Army National Guard's new Med student program details.

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notdeadyet said:
People handle drill and med school fine. It's do-able, it's just a lot easier as a medical student rather than MOS qualified student.

What are you talking about when you say the "AMEDD program?" I'm not sure what you mean. You can join as a medical student and just drill or you can take funds as a medical student that require obligated payback by drilling throughout and after residency (google MDSSP).

But both require you to be an officer and therefore both will require you to be a U.S. citizen. So you can either try to get out of your enlistment (which you need to do before shipping off to basic) or serve it out and try to switch to direct commission to a med student MOS after you have your citizenship in hand. I don't know folks who have gone the latter route and can't give you advice on that.
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Depends on where you go to school for sure. I went to a school that was small and community based ( no residents or academic institution ) which means you will get to do EVERYTHING but you won't ha have free time either, including having a drill weekend available.
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375RGRRGT said:
Depends on where you go to school for sure. I went to a school that was small and community based ( no residents or academic institution ) which means you will get to do EVERYTHING but you won't ha have free time either, including having a drill weekend available.
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Sure, it depends on the medical school and it also really depends on the student. That said, I've yet to meet a medical student who couldn't scrape together a weekend in MS1 and MS2 each month with decent time management. MS3 is a lot trickier, particularly on things like medicine and surgery, though you typically have four off days per month and with enough notice most programs will try to schedule two together to give you a weekend (ugh, which is ugly). MS4 is as tough as you make it.

This is why a med student MOS is very important. When you're preparing for finals or have a rough MS3 month, missing a drill is critical, and with Flexi-Training, it's not hard to do. As an MOS-qualified soldier, this is a lot harder to do.
 
The possibility of deployment long term (if my unit is activated) in which case medical school has to be put off for a long time is my problem ...I certainly don't want that to happen before I am able to switch to medical student MOS which from my understanding can take between 3-6month after applying (of cos after getting my citizenship)...
 
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Are you talking about the cards? Reservists get 'em. If you mean the reader, you have to buy them, but they're about $20.
 
Yea, just the card. Keep seeing some sort of different ID for Guard/Reserve people than the one for AD folks and wasn't sure if we actually got CAC's or something different...

Thanks, guess I better get an appointment to renew mine.
 
Same ID. Mine only shows I'm Army. No distinction between active and reserve. I think the old ones from before used to show but they don't now.
 
mmmoney said:
The possibility of deployment long term (if my unit is activated) in which case medical school has to be put off for a long time is my problem ...I certainly don't want that to happen before I am able to switch to medical student MOS which from my understanding can take between 3-6month after applying (of cos after getting my citizenship)...
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That's the issue.
 
Hello all!

I'm a 4th year medical student who was in the ASR program.

I called USAA today about the Cadet Loan and was told I was ineligible because I was more than a year past my initial commission date in 2009 and because I was getting active duty pay and not a stipend like HPSP.

I read in a post someone was told we're also eligible within a year of graduation and that other ASR people have gotten the loans. I was wondering if anyone in the latter category got approved after disclosing their initial commission date and their active duty pay history.

USAA told me if I can provide them a name of someone who was approved under "graduation commission date with prior active duty pay" they'll approve me. Any takers?

I'm hoping to get the loan and help my little brother who has been "between jobs" for longer than he expected.

Thanks guys!
 
x2!

I also was told I'm ineligible for the same reason and would love to have access to a low-cost loan.
 
ohio23 said:
I called USAA today about the Cadet Loan and was told I was ineligible because I was more than a year past my initial commission date in 2009 and because I was getting active duty pay and not a stipend like HPSP.
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I'm a former ASR and took the loan. It was called the New Officer or New Career loan or somesuch. I don't know anything about the active duty pay thing, but I do know that a requirement was that you had to be within 12 months of commissioning. I haven't heard anything about your eligibility being within a year of graduation, only within a year of commissioning.

