Army dentistry
- Thread starter gatorfan99
- Start date
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2006
- Messages
- 351
- Reaction score
- 15
- Points
- 4,721
- Dentist
You've been on HPSP for a while. Have you had time for any training during the summer? Well, whether yes or no, the link below may answer some of your questions:
http://members.tripod.com/~softballteam/dental.html
http://members.tripod.com/~softballteam/dental.html
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2007
- Messages
- 36
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
Just got back from HPSP/UHSUHS OBC at Fort Sam. If life the the Army is anything like the CHARLIE FOXTROT that OBC was, we are all screwed. The docs I talked to said that its not.
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2007
- Messages
- 36
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
I didn't say it wasn't easy, I said it was a clusterF**k. They did overhaul the program this year, though, to include 2 weeks of FTX.
- Joined
- May 18, 2003
- Messages
- 319
- Reaction score
- 2
- Points
- 4,551
- Age
- 46
- Location
- Camp Adder, Iraq
- Dentist
Its really nothing at all like OBC.
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2007
- Messages
- 185
- Reaction score
- 3
- Points
- 4,586
- Dentist
Life in the Dental Corps, thankfully, is nothing like OBC. OBC is long, boring and tedious.
If you aren't already in shape, start working out now, you don't have to be a gym rat, but try to get to where you can easily pass the PT test, it'll be one less thing to worry about when you get there.
Most places work days run from 0730 to 1630. They will give you time to get adjusted and get your speed up. On average you see 8-10 patients a day, more if you are just doing exams and sick call. Some places may have workout time in the morning or afternoon, sometimes required for officers, sometimes not. You won't be sent on a deployment for at least a year after you are out of school so you don't need to worry about that right away. A lot depends on where you are stationed and what the Officer in Charge of the Clinic is like, but most are good people in my experience.
I've been on active duty for a while so let me know if you have more questions.
If you aren't already in shape, start working out now, you don't have to be a gym rat, but try to get to where you can easily pass the PT test, it'll be one less thing to worry about when you get there.
Most places work days run from 0730 to 1630. They will give you time to get adjusted and get your speed up. On average you see 8-10 patients a day, more if you are just doing exams and sick call. Some places may have workout time in the morning or afternoon, sometimes required for officers, sometimes not. You won't be sent on a deployment for at least a year after you are out of school so you don't need to worry about that right away. A lot depends on where you are stationed and what the Officer in Charge of the Clinic is like, but most are good people in my experience.
I've been on active duty for a while so let me know if you have more questions.
Hi, good to hear from *actual* Army dentists for a change!
I am currently trying to decide on whether or not to apply for a O/S residency, does anyone out there have any info on the Army O/S residencies at Walter Reed or Ft Benning ?? How difficult is it to get placed in them?
My grades are good but not stellar and my board scores average out to 85, do I even have a chance??
I'm also considering applying for the AEGD program (1yr) as a "back up", do i have a good chance of being placed in this program?
Thanks!!
I am currently trying to decide on whether or not to apply for a O/S residency, does anyone out there have any info on the Army O/S residencies at Walter Reed or Ft Benning ?? How difficult is it to get placed in them?
My grades are good but not stellar and my board scores average out to 85, do I even have a chance??
I'm also considering applying for the AEGD program (1yr) as a "back up", do i have a good chance of being placed in this program?
Thanks!!
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2007
- Messages
- 36
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
Thanks for the input, BQ. Glad to hear things are going well for you.
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2007
- Messages
- 185
- Reaction score
- 3
- Points
- 4,586
- Dentist
Well, I didn't say things were going well CheifSchlep, I'm in Iraq right now and it looks like we're being extended for a total of 15 months over here. The Army has a lot of drawbacks to it, but at least it's not all like OBC.
