appreciate your opinion! For some its not all about the money. We have people reach out frequently that they need a change, feel burnt out, or simply want the short term experience to serve. The money from these bonuses is simply to serve as an incentive rather than not give any incentive at all...
Not to be too contrary here
🙂 but I would generally interpret these as code phrases for people who are failing at their current job.
One of the things that annoys us on this forum, is that on an annual basis, we'll get a post from a civilian newly-graduated doctor who didn't match to a residency. The reasons they didn't match vary. Usually it's for academic reasons. Sometimes they're not sure (or they SAY they're not sure). And then they ask us how they can get into a military residency program, as if the military doesn't have any standards, and the inservice GME programs are dumping grounds for poor or troubled candidates.
When I was on active duty, I knew exactly one doctor in my specialty who left private practice to join the military (stated reason: looking for something interesting) and that person was a mess. Clinical and personal and professional (officer) problems.
I know ZERO doctors in my current group who would consider joining now. It's a ridiculous notion.
The thing is, good doctors who are working in the civilian sector are typically financially secure if not well off. A signing bonus isn't a compelling attractant. If they're professionally unfulfilled or unhappy, there are a million ways to address that with a change or move that don't involve a multi-year commitment to the military AND a pay cut. New job. More time off. Charity work at home or abroad.
The kind of "cool" things military medicine offers, in terms of travel to a remote place and taking care of needy locals in a tent ... so much easier to just sign up with Operation Smile and spend a couple weeks each year fixing cleft palates in central/south America or Africa or Asia or anywhere.
Add to that the absolute professional disaster that is military medicine practice now for most specialties (low case load, poor case variety, lack of support staff, absurd non-clinical duties, rigid hierarchy that carries risk of incompetent or malignant leaders that can't be escaped, deployments during which case load typically drops to zero, etc)... you're just not going to attract quality people.
You're offering an opportunity to serve, but there are a million ways to serve humanity and our country, and donate time and talent with more functional organizations, with shorter commitments, the freedom to leave, etc etc etc.
On the enlisted side, the military can and does often succeed by recruiting troubled people looking for stability, a fresh start, or a second chance after minor personal/employment/legal troubles. The discipline and structure of boot camp CAN fix some (young) people who are somewhat broken, and just never had structure or a mentor in their lives.
By the time someone is a fully trained doctor, practicing in the civilian world, if they're broken, they're TOTALLY ****ING BROKEN. These people either have no insight into how broken they are, or they get it, and are looking for a practice environment where they can do less clinical work, or skate by under looser scrutiny.
You've got a tough job as a recruiter and I've got no useful advice for recruiting residency-trained doctors. Just be aware that you're dealing with a whole different troubled can of worms (whatever they tell you) than the "troubled" high school grad thinking of enlisting in the military as a last resort to get away from unemployment or gangs or other issues.