This was a common loan for many of us to take.
 
Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA) is back...I just graduated medical school. It is not retroactive and only applys for classes starting on 11 April 2013 and onwards. Any chance I can get FTA while in residency?
 
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Hi! So I have read through this forum and it seems that people are referencing the last few pages to get information about joining the National Guard. It was a few years ago so I have skimmed through and have gotten some information. I was wondering where exactly on these 65 pages of thread is the NG info..

Basically, I am an IM resident starting July and I am interested in potentially joining the National Guard.

Before I speak to a recruiter, I had a few basic questions and I am hoping for a brief response..I know my questions are broad.

1) If I do 3 years of IM residency and few more years (2-3) of fellowship what will my obligations to the NG look like? it seems it is based on my repayment plans for loans- STRAP, HCLR?

2) I understand you can be deployed. What are my chances of that if I join now having just graduated and starting residency in a month.

I am married so basically these are my concerns. The money sounds good, but my only reservation has always been deployment possibilities. I don't mind being a civilian responder and serving my state in natural disasters, but I am concerned about deployment out of the country. That is a huge commitment that makes this decision hard. Before I speak to anyone can someone shed some info in that..

I don't mind doing drills and all of the other requirements.

Thanks for your time!
 
It's really simple. If deploying out of the country is a deal breaker for you, stay the hell out of the military. It's like saying you want to be a physician but not deal with bodily fluids or people. Sure you can maneuver to minimize that aspect of the career but you have to expect to put in your time at some point.

The Guard and Reserves are not the boyscouts; it's still the military. The whole point of drilling is to keep you ready to deploy. It's not an end in and of itself...
 
MDbear said:
I was wondering where exactly on these 65 pages of thread is the NG info..
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This thread probably isn't the best source for general information about current programs. You should probably contact a recruiter for more information, if you want to know about current incentives, etc.

MDbear said:
1) If I do 3 years of IM residency and few more years (2-3) of fellowship what will my obligations to the NG look like? it seems it is based on my repayment plans for loans- STRAP, HCLR?
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Yes, your commitment depends on the incentives you accept. Generally, more incentives --> more commitment.

MDbear said:
2) I understand you can be deployed. What are my chances of that if I join now having just graduated and starting residency in a month.

[...] I don't mind being a civilian responder and serving my state in natural disasters, but I am concerned about deployment out of the country.
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The previous post addressed this in blunt terms -- you should not join if you cannot accept the possibility of deployment. The National Guard nowadays deploys regularly, and would almost certainly want you to do so before your commitment was up. That said, the current policy is to not involuntarily deploy residents and to try not to deploy fellows. You can probably also negotiate a fair amount about when you deploy, etc., though I don't know this first hand.

If you want to be of service in domestic natural disasters, etc., I believe that you can volunteer for your state Guard or something, though you will not be paid or will be paid very little, won't get the other incentives, etc.
 
MDbear said:
Hi! So I have read through this forum and it seems that people are referencing the last few pages to get information about joining the National Guard. It was a few years ago so I have skimmed through and have gotten some information. I was wondering where exactly on these 65 pages of thread is the NG info.
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All of the information should be about the National Guard. The older pages in the thread, however, refer to National Guard programs that are either no longer around (e.g.: ASR) or have changed (e.g.: MDSSP).

MDbear said:
1) If I do 3 years of IM residency and few more years (2-3) of fellowship what will my obligations to the NG look like? it seems it is based on my repayment plans for loans- STRAP, HCLR?
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You are right. It depends on your incentives. If you take NO incentives, and only take drill money ($350-$550/weekend, depending on where you drill and a few other factors), you are only obligated to the 6 years of drilling time. So you could theoretically be done with your drilling obligation by the time you finished.

