioners vs. people in other residencies, which is great if you're not in primary care and kind of awful if you are. Personally I like the idea of being in a service that spreads the misery around, rather than dumping it all on the FM docs.

 

[Morsetlis]

I mean, they will let you finish your entire residency before making you work (as opposed to just a 1-year internship and then dumping you on a desert island).

Suppose you want to do radiology. You do your 1 year internship. Then you get whisked off to a base on a volcano in the middle of the Pacific for 2 years before you're allowed to return to residency. That sucked, and that was reality for a lot of Navy people. That happens MUCH LESS in the army now since a PA has ~equivalent training to a 1-year intern, and they'd let you finish your residency before making you work.

Also, why would you want anesthesia or surgery working in primary care? It just makes more sense to actually make use of FP/IM.

 

[Mackey]

I mean, they will let you finish your entire residency before making you work (as opposed to just a 1-year internship and then dumping you on a desert island).

Suppose you want to do radiology. You do your 1 year internship. Then you get whisked off to a base on a volcano in the middle of the Pacific for 2 years before you're allowed to return to residency. That sucked, and that was reality for a lot of Navy people. That happens MUCH LESS in the army now since a PA has ~equivalent training to a 1-year intern, and they'd let you finish your residency before making you work.

Also, why would you want anesthesia or surgery working in primary care? It just makes more sense to actually make use of FP/IM.

While yes, that sucks, think about when you'd rather be stuck in a GMO tour. Would you rather do it before your real residency, and not lose speciality specific knowledge while you sit there taking care of healthy pilots, or would you rather do it after residency, where everything you learned about pediatric nephrology is falling by the wayside as you take sick-call most mornings.

 

[mubaby]

Wow, I was just going through the MSAR and chanced upon the page talking about military scholarships and how they're not getting filled. I guess I should go take a look at the milmed threads that were mentioned earlier to get some opinions.
Before I graduated from high school, I seriously thought about joining AF ROTC once I got to college, but decided against it because I thought it would make future plans (ie, a family) a little difficult, but now I'm thinking about it again (well, not ROTC, but the HPSP scholarship).
Any new opinions since the last time this thread showed up? I grew up with my Dad being an officer in the Air Force. I know it's COMPLETELY different being an Air Force brat vs. actually being in the air force, but I feel like they afforded my father and my family a great lifestyle.

 

[Morsetlis]

My opinion is that it pays for itself (as in, you get all the lifestyle benefits of NOT being in debt and getting a stipend every month with the tradeoff of 4+ years in the service, which can be a bit miserable/challenging) if you match into a specialty that is 4 or less years that pays less than $200k/year.

As in, if I were considering primary care, I would totally do it. Of course, I also like blowing stuffs up, so that's also a concern ;p

 

[Mackey]

Wow, I was just going through the MSAR and chanced upon the page talking about military scholarships and how they're not getting filled. I guess I should go take a look at the milmed threads that were mentioned earlier to get some opinions.
Before I graduated from high school, I seriously thought about joining AF ROTC once I got to college, but decided against it because I thought it would make future plans (ie, a family) a little difficult, but now I'm thinking about it again (well, not ROTC, but the HPSP scholarship).
Any new opinions since the last time this thread showed up? I grew up with my Dad being an officer in the Air Force. I know it's COMPLETELY different being an Air Force brat vs. actually being in the air force, but I feel like they afforded my father and my family a great lifestyle.

Take them with a grain of salt. There are some very unhappy people in there.

 

[Morsetlis]

And here:

www.medicalcorpse.com

 

[MilGym]

I don't want to go to Iraq, which I'm sure most army and marine docs are at risk for. I figured that the Air Force would be the least likely srevice to send me to Iraq as a doc.

What are Air Force scholarships like? Do you sign on the dotted line and they give you the cash (in short - I know there's more to it that this), or are these things ridiculously competitive? I'm hoping that with the war, there might be less people wanting to take advantage.

I would try for the navy, but I'm not big into boats and stuff like that.

Where do most air force docs work?

Just wanted to let you know that the Navy is great. I just completed 10 awesome years in the Navy with no regrets, and I never once went on a boat (I get seasick). Once I complete pre-med, I will apply for a medical school scholarship with the Navy. I never went to sea because I was an Aircrewman. Remember that with the Navy you be stationed on boats (surface), subs (sub-surface), Aircrew (all types of aircraft), and shore duty. Navy hospitals are awesome, and there are two hospital ships: the USNS Comfort and the USNS Mercy, which do humanitarian missions around the world. As an Aircrewman, I was stationed in California, Texas, Florida, Maine, Spain, and Bahrain, and I deployed to Utah (!), Jacksonville, Curaçao, Sicily, Algeria, Crete (Greece), Qatar, and Iraq. Navy medical personnel were located in most of those locations. Also, the military has changed a lot. It is no longer 100% true that you must go where they say, with no choice. In the Navy you have options, you give input, and you can negotiate. You can stay away from the Persian Gulf area your entire career, if you play your cards right; however, the trick to advancing quickly in the Navy is by taking those hard-to-fill billets, such as a 1 or 2 year tour in Bahrain. The bottom line: you have many options. Good luck!