Gatorfan, you definitely have a chance of getting an OS residency if that is what you really want to do. The Army has great residency opportunities if you are willing to commit more time. Going to an OS residency will give you 4 years payback for HPSP, 4 years of residency, and 4 years of payback for residency so it puts you at 12 years of you life committed right off the bat, which is not something to take lightly. Because of the long commitment the competition for OS isn't as stiff as it is for other residencies, you may even be able to apply for it before you come to active duty. OS residency is hard though, a lot tougher than dental school, if you are serious about it see if you can shadow a OS resident at your school for a week and make sure you can handle the time commitment. The Army has a program for prospective residents too, a two week rotation with residents currently in the program, this minimizes the number of people who drop out because they didn't know what they were getting into. Even if you get accepted next year coming out of school, the program won't start until 2009, this is because they need time to get people through OBC or moved to the base where the residency is.
I went through the AEGD program at Ft. Lewis, and it was a great program, but when I did it, the year counted towards my payback. (Didn't matter because the Army ended up extending me for a year anyway) Now I think it is a neutral year, it doesn't count to your payback but you don't need to payback an additional year for going through it either (double check with the HPSP liaison before you apply) AEGD gives you the chance to work with a board certified specialist in each field which teaches you a lot more than you learned in dental school. Our program was a little weak in pedo and pros (they got a better mentor there after I left though). It is definitely worth doing if you want to do general dentistry because you get comfortable doing more things.
If you don't do the AEGD program and you are interested in a particular field, like OS, you can probably arrange to spend some time with a specialist and learn a little about that field without committing yourself for any more time. It depends on which specialties there are at the base you're at and who they are.
The big thing to remember is that once you commit yourself to an obligation, it's tough to get out of. The dental corp does have problems and you are likely to deploy at some point. If you are a specialist you only deploy for 6 months though. I'm getting out next year, I've had enough. I would probably recommend seeing how you like your first year before committing anymore time.
Hope that helps.
Gatorfan, you definitely have a chance of getting an OS residency if that is what you really want to do. The Army has great residency opportunities if you are willing to commit more time. Going to an OS residency will give you 4 years payback for HPSP, 4 years of residency, and 4 years of payback for residency so it puts you at 12 years of you life committed right off the bat, which is not something to take lightly. Because of the long commitment the competition for OS isn't as stiff as it is for other residencies, you may even be able to apply for it before you come to active duty. OS residency is hard though, a lot tougher than dental school, if you are serious about it see if you can shadow a OS resident at your school for a week and make sure you can handle the time commitment. The Army has a program for prospective residents too, a two week rotation with residents currently in the program, this minimizes the number of people who drop out because they didn't know what they were getting into. Even if you get accepted next year coming out of school, the program won't start until 2009, this is because they need time to get people through OBC or moved to the base where the residency is.
I went through the AEGD program at Ft. Lewis, and it was a great program, but when I did it, the year counted towards my payback. (Didn't matter because the Army ended up extending me for a year anyway) Now I think it is a neutral year, it doesn't count to your payback but you don't need to payback an additional year for going through it either (double check with the HPSP liaison before you apply) AEGD gives you the chance to work with a board certified specialist in each field which teaches you a lot more than you learned in dental school. Our program was a little weak in pedo and pros (they got a better mentor there after I left though). It is definitely worth doing if you want to do general dentistry because you get comfortable doing more things.
If you don't do the AEGD program and you are interested in a particular field, like OS, you can probably arrange to spend some time with a specialist and learn a little about that field without committing yourself for any more time. It depends on which specialties there are at the base you're at and who they are.
The big thing to remember is that once you commit yourself to an obligation, it's tough to get out of. The dental corp does have problems and you are likely to deploy at some point. If you are a specialist you only deploy for 6 months though. I'm getting out next year, I've had enough. I would probably recommend seeing how you like your first year before committing anymore time.
Hope that helps.
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2007
- Messages
- 185
- Reaction score
- 3
- Points
- 4,586
- Dentist
I may have made a mistake, your time in residency may count as your payback for the HPSP, so maybe 8-10 years instead of 12 depending on when you get accepted.
- Joined
- May 18, 2003
- Messages
- 319
- Reaction score
- 2
- Points
- 4,551
- Age
- 46
- Location
- Camp Adder, Iraq
- Dentist
When did do your program? I just finished there and I'm currently moving down to Ft Hood.