If you take STRAP ($2K/month) for residency and during a 2 year fellowship, you will owe 10 years of drilling time after fellowship, all of which will be deployable. If you take HPLRP (the $40K/year loan repayment), you will only be able to take it when you are in deployable status (e.g.: post-fellowship), unless you are in a specialtiy in the critical wartime shortage list, in which case you can take it in your PGY-3+ years while taking STRAP.
MDbear said:
2) I understand you can be deployed. What are my chances of that if I join now having just graduated and starting residency in a month.
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It will take you 3-6 months just to get your commission. You will not be deployable. The NG also will not deploy you during residency (per policy). Whether or not they can deploy you during fellowship is decided on a case-by-case basis. And it's a crapshoot as to what the deployment tempo will be like in 3 years.
MDbear said:
I am married so basically these are my concerns. The money sounds good, but my only reservation has always been deployment possibilities. I don't mind being a civilian responder and serving my state in natural disasters, but I am concerned about deployment out of the country. That is a huge commitment that makes this decision hard. Before I speak to anyone can someone shed some info in that..
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Do not join if deployment is a deal breaker. The National Guard exists for deployment. It's not all about wading through flood waters or fighting forest fires. These are little perks, but the main job in the Guard (or any branch of the military) is the ability to fight wars. If you are not willing to deploy at some point, you shouldn't join.

Besides, you will be deployable for many years if you take any incentive plan the Guard (or Reserve... or Acitve Corps...) offer. The military does not give you money for nothing.
 
notdeadyet said:
Do not join if deployment is a deal breaker. The National Guard exists for deployment. It's not all about wading through flood waters or fighting forest fires. These are little perks, but the main job in the Guard (or any branch of the military) is the ability to fight wars. If you are not willing to deploy at some point, you shouldn't join.

Besides, you will be deployable for many years if you take any incentive plan the Guard (or Reserve... or Acitve Corps...) offer. The military does not give you money for nothing.
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How does the possibility of deployment for 90 days look for a potential employer after residency is over (probably EM for me if that makes a difference)?
 
Renaissance Man said:
How does the possibility of deployment for 90 days look for a potential employer after residency is over (probably EM for me if that makes a difference)?
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My impression is that this varies a lot by employer. Some are so supportive that they will make up the difference in your salary when you deploy (because you'll very likely get paid less by Uncle Sam than by your civilian job), will hold your job for you, etc. Some will surely be very unhappy with you doing this and will do everything they legally can to avoid hiring you or to let you go. I assume that in EM you'll run into fewer problems than, say, in a two-person family medicine practice.
 
Hi there, I am strongly strongly considering signing up for the MDSSP program through the guard. I will be attending a state school with a 25K a year academic scholarship, so the HPSP seems like overkill to me. However, the approximately 25K a year from the Guard and the 4500 educational stipend would cover the remainder of my tuition and all of my living costs, effectively giving me a debt-free situation like the HPSP. However, my primary concern is less about deployment itself, drilling, or money, but more about employability down the road? Can any of you speak to how being in the Guard as a physician has affected how likely you are to be employed or how you are looked at by your employer? I am (currently) considering academic medicine (medical genetics), but I am also interested in a variety of other fields. I'd like to know how the Guard affects the various different medical employment environments. Thanks so much!
 
rockytopsw said:
Hi there, I am strongly strongly considering signing up for the MDSSP program through the guard. I will be attending a state school with a 25K a year academic scholarship, so the HPSP seems like overkill to me. However, the approximately 25K a year from the Guard and the 4500 educational stipend would cover the remainder of my tuition and all of my living costs, effectively giving me a debt-free situation like the HPSP. However, my primary concern is less about deployment itself, drilling, or money, but more about employability down the road? Can any of you speak to how being in the Guard as a physician has affected how likely you are to be employed or how you are looked at by your employer? I am (currently) considering academic medicine (medical genetics), but I am also interested in a variety of other fields. I'd like to know how the Guard affects the various different medical employment environments. Thanks so much!
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While it is illegal to discriminate against you in hiring practices, proving that discrimination is essentially impossible. Finding employment in a large group that can absorb the challenge of staffing around your occasional deployment will be the trick. That may be difficult in a specialty like medical genetics where I have to imagine a "large group" would be 2 or 3.
 
