Air Force OMS.

[lkdds]

Im a D1. If I'm interested in going into OMS and doing the dual degree program, DDS/MD, should I accept the AF hpsp?

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[pretzeldude66]

I did the 4 year AF HPSP and graduated from d-school in 2009 and am now in a 6-yr OMS program with my AF commitment deferred. Apparently I am in a rare position. I didn't decide to do surgery until my 3rd year in d-school, so I talked pretty extensively to the director of AF OMS. I guess I hit just the right time when they decided their needs for surgeons were going to be increased in upcoming years (lots of people retiring, low retention rate past fulfilled commitments, etc.). He gave me 3 options:
1. Apply for AF programs
2. Defer my commitment and apply for civilian 4 or 6 year programs (with the risk that if I did not match, it would be too late to get into an AF program, and I would have already given up my chance to do an AEGD and would have to come straight into the AF as a general dentist)
3. Take an AFIT spot - Paid by the AF to attend basically any program (4 or 6) they can POST-MATCH me to (you go through the AF application cycle to get this, thereby missing the civilian application cycle).

I took the risk to do option #2, sent the Colonel a list of programs I wanted to apply to (he wanted to make sure I wasn't applying to just ANY program). It worked out.

With that said, I apparently got lucky. Most people don't get the civilian option and have to apply for options #1 and 3. If you are at the point where you ONLY want to do a 6 year program, either don't do the HPSP, or do it, serve your commitment (looks like you want to do a 3 yr scholarship) and apply after - I have a chief now who did just that.
If you are flexible and just want to be and OMS and 6 vs 4 isn't that important, the HPSP program is great - even though I have loans now from med school, I have very little loan debt from dental school (went private). Even better - I have a guaranteed job (and a respectable one, at that) when I graduate residency.
Good luck with your decision, hope this helped some!

 

[AFDDS]

Can't get a better answer than this. Thanks for taking the time to post it.

I did the 4 year AF HPSP and graduated from d-school in 2009 and am now in a 6-yr OMS program with my AF commitment deferred. Apparently I am in a rare position. I didn't decide to do surgery until my 3rd year in d-school, so I talked pretty extensively to the director of AF OMS. I guess I hit just the right time when they decided their needs for surgeons were going to be increased in upcoming years (lots of people retiring, low retention rate past fulfilled commitments, etc.). He gave me 3 options:
1. Apply for AF programs
2. Defer my commitment and apply for civilian 4 or 6 year programs (with the risk that if I did not match, it would be too late to get into an AF program, and I would have already given up my chance to do an AEGD and would have to come straight into the AF as a general dentist)
3. Take an AFIT spot - Paid by the AF to attend basically any program (4 or 6) they can POST-MATCH me to (you go through the AF application cycle to get this, thereby missing the civilian application cycle).

I took the risk to do option #2, sent the Colonel a list of programs I wanted to apply to (he wanted to make sure I wasn't applying to just ANY program). It worked out.

With that said, I apparently got lucky. Most people don't get the civilian option and have to apply for options #1 and 3. If you are at the point where you ONLY want to do a 6 year program, either don't do the HPSP, or do it, serve your commitment (looks like you want to do a 3 yr scholarship) and apply after - I have a chief now who did just that.
If you are flexible and just want to be and OMS and 6 vs 4 isn't that important, the HPSP program is great - even though I have loans now from med school, I have very little loan debt from dental school (went private). Even better - I have a guaranteed job (and a respectable one, at that) when I graduate residency.
Good luck with your decision, hope this helped some!

 

[lkdds]

thanks for the input. The information is very helpful.

 

[385835]

You can go right into OMS after dental school in the air force?

Well that's one neat option that the other branches don't provide. (not that navy and army don't have nice options also)

 

[Tiankum]

You can go right into OMS after dental school in the air force?

Well that's one neat option that the other branches don't provide. (not that navy and army don't have nice options also)

You can go into OMFS right out of dental school in any of the branches

 

[pretzeldude66]

You can apply for AF (or other branch) programs during your 4th year of dental school. In very rare circumstances you can start immediately after dental school, but for most situations you are applying for the year following your graduation (you do your first year as a military general dentist). This is true for all branches.

 

[tingting]

You can apply for AF (or other branch) programs during your 4th year of dental school. In very rare circumstances you can start immediately after dental school, but for most situations you are applying for the year following your graduation (you do your first year as a military general dentist). This is true for all branches.

Not true. The Navy routinely places graduates directly in residencies without this extra year.

 

[pretzeldude66]

Not true. The Navy routinely places graduates directly in residencies without this extra year.

I stand corrected then. My above comments are true at least for the Air Force. I'm guessing in order to go straight into Naval residency from dental school you have to have completed basic training either before or during dental school.