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2007
- Messages
- 185
- Reaction score
- 3
- Points
- 4,586
- Dentist
I did the AEGD in 03-04.
hey bq, are the comprehensive dentists only deployed for 6 months as well? the 2 year aegd guys? or are they still considered gp's
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2007
- Messages
- 185
- Reaction score
- 3
- Points
- 4,586
- Dentist
When I first got in they were sending the comprehensive dentists who did the 2 year AEGD for only 6 months, but someone finally called bull**** on it.
Now dentist who did the 2yr AEGD, 1 yr AEGD and regular general dentists typically go for 12 months, maybe 15 months now. There have been a few general dentists that got to do 6 month tours, usually when they were finishing out a tour started by a specialist. Where I'm at right now, there will be a total of 4 dentists (2 here now, 2 coming) rotating through on 6 month tours while I'm stuck here for 12 or 15 months. Supposedly, they got short tours because it was a "short notice" deployment.
There is no real fairness to Army deployments, not like the Air Force which makes everyone pretty much go for a short amount of time, it spreads the load over the whole corps.
Now dentist who did the 2yr AEGD, 1 yr AEGD and regular general dentists typically go for 12 months, maybe 15 months now. There have been a few general dentists that got to do 6 month tours, usually when they were finishing out a tour started by a specialist. Where I'm at right now, there will be a total of 4 dentists (2 here now, 2 coming) rotating through on 6 month tours while I'm stuck here for 12 or 15 months. Supposedly, they got short tours because it was a "short notice" deployment.
There is no real fairness to Army deployments, not like the Air Force which makes everyone pretty much go for a short amount of time, it spreads the load over the whole corps.
If you are looking for maybe a little different view of the Army... here it is.. I've been in for three years and it's been a bumpy ride. I'm stationed at a base that has PT every Friday that must be led by different CPT's and is limited to officers. (Embarassing since leading PT is an NCO job) There is no comradery in the unit. The clinics are a mess and the leadership is awful. The assistants get away with everything because they are contracted employees and cannot be dealt with by military because it violates their terms of employment and our NCO's are too lazy to go thru the proper procedures to counsel them so all deeds go unpunished. We have CPT's that act like your younger brother and like to tattle to the commander about everything that everyone does.. it's ridiculous. It's a shame that one unit made such a horrible impression. What you need to understand is that as a CPT.. you can be treated like the scum on the bottom of the boot of an 11B. You are a workhorse. It's not like that at every unit.. but for a lot of my battle buddies.. they've run into it. Just watch your P's and Q's. Do your job, stay hidden and things should be fine. I apologize for my unit leaving me and my other permanent party officers bitter, but the Army can do that to some people. Don't let it get to you. Remember that your first duty is to your patients. These soldiers deserve it.
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2007
- Messages
- 185
- Reaction score
- 3
- Points
- 4,586
- Dentist
Everything Armydental said is, unfortunately, true. I didn't want to point out all the bad stuff on my first few posts and tried to remember the few good things about the Army.
The comraderie of the Dental Corps is decreasing because the workload and deployment cycles aren't fairly balanced. Besides education and a chance to travel, the Army has little else but hardship to offer. It's a good place to spend a couple years getting some skills before jumping into private practice. They used to say how much better the quality of life in the Army was, but with my wife in private practice I can tell you, the quality of life is better outside.
Everything is dependent on where you are. Some clinics are great with good leadership and can be fun to work in, others aren't and can be frustrating. Civilians are a problem, they aren't paid well, get little vacation, and have no incentive to work hard. There are good ones out there though, they just aren't the majority.
I hope this doesn't crush those that have already signed up for the Army, if you have questions fell free to ask, but if you are still thinking about the HPSP, read through the Air Force posts before you take the Army one because it's the easiest to get.
The comraderie of the Dental Corps is decreasing because the workload and deployment cycles aren't fairly balanced. Besides education and a chance to travel, the Army has little else but hardship to offer. It's a good place to spend a couple years getting some skills before jumping into private practice. They used to say how much better the quality of life in the Army was, but with my wife in private practice I can tell you, the quality of life is better outside.
Everything is dependent on where you are. Some clinics are great with good leadership and can be fun to work in, others aren't and can be frustrating. Civilians are a problem, they aren't paid well, get little vacation, and have no incentive to work hard. There are good ones out there though, they just aren't the majority.