For those of us who are going to be in the guard for the long haul I wanted to see what the thoughts were on CCC and ILE? I managed to get into CCC and am getting mixed on whether docs need ILE to continue promotion up to O6. Does anyone have any info on promotion reqs for O5 & O6 as it pertains to docs?
 
SouthernDO2EM said:
For those of us who are going to be in the guard for the long haul I wanted to see what the thoughts were on CCC and ILE? I managed to get into CCC and am getting mixed on whether docs need ILE to continue promotion up to O6. Does anyone have any info on promotion reqs for O5 & O6 as it pertains to docs?
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My inexperienced $0.02:

Whether you need it or not, if you're going to be in the Guard for the long haul you're probably better off playing the game. Promotions and positions aside, it's going to be easier to get your command to work with you when you need it if you're keeping your boxes checked.
 
rockytopsw said:
Hi there, I am strongly strongly considering signing up for the MDSSP program through the guard. I will be attending a state school with a 25K a year academic scholarship, so the HPSP seems like overkill to me. However, the approximately 25K a year from the Guard and the 4500 educational stipend would cover the remainder of my tuition and all of my living costs, effectively giving me a debt-free situation like the HPSP. However, my primary concern is less about deployment itself, drilling, or money, but more about employability down the road? Can any of you speak to how being in the Guard as a physician has affected how likely you are to be employed or how you are looked at by your employer? I am (currently) considering academic medicine (medical genetics), but I am also interested in a variety of other fields. I'd like to know how the Guard affects the various different medical employment environments. Thanks so much!
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$4500 educational stipend?
 
DeadCactus said:
Federal Tuition Assistance, covers up to $4500 a year of qualifying tuition. Last I checked, MD's were applicable but they would only cover a total of about 44 hours toward a graduate degree.
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Ah, thought maybe there is something other than FTA. I think the cutoff is 39 credits now.
 
Anyone have a link to the document that states residents can start getting loan repayment at the start of the 2nd year of residency? I am a previous ASR student, and I've finished my MSO (prior service), so I have no obligation time. I was told that I could draw the loan repayment then, and since I only have about 36k, I figured I'd pay the minimum monthly until my 2nd year and then have the military cover the rest.
 
koojo said:
Anyone have a link to the document that states residents can start getting loan repayment at the start of the 2nd year of residency?
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It doesn't work that way. Unless you're on STRAP (in which case you can potentially start taking HPLRP as a PGY-3), you can not take loan repayment until you are board eligible.
koojo said:
I am a previous ASR student, and I've finished my MSO (prior service), so I have no obligation time. I was told that I could draw the loan repayment then, and since I only have about 36k, I figured I'd pay the minimum monthly until my 2nd year and then have the military cover the rest.
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So the way it works is that when you're eligible for HPLRP at the end of residency, you sign a letter of intent to remain in the military in deployable status. A year after this has been signed, the military will wipe out $40K of federal loan debt. The point is that during this year, you would still be obligated to make your monthly nut.

You also still need to pay taxes on that $40K. Hope this helps...
 
I thought something about that was fishy. I don't plan on taking STRAP.
Well this is another case of people not knowing what they are talking about. Thanks again!
 
koojo said:
I thought something about that was fishy. I don't plan on taking STRAP.
Well this is another case of people not knowing what they are talking about. Thanks again!
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Yeah, I had our state education person contact me telling me congrats, now that I finished internship, I could take HPLRP. I was excited with reservations, but asked him to inquire further and he then came back with the news of not being eligible until post-residency. Ah well...
 
Former ASR here. Here's the situation:

I'm about to begin internship in a different states from where I commissioned. I've been going through the process of IST, but was notified today that there are no medical slots open for me in my new state. It doesn't appear that I will be able to transfer my affiliation.

