Air Force Specialty Question

[ucla4lifer]

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If you were able to get into a residency program right out of school, during the duration of your payback (4HPSP, 3 specialty) would you get paid more do to your specialty?

 

[bass for less]

Being a board-certified specialist will warrant special pay, which is about $2500/year for 2008. I believe AEGD-2 will also qualify. Anybody knows if AEGD-1 applies?

 

[ucla4lifer]

No, i get that.
My recruiter showed me a paper about how if you sign on for certain year commitment you get extra money each year. I think it said 4 years as oral surgeon was like 40,000 extra. I was wondering if this is only once your initial commitment is up?
I'm trying to figure out if financially if it would be benificial to do a residency right out of school (if you were lucky enough to be chosen)or just wait until your initial commitment is up?

 

[dheav005]

the answer applies across all the branches. you have to complete payback for your residency before you start making the big bucks for your bonus. a single year AEGD/GPR does not qualify for specialty pay, but an AEGD-2 (aka Comprehensive Dentistry program) does qualify for specialty pay.

 

[ALTOSS]

If you were able to get into a residency program right out of school, during the duration of your payback (4HPSP, 3 specialty) would you get paid more do to your specialty?

I just spoke w/ my AF recruiter and according to him, after 4 years of d school and if you get accepted into one of the residencies (whether in the military base or other normal schools), the AF will pay you as a full-time active duty officer during the 3 year period. Awesome, but this would also extend your obligation by 3 years, making it 7 years. There is no way around it, other than 4 years of d school, 4 years of AF, gets discharged, AND then start your residency. To me, this sounds pretty bad, b/c you just don't want to lock yourself in for 7 years in the military! I wish I could get 4 years of d school paid by the military, 3 years of residency starts immediately w/o military and just serve 4 years as a specialist, but apparently this is NOT an option. Any thoughts?

 

[eric275]

I just spoke w/ my AF recruiter and according to him, after 4 years of d school and if you get accepted into one of the residencies (whether in the military base or other normal schools), the AF will pay you as a full-time active duty officer during the 3 year period. Awesome, but this would also extend your obligation by 3 years, making it 7 years. There is no way around it, other than 4 years of d school, 4 years of AF, gets discharged, AND then start your residency. To me, this sounds pretty bad, b/c you just don't want to lock yourself in for 7 years in the military! I wish I could get 4 years of d school paid by the military, 3 years of residency starts immediately w/o military and just serve 4 years as a specialist, but apparently this is NOT an option. Any thoughts?

Actually, if you did your 4 years HPSP payback and then got accepted into a 3 year residency you would end up doing 10 years. 4 years HPSP + 3 years in residency + 3 years payback for residency = 10 years active duty.

The only way to shorten that time is if you get into a residency right out of d-school. In that situation your residency time pays back 2-3 years of HPSP time (depending on the length of your residency) so that would still owe the balance of your HPSP time plus 1 year for each year of your residency. Doing it this way you could cut 3 years off of your total active duty time making it 7 years active duty.

 

[AFDDS]

If you have 4 years of HPSP to repay and you start a 3 year residency, you will owe 4 years beyond your residency. You cannot repay education with education. Your 3 years of residency are neutral and then the HPSP and residency payback run concurrently. So you'll pay your residency back 3 years after the residency and then have 1 left on your HPSP for a grand total of 7 years.

Specialists get paid a board certification pay once they are board certified. Multi-year retention bonus pay requires some time in service before you qualify, but I think you would qualify to sign up for more $$ once you hit the end of your payback.

 

[blankguy]

It seems like it is designed to retain people longer, since it is generally unlikely that somebody get into a residency right out of school. And they probably put more weight to the military experience in addition to the thing that civilian residencies consider i.e. rank and board scores.

 

[AFDDS]

Blankguy,
The neutral year is a law written in the National Defense Authorization Act by Congress. I worked in the Surgeon General's office when this changed, so I can tell you the services would prefer to not have a neutral year, but Congress makes the law and we just follow them.

 

[blankguy]

So the services prefer that the training year be counted?

 

[AFDDS]

I should have been more specific. When I worked there I'd say yes. We have new administration now and I don't know how they feel, to be honest.