I hope this doesn't crush those that have already signed up for the Army, if you have questions fell free to ask, but if you are still thinking about the HPSP, read through the Air Force posts before you take the Army one because it's the easiest to get.
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2007
- Messages
- 17
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
- Dental Student
Hey, Im a first year dental school student who is 90% committed to an Army HPSP scholarship: my papers are at boards as we speak, and I should hear back soon. I can still turn them down, but Im counting on them to pay my (out-of-state) tuition bills ASAP, so it would cause headaches if I did.
Basically, Id really appreciate one you dentists already on active duty with the Army to give me your opinions of the program and answer a few more questions.
BQuad, youre going to be in Iraq for 15 months? My recruiter said that 90-day rotations were the norm, and that only like 5% of Army dentists were deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan at any one time. Does this square with your experience? (It would appear not .) Im getting married soon, and 3 months away from the family is a sacrifice Im willing to make, but 15 would be a huge strain. (Though I wont be out of school for 4 years, at which point Iraq may be a non-issue.) Do they treat married vs. single guys differently?
Once again, this may be recruiter BS, but they said that since the Army was in such short supply of dentists, it made it that much easier to get assigned where you wanted to be; the Army needs you worse than you need the Army, so well work with you, etc. was the standard line. Your opinion?
Im not opposed to PT (Im a bit of a gym rat), so that doesn't bother me, and Im assuming that all 3 branches are huge dysfunctional bureaucracies, but do you think the Army is more so than the others?
I dont want to defect to another branch, but some of the stuff Ive read about the Army gives me second thoughts. Any information or advice that yall could give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Basically, Id really appreciate one you dentists already on active duty with the Army to give me your opinions of the program and answer a few more questions.
BQuad, youre going to be in Iraq for 15 months? My recruiter said that 90-day rotations were the norm, and that only like 5% of Army dentists were deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan at any one time. Does this square with your experience? (It would appear not .) Im getting married soon, and 3 months away from the family is a sacrifice Im willing to make, but 15 would be a huge strain. (Though I wont be out of school for 4 years, at which point Iraq may be a non-issue.) Do they treat married vs. single guys differently?
Once again, this may be recruiter BS, but they said that since the Army was in such short supply of dentists, it made it that much easier to get assigned where you wanted to be; the Army needs you worse than you need the Army, so well work with you, etc. was the standard line. Your opinion?
Im not opposed to PT (Im a bit of a gym rat), so that doesn't bother me, and Im assuming that all 3 branches are huge dysfunctional bureaucracies, but do you think the Army is more so than the others?
I dont want to defect to another branch, but some of the stuff Ive read about the Army gives me second thoughts. Any information or advice that yall could give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2007
- Messages
- 185
- Reaction score
- 3
- Points
- 4,586
- Dentist
I hate to call someone a liar without having talked to them, but if what you say is true he is lying through his teeth.
Standard deployment for a general dentist is, at least for the time being, 15 months. Reservists do have 90 days deployments. I don't know how many dentists are actually in Iraq at a time, Dental Command won't even say, but I would guess that it is somewhere around 100, but that may include some Navy or Air Force dentists. 5% seems like that's the low end, but 10% might be too high.
They do not treat single dentists any different than those married with families. They are equally likely to get deployed and unless there is someone in your family near death or you have a family member with a severe medical condition that requires them to be near a hospital it will have no influence on assignments. You definitely cannot go anywhere you would like. Since the Army has fewer dentists, those slots are filled by civilian contractors, so it's not like there are open slots everywhere and you can have your choice. If you want to go to a big base, like Fort Hood, Fort Bragg, Fort Benning, you probably have a good chance of going there, if you want to go out West it will be tougher. It is true that the Army needs you more than you need the Army, but no one in charge is acting that way.
Bottom line, this is a life changing decision that you and your future wife need to make together. Unfortunately for my wife she met me after I had signed up, if she knew the last 4 years were going to be like this she probably never would have married me. If deployments continue, I would expect to be apart for at least a year during your commitment, you might get lucky and get a 6 month tour, expect to go wherever the Army sends you and make the best of it.