What are my options?
 
That sounds crazy...how can they not have slots for docs?
 
I have another question for MDSSP and ASR folks. I was told by the recruiter in my area that the Guard can utilize virtually any specialty that works with people. However, he noted to me that the Guard (at least in my area) cannot use pathologists or anesthesiologists for example. I asked him what would happen if I entered the MDSSP program and elected to pursue one of these specialties, but he did not give me a straight answer. Could any of you tell me what would happen in this situation? How would my commitment be served? Would they send me to the Reserves? Thanks in advance for any insight into this!
 
rockytopsw said:
I have another question for MDSSP and ASR folks. I was told by the recruiter in my area that the Guard can utilize virtually any specialty that works with people. However, he noted to me that the Guard (at least in my area) cannot use pathologists or anesthesiologists for example.
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True. The Guard is primarily combat support, so if you're not in a specialty they DO use, you need to be in one that can backfill a batallion surgeon, which most specialties can. But anesthesiologists, pathologists, radiologists, etc. can not and are therefore SOL.
rockytopsw said:
I asked him what would happen if I entered the MDSSP program and elected to pursue one of these specialties, but he did not give me a straight answer.
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You would be transfered to the Reserve. Happens all the time. They'd be happy to have you.
 
Hi,
I have tried searching for answers on the forum but I believe my situation is a bit unusual. So I enlisted in the national guard before starting medical school and I must say it was and is still a terrible decision I am still dealing with at the moment. My unit is uncooperative about missing drills to study for finals and this is taking a toll on my academic performance. So far I am basically passing classes and staying afloat. I have however initiated my application for the AMEDD program and just completed my physicals and optometry tests. How far am I from getting commissioned away from this nightmare that I am having to deal with on regular basis. Sometimes I think about just not showing up and getting dishonorably discharged but my thinking is the consequence might be grave. Anyone has any advice to offer? Thanks in advance!
 
If you are in medical school you should be transferred to the AMEDD unit now for flex training policy. Be proactive now and call the AMEDD unit and get transferred. If you already are in an AMEDD unit and that's how you are treated then I'm sorry but your state sucks then.
 
375RGRRGT said:
If you are in medical school you should be transferred to the AMEDD unit now for flex training policy. Be proactive now and call the AMEDD unit and get transferred. If you already are in an AMEDD unit and that's how you are treated then I'm sorry but your state sucks then.
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It's not that simple. Flexi training applies to folks in medical student slots. If he enlisted as a 68W, he will be treated as a medic (and rightly so) until he follows the steps to get his MOS changed. He will need to be commissioned, placed in Medical Services Corps, and be given an AOC of medical student.

Only after that occurs will flexi training apply, and even then, it's up to the discretion of his CO. The study-at-drill every other month is not as common as folks like to portray.
 
mmmoney said:
My unit is uncooperative about missing drills to study for finals and this is taking a toll on my academic performance. So far I am basically passing classes and staying afloat.
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I realize that it's too late for you, but hopefully this will be yet another reminder for folks that enlisting while preparing for medical school or while in med school is bad juju. Many to most units will not let you skip drill because you have a test to study for. The military is not know for being lax about military commitments and when your enlisted your duties are those of your MOS, not your dream of becoming a doctor. It doesn't gel well with trying to focus so much on getting into medicine.
mmmoney said:
I have however initiated my application for the AMEDD program and just completed my physicals and optometry tests. How far am I from getting commissioned away from this nightmare that I am having to deal with on regular basis.
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It depends on your state and backlog. If you don't need waivers, it should just be a couple of months, typically. This is also assuming that your current chain of command doesn't object to your reclassify, which might depend on how in demand your MOS is.
mmmoney said:
Sometimes I think about just not showing up and getting dishonorably discharged but my thinking is the consequence might be grave.
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Not a good idea. Potentially very grave consequences. And it's also a $hitty thing to do since you gave your word and signed a contract. That has the potential to really hurt you the next time you apply for a job and someone has to make a character judgment.

