Can this be done?

[doc4sure]

I'm entering either DO or MD school next fall and am getting ready to apply for HPSP in the USAF or USA.

I have no problem with the military and all it entails, but I would be extremely bummed if I could not get a residency in EM.

I know there are no sure things, but how easy will it be for me to get into EM?

As a side issue, I am pretty confident that the DO/MD thing really doesn't matter so long as I produce in either one. However, if I am wrong about this please speak up.
Thanks!

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[Mirror Form]

EM is getting to be a very competitive specialty. It's still very possible to get into EM from a DO school, but as with all competitive specialities, it's usually a little easier to get into them if you're coming from an allopathic school. I'm friends with one EM resident at my school who has a DO. He's one of our best residents, but he told me he had to work his a$$ off to get in b/c it's hard to break into an allopathic residency from a DO medical school.

As far as getting into EM from Army HPSP, I can tell you that the army has some good EM training programs. Although they're only located in Texas and Washington state, which is kind of a bummer if you wanted to stay around the east coast or somewhere.

 

[bustbones26]

I suppose the only drawback of army EM is that they only have three programs. You have to choose five programs when you apply. So of course your number 4 and 5 will be comething else. But of course, you state on your application that your goal is to go into EM. This way they are more likely to grant you deferment if you get EM at a civ hospital.

I suppose the only advantage you have is this. If you do not match into EM with Army, you then go do the osteopathic match, and if you still don't match for EM, you go do the allopathic match. From what I have been told, the timeframes for applications work in this order. So you have three shots to get into EM.

But who knows what the future holds too. You might go into your third year of med school and decide you like something else.

 

[doc4sure]

Thanks for the info sledge n bones, I feel encouraged and that's a good thing.
I don't want to be guilty of opening the allo vs DO box again, but the idea advanced by bones regarding the 3-way possibility for DOs is something I hadn't thought of.

 

[edmadison]

EM is currently very hot in the Army, although these trends do wax and wane. It is current army policy that the type of degree an applicant will receive (MD vs DO) will have no bearing on his or her evaluation for residency selection. Of course, just because its policy doesn't necessarily mean that its practiced. On my Army rotations, however, I did see a number of DO residents in highly competitive specialties.

Ed

 

[The White Coat Investor]

I knew 5 of the people applying to EM last year in the AF. 4 of us got slots. The one that didn't was a D.O. I don't think that was the big strike he had against him.

If you're concerned, pay for school. EM doctors typically start out at a pay rate 100,000 higher than military docs. You can pay back those loans in no time. If you are really gung-ho military, you can always join in residency for nearly the same benefits.

 

[jnytrama]

Hello I'm currently an Active duty Navy ER TRAUMA NURSE. I'm also applying to Med School.

FYI for doc4sure, there is a LARGE number of DO's in the NAVY EM residency. It appears that a large number of our ER residents from from the Diving Medical Officer Community, and many of those have been DO's.

As a matter of fact, the physician in charge of the GME program for ER at Naval Medical Center in SD is a DO.

I hope this helps.

V/r

LT QUIKO

 

[jnytrama]

Oh and yeah to Desperado,

Even if you are making 230,000 a year outside of the military, once you take away fees for malpractice, medical insurance, taxes etc . . . you really don't make that much.

And if you are trying to pay back around $200,000.00 in loans, including compounding interest, and the fact that most of you will have families to support by then etc. . . this will take you the better part of the next 10-15 years to pay back. The math doesn't lie.

However if you do HPSP, you have NO LOANS to pay back except for any personal loans you take out for yourself. And those you CAN pay back in not time. (2-4 years).

I hope this helps.

V/r

LT QUIKO