If it is just the deployment length that bothers you, look to the Air Force for 4-6 month tours. If that is too much, look into other repayment options, like Indian or Public Health Service. I have friends in private practice that are doing well and not having trouble paying off their loans either, and that's tuition from a private school. So consider all your options.
Good luck, I know it is a tough decision. Feel free to ask any more questions.
Standard deployment for a general dentist is, at least for the time being, 15 months. Reservists do have 90 days deployments. I don't know how many dentists are actually in Iraq at a time, Dental Command won't even say, but I would guess that it is somewhere around 100, but that may include some Navy or Air Force dentists. 5% seems like that's the low end, but 10% might be too high.
They do not treat single dentists any different than those married with families. They are equally likely to get deployed and unless there is someone in your family near death or you have a family member with a severe medical condition that requires them to be near a hospital it will have no influence on assignments. You definitely cannot go anywhere you would like. Since the Army has fewer dentists, those slots are filled by civilian contractors, so it's not like there are open slots everywhere and you can have your choice. If you want to go to a big base, like Fort Hood, Fort Bragg, Fort Benning, you probably have a good chance of going there, if you want to go out West it will be tougher. It is true that the Army needs you more than you need the Army, but no one in charge is acting that way.
Bottom line, this is a life changing decision that you and your future wife need to make together. Unfortunately for my wife she met me after I had signed up, if she knew the last 4 years were going to be like this she probably never would have married me. If deployments continue, I would expect to be apart for at least a year during your commitment, you might get lucky and get a 6 month tour, expect to go wherever the Army sends you and make the best of it.
If it is just the deployment length that bothers you, look to the Air Force for 4-6 month tours. If that is too much, look into other repayment options, like Indian or Public Health Service. I have friends in private practice that are doing well and not having trouble paying off their loans either, and that's tuition from a private school. So consider all your options.
Good luck, I know it is a tough decision. Feel free to ask any more questions.
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2007
- Messages
- 17
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
- Dental Student
Thanks for your speedy reply. I went back and looked up data that some Army people gave me. They said:
1) There are 950 Dental Corps officers in the Army; 45-50 deployed in the Middle East; so only about 25% of dentists have been sent. Do you think a disproportionate amount of those are fairly fresh out of school HPSP guys?
2) Tours are 12 months (but that was as of a few months ago when we spoke). Maybe the 90-day thing was for the reserves or the AF--sorry, I've gotten so much data from different places it all kind of runs together.
I also heard from another source that doing a General Dentistry Residency actually increases your chance of being deployed. Any truth to that?
My recruiter put me in contact with a couple of Army dentists to talk to a while back. We traded a few emails, and they were very complementary of the program. I don't blame the Army for wanting to represent it well, but I could also see that the recruiters might cherry-pick the happiest campers to talk to prospective HPSPs.
That sucks that deployments are not very equitably distributed. It seems like they'd get more recruits if they were able to give you fairly firm plans for deployment, instead of a relatively small number getting sent Iraq for 15 months while others stay at home.
Do you think it would be hard to get sent to Germany or Japan? Does being stationed overseas decrease the odds of being deployed apart from your family?
I hope it's okay that I'm asking so many questions. I really think that military dentistry is a great way to gain experience (and get school paid for), but I want to have as much info going into it as possible to put myself and my wife at ease. Thanks!
1) There are 950 Dental Corps officers in the Army; 45-50 deployed in the Middle East; so only about 25% of dentists have been sent. Do you think a disproportionate amount of those are fairly fresh out of school HPSP guys?
2) Tours are 12 months (but that was as of a few months ago when we spoke). Maybe the 90-day thing was for the reserves or the AF--sorry, I've gotten so much data from different places it all kind of runs together.
I also heard from another source that doing a General Dentistry Residency actually increases your chance of being deployed. Any truth to that?
My recruiter put me in contact with a couple of Army dentists to talk to a while back. We traded a few emails, and they were very complementary of the program. I don't blame the Army for wanting to represent it well, but I could also see that the recruiters might cherry-pick the happiest campers to talk to prospective HPSPs.