This is likely to be one of those take your lumps for making a bad decision things. You're taking the steps to try to correct it. Not much else you can do.
mmmoney said:
Anyone has any advice to offer? Thanks in advance!
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Keep on doing what your doing and be very careful to avoid coming across as if you're owed something, as at can be the kiss of death here. You're politely asking to get out of your enlistment obligation to become an officer. You're requesting something of superior officers that you're not owed. Polite and patient is the way to go.
 
I have a question that I hope someone here will be able to answer. I am planning on doing the MDSSP program and I am currently enlisted in the National Guard. I talked with an AMEDD recruiter and he said that I can't even apply for MDSSP until I start medical school and I probably won't start getting benefits until the 2nd semester of school because of that. I currently have an acceptance to the school I will be attending is there any way to apply now so that I can start the program the 1st semester of school?

Another question how often does the MDSSP board meet?

If I can't do that then I want to direct commission and have the med student MOS so that I am non-deployable when I start school, but he said I can't direct commission until I've been approved for MDSSP. Is this the case or can I get the commission once school starts?

Thanks in advance for you help and if he is wrong what should I say to him so that I can get this stuff taken care of?
 
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From the very beginning of this thread, how times change.

What's this CME trip stuff about?
  • The Army will reimburse it's medical personnel to attend a CME conference once a year. You should check with your state but as a medical student I am eligible to use this money subject to approval. A trip can be reimbursed up to $2500. Details are somewhat complicated but essentially you are reimbursed for travel, hotel, registration, and even get a daily per diem to cover food and what not. I am trying to figure out if this can be used to pay for a Step 1 course but have yet to get an answer.
 
QuantumQuark said:
I am planning on doing the MDSSP program and I am currently enlisted in the National Guard. I talked with an AMEDD recruiter and he said that I can't even apply for MDSSP until I start medical school and I probably won't start getting benefits until the 2nd semester of school because of that. I currently have an acceptance to the school I will be attending is there any way to apply now so that I can start the program the 1st semester of school?
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Sorry for missing this question...

You were talking with an AMEDD Officer recruiter for the Guard? There is not reason they can't start processing your application. The policy language reads that MDSSP is available to "medical and dental students unconditionally accepted into the educational program for which they seek funding." So once you have a confirmed acceptance to a school you intend to go, you should be good to go.
QuantumQuark said:
Another question how often does the MDSSP board meet?
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No clue. But your process should be smoother since you're already enlisted. Plan 3-5 months to be safe.
QuantumQuark said:
If I can't do that then I want to direct commission and have the med student MOS so that I am non-deployable when I start school, but he said I can't direct commission until I've been approved for MDSSP. Is this the case or can I get the commission once school starts?
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Also not true. You can direct commission as soon as you are a medical student. You do not need to be on MDSSP. One does not have anything to do with the other.

QuantumQuark said:
Thanks in advance for you help and if he is wrong what should I say to him so that I can get this stuff taken care of?
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Ask him if he can supply you with a copy of the ARNG AMEDD Officer Incentives Policy. It details all the specifics of MDSSP, including the one I listed above.

Also, did he tell you that with MDSSP, the payback is different than it was a few years ago? You now accumulate 2 years for every 1 year of benefits and the payback portion does not begin until after you finish residency? (Payback used to start when you finished medical school).
 
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Thanks for the thorough answers to my questions notdeadyet. I actually found the AMEDD Direct Accession SOP online and so I kept pressing the recruiter and he finally "figured out" that I could actually apply once I was accepted. I think I may be the first person that he has helped through this process because he seems very unsure about everything. I'm also glad to hear that if I don't happen to be selected by the board for the MDSSP stipend I can still commission because the last thing I want to do is be deployed during med school. I did know about the payback, but I don't mind the NG commitment, I've already been in for a while so I'll just stick around until I hit 20. Thanks again!
 
I'm an OMS-I at OU-HCOM and talked with a friend in the National Guard yesterday about joining in the upcoming year. I've been reading through this forum, but I'm not sure which details are current and which are old. I am hoping that you guys could quickly list off some details about the perks of the program, the contractual obligations, and residency details. Thanks!
 
ayoung1390 said:
I'm an OMS-I at OU-HCOM and talked with a friend in the National Guard yesterday about joining in the upcoming year. I've been reading through this forum, but I'm not sure which details are current and which are old. I am hoping that you guys could quickly list off some details about the perks of the program, the contractual obligations, and residency details. Thanks!
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I think that this link below has the most accurate and succinct summary of the benefits available in the Army National Guard. Whether you are a medical student, resident or physician. This will help you see all of the benefits available and decide the best route for you given your circumstances.

http://whitecoatinvestor.com/army-national-guard-physicians/
 
ayoung1390 said:
I'm an OMS-I at OU-HCOM and talked with a friend in the National Guard yesterday about joining in the upcoming year. I've been reading through this forum, but I'm not sure which details are current and which are old. I am hoping that you guys could quickly list off some details about the perks of the program, the contractual obligations, and residency details. Thanks!
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Which program?

ASR (AMEDD Student Recruiter) is defunct and not coming back. The only other program for Guardsmen in medical school is MDSSP.

Personally, unless you already have prior military service, I think that MDSSP (the program for medical students) is a pretty lousy deal. You get a stipend of about $2100/month during medical school, for a 2:1 payback that starts AFTER residency. So say you join in your second year of medical school. You'll receive three years of the stipend in medical school. During medical school, you will be drilling at least every other month. How often and type of drill varies dramatically by state and command. Some states have you just come in every other month and study. Other states expect you at drill every month unless you have a pressing excuse and while drilling they keep you busy. At least every other year you will be required to go to an annual training for 2 weeks. You will also drill throughout residency. You have the same drill schedule mentioned above, but after your medical license comes sometime in your PGY-2 year, you can actually work as a physician in the Guard, which is nice. After residency is finished, then you will begin paying back your obligation of six years drilling status.

So if you do a four year residency and take benefits for 3 years of medical school, you are looking to drill in the National Guard for a total of 13 years for the sake of the $73K in benefits you took back when. Alternately, you can join in residency and get the same stipend with the same drill schedule. It is also 2:1 obligation (so it would be 6 years of drilling status for 3 years of payments). This program is called STRAP.

There are other benefits such as HPLRP (the student loan repayment plan) which pays back $40K/year for up to $240K but you can't take this until you finish residency (in most cases). But you can't take it while you're paying back MDSSP or STRAP.

Hope this helps. If you have any questions, feel free to post them....
 
notdeadyet said:
Which program?

ASR (AMEDD Student Recruiter) is defunct and not coming back. The only other program for Guardsmen in medical school is MDSSP.

Personally, unless you already have prior military service, I think that MDSSP (the program for medical students) is a pretty lousy deal. You get a stipend of about $2100/month during medical school, for a 2:1 payback that starts AFTER residency. So say you join in your second year of medical school. You'll receive three years of the stipend in medical school. During medical school, you will be drilling at least every other month. How often and type of drill varies dramatically by state and command. Some states have you just come in every other month and study. Other states expect you at drill every month unless you have a pressing excuse and while drilling they keep you busy. At least every other year you will be required to go to an annual training for 2 weeks. You will also drill throughout residency. You have the same drill schedule mentioned above, but after your medical license comes sometime in your PGY-2 year, you can actually work as a physician in the Guard, which is nice. After residency is finished, then you will begin paying back your obligation of six years drilling status.