That sucks that deployments are not very equitably distributed. It seems like they'd get more recruits if they were able to give you fairly firm plans for deployment, instead of a relatively small number getting sent Iraq for 15 months while others stay at home.
Do you think it would be hard to get sent to Germany or Japan? Does being stationed overseas decrease the odds of being deployed apart from your family?
I hope it's okay that I'm asking so many questions. I really think that military dentistry is a great way to gain experience (and get school paid for), but I want to have as much info going into it as possible to put myself and my wife at ease. Thanks!
I'm reading these questions about deployments and residency programs.. well.. here's the scoop. There are some units in the dental corp that are meant entirely to deploy.. i.e... Fort Hood has one and I believe so does Fort Bragg... other units are based soley Conus.. like mine... Fort Benning. When a brigade, etc., in the army is deployed it has the option to "purchase" a dentist from the dental corp to go with them as a support feature. It sends it's request in to DENCOM and in turn the request is sent out for a "volunteer" to the regional commands. The way it works in the southeast region is that there are several bases.. Ft Jackson, Ft Benning, Ft Stewart etc. When there is a need for a 63A (general dentist) they rotate which post they need a permanently stationed denist from and the commander picks a lucky "volunteer." (ft jackons one year, then next year it's benning, then it's stewart.. you get the idea)
I will tell you this.. at Benning.. we usually have 3 of our CPT's deployed at any given time.. we had one volunteer himself for a 6 month deployment and he ended up going for a year... another got sent with a brigade and will be gone at minimum for 15 months.. maybe more since he is attached and that means that brigade owns him.
Deployments are scary when you have a family/wife etc. It's a hardship that you BOTH are going to have to deal with and I will tell you that it does place a strain on both of you. I have seen relationships/marriages go sour because of deployments.. but strong ones... they can work it out as well.
As for the residency program.. I will tell you that every resident I have seen graduate from Benning (Past 3 classes) has been assigned oversease.. i.e. Japan, Sinai, Korea, Germany. Each of those bearing a certain time requirement if you take orders. There were only a few who got to stay CONUS (continental united states). Taking the residency does place you above a 63A since you had additional training in the Army's eyes.. but I will tell you this.. it's the commander's discretion who stays and who goes.. if the resident is an idiot and the "alpha" is sharp.. it's not a mystery who's going to the sandbox.
The big problem now is that residency's are adding time onto your contract (unless you signed in before October of 2002.) Also.. food for thought.. if you want to do a residency but are unsure of repeating dental school x10... they are allowing CPT's to apply to the residency program after they have been in a year or two as well.. they are still hard up for applicants so you should still be able to get into a program later on if you don't take one after dental school.. They just passed that this year. It counts as a neutral year. No credit towards time in payback.. but it does count towards rank and pay.
If you have any questions.. let me know. I don't want to see another battle buddy make a mistake.
By the way BQuad is right.. I have a ton of friends in private practice and loan repayment is not an issue. They are not even breaking a sweat and some of them are not even working full time.
I will tell you this.. at Benning.. we usually have 3 of our CPT's deployed at any given time.. we had one volunteer himself for a 6 month deployment and he ended up going for a year... another got sent with a brigade and will be gone at minimum for 15 months.. maybe more since he is attached and that means that brigade owns him.
Deployments are scary when you have a family/wife etc. It's a hardship that you BOTH are going to have to deal with and I will tell you that it does place a strain on both of you. I have seen relationships/marriages go sour because of deployments.. but strong ones... they can work it out as well.
As for the residency program.. I will tell you that every resident I have seen graduate from Benning (Past 3 classes) has been assigned oversease.. i.e. Japan, Sinai, Korea, Germany. Each of those bearing a certain time requirement if you take orders. There were only a few who got to stay CONUS (continental united states). Taking the residency does place you above a 63A since you had additional training in the Army's eyes.. but I will tell you this.. it's the commander's discretion who stays and who goes.. if the resident is an idiot and the "alpha" is sharp.. it's not a mystery who's going to the sandbox.