So if you do a four year residency and take benefits for 3 years of medical school, you are looking to drill in the National Guard for a total of 13 years for the sake of the $73K in benefits you took back when. Alternately, you can join in residency and get the same stipend with the same drill schedule. It is also 2:1 obligation (so it would be 6 years of drilling status for 3 years of payments). This program is called STRAP.

There are other benefits such as HPLRP (the student loan repayment plan) which pays back $40K/year for up to $240K but you can't take this until you finish residency (in most cases). But you can't take it while you're paying back MDSSP or STRAP.

Hope this helps. If you have any questions, feel free to post them....
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I have some questions if people don't mind. I am an OMS-1 finishing up and I am pretty much almost done with the applying process. Just waiting on the word to get commissioned but 2 questions just popped into my head when I had time to actually think.

1. BOLC, I know its usually in June and once a year but my Command is telling me the chances of me shipping out to BOLC this summer is slim. This is concerning because I thought if I commissioned early, I could go this summer and that would solve my issue. I don't want to do this training in my 2nd year before my boards because I feel like that's suicide. My 3rd year, I doubt I even get a break during the summer. Any one have any suggestions on how to proceed? They said it's 36 months from the time I commission to get my training done.

2. Yearly FTXs, are we excused from them? Usually when are they?

Thanks for your help
 
Gsun88 said:
1. BOLC, I know its usually in June and once a year but my Command is telling me the chances of me shipping out to BOLC this summer is slim. This is concerning because I thought if I commissioned early, I could go this summer and that would solve my issue. I don't want to do this training in my 2nd year before my boards because I feel like that's suicide. My 3rd year, I doubt I even get a break during the summer. Any one have any suggestions on how to proceed? They said it's 36 months from the time I commission to get my training done.
Click to expand...
Class 144 is in June, Class 145 is in late July. It is offered six times this year, which is typical, and it's 26 days long.

If you can't do it after your first year of medical school, your options are to do it after your second year of medical school, or during your third or fourth year.

After your first year of medical school, this might get in the way of Step 1 study (or whatever DOs have). How big an impact that will be is up to you. Everyone initially talks about wanting to spend months getting ready for it, but realistically, very few study more than 4 weeks full time as you just burn-out. That said, you will have a fair bit of time to study during BOLC here and there.

After that, you would likely need to go to BOLC during your third year of medical school. As most DO programs have a very (ahem) fluid third year schedule, this might not be a problem. You would need to go to your school and ask to defer a third year rotation into fourth year and use the time to go to BOLC. This happens a fair bit. Many programs also have third year elective time in which you could do this.
Gsun88 said:
2. Yearly FTXs, are we excused from them? Usually when are they?
Click to expand...
They are two weeks long and vary from state-to-state and unit-to-unit. Some HQ units do work as usual at headquarters, other units are training somewhere remote and buggy. It depends.

As a medical student, you are typically under Flexi-Training policy, which means you are required to go to roughly every other drill and every other AT (FTX). How tough your unit is on this is dependent on the unit.

Hope this helps...
 
I was wondering if anyone could help me out with a few questions. I have been accepted to medical school, and will begin this coming August:

1) What if the state I am considering joining in does not have a medical unit to drill with (ie Kentucky)?
2) One of the medical schools I am considering is in the middle of nowhere (ie more than 50 miles from a medical unit). I've heard of APMC and IMA (DIMA?/ Equivalent Training) as means to fulfill drill. What are they and how might they apply?
3) I've heard of the Reserves having sublimely flexible drill. How are they different from the ARNG? I'm not trying to avoid drill- I think it could be quite enjoyable. I am just worried about getting in over my head, especially when residency begins.
4) In a time of conflict or war, would I, as a physician, be able to volunteer individually for deployment, or would that only happen with my unit?

Thank you so much! This thread has been invaluable in helping me make my decision to join the Guard. Notdeadyet, I think I've read just about everything you've posted on this site- you are an amazing resource.
 
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