The big problem now is that residency's are adding time onto your contract (unless you signed in before October of 2002.) Also.. food for thought.. if you want to do a residency but are unsure of repeating dental school x10... they are allowing CPT's to apply to the residency program after they have been in a year or two as well.. they are still hard up for applicants so you should still be able to get into a program later on if you don't take one after dental school.. They just passed that this year. It counts as a neutral year. No credit towards time in payback.. but it does count towards rank and pay.
If you have any questions.. let me know. I don't want to see another battle buddy make a mistake.
By the way BQuad is right.. I have a ton of friends in private practice and loan repayment is not an issue. They are not even breaking a sweat and some of them are not even working full time.
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2007
- Messages
- 185
- Reaction score
- 3
- Points
- 4,586
- Dentist
The latest stats I saw were about 30% of captains in the Dental Corps had deployed (most for a year) and about 30% of COL and LTC's had deployed (most for 6 months). The things is, these numbers are skewed because they don't include the captains who are assigned to those field units that always deploy. Almost all those dentists are captains and have deployed, but they weren't included in the above numbers. Deployments are definitely skewed towards the captains even if the percentages were right the senior officers have only done a third of the work in Iraq. I think you are most likely to deploy during your initial 4 year obligation.
I have heard dentists with the residency are more deployable, but there are no slots specifically for a residency trained dentist in Iraq, they are either for a general dentist or a specialist, so I'm not sure how true it is, but I'm here.
As for assignments, your chances of getting to Germany would be pretty good, Japan is tougher, another option is South Korea if you want to go to travel around Asia. If you take your wife, it would be a 2 year tour and should get you a spot down south, rather than up near the DMZ like I was. At the southern posts, you can still live off post, have a car, and have a lot of travel opportunities, probably not as nice as Japan but not bad. They are deploying people from Germany now, but not from Japan or Korea as far as I know.
Hope that helps.
I have heard dentists with the residency are more deployable, but there are no slots specifically for a residency trained dentist in Iraq, they are either for a general dentist or a specialist, so I'm not sure how true it is, but I'm here.
As for assignments, your chances of getting to Germany would be pretty good, Japan is tougher, another option is South Korea if you want to go to travel around Asia. If you take your wife, it would be a 2 year tour and should get you a spot down south, rather than up near the DMZ like I was. At the southern posts, you can still live off post, have a car, and have a lot of travel opportunities, probably not as nice as Japan but not bad. They are deploying people from Germany now, but not from Japan or Korea as far as I know.
Hope that helps.
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2007
- Messages
- 17
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
- Dental Student
Thanks for all the help, guys. I got the Army scholarship and am going to accept. I just feel that the Army is the right fit for me, it's nothing I can really explain. The wife is behind it, so we're going to go for it. Good luck in Iraq, BQuad. How are the facilities over there? Is it difficult practicing in the field? I'm sure it's rough now, but will be worthwhile in hindsight.
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2003
- Messages
- 84
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
Flakbait, hope for the best with your new Army Career,
How long did it take for approval once you submitted your application packet to Army Dental Board?
Thanx
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2007
- Messages
- 185
- Reaction score
- 3
- Points
- 4,586
- Dentist
Flakbait hope it works out well for you. It's definitely a good thing that your wife is with you.
Facilities over here are OK, we still actually have a few regular dental chairs instead of the field stuff, food and things okay, it just gets old and there's not much to do.
Facilities over here are OK, we still actually have a few regular dental chairs instead of the field stuff, food and things okay, it just gets old and there's not much to do.
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2007
- Messages
- 17
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
- Dental Student
Well, i submitted my app back over the summer and finally got approved in Sept. But, timing is everything, b/c i still had a few forms incomplete for the last round of boards so i had to wait for another cycle. they're still paying full tuition, but i won't be reimbursed my stipend for the month i missed.
the application process takes a while, FedEx-ing documents back and forth to sign (they pay for it). i was in class over the summer, so that got in the way. You could do it quicker than i did, but things weren't exactly speedy on their end either.
start good and early to make sure you get your stipend as soon as school starts.
the application process takes a while, FedEx-ing documents back and forth to sign (they pay for it). i was in class over the summer, so that got in the way. You could do it quicker than i did, but things weren't exactly speedy on their end either.
start good and early to make sure you get your stipend as soon as school starts.
