Class of 2014!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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This is somewhat related to your decision Taty, but I have a friend who went through dental school thanks to the Army, and 95% of his Fb statuses involves the f word and how much he hates the military, so just be VERY careful and sure of what you're doing before committing.

I'm sure you'll come to a good decision though. 🙂
 
Tatastrophy said:
I think it would be really cool to train with AF...esp with my interests
I know sounds dumb but I am not too worried about deployment...
70k is captain's pay....thats what I would be getting if i do an Air Force residency....i can always choose a civilian residency (which I would do if I end up wanting do be a neurosurgeon, ENT etc) but get paid civilian pay.

Thanks for bringing up the reserve issue....I want to ask all the possible questions before committing
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as someone who's also been interested in the military for a while, there are other issues too on top of residency, length of commitment, GMO billet, etc. things like allegiance, esp for immigrants like us - if you're deployed to war against russia, would you have no hesitation? frequent moves, impact on family, etc etc etc.. the list is long.. just take a LOOOOOONG time to think about it. a military residency from what i've heard and read can pretty severely hamper your civilian career depending on field.

A quick search shows an O3 with 4 years of experience (at start of residency for HPSP) is $56,674
 
bleargh said:
also, i'm rather certain with hpsp you HAVE to apply to a military match FIRST, right? civilian deferments possible but not guaranteed.
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I spoke to a recently grad doc who didn't match the specialty he wanted in AF, so he went through civilian later on and matched through that instead...

Sentinel said:
Yea we aren't trying to dissuade you tatsy - just pointing out issues we saw. I was seriously considering it too (AF as well), but decided against it because of the uncertainty inherent in some of the clauses. But hell - quite a few people do it every year, so I'm sure it is good - but like you said too - +1 for reading that fine print 😀
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I know you guys in a similar situation and you have raised valid concerns that I also had. I asked those questions and just reporting back what I found out.

I still have time and the recruiter person is getting me in touch with docs that have gone through this...the guy I spoke with already was very candid and hopefully ill be able to get some more info.

Sentinel said:
If I remember right, it's rare that docs are sent to the war zone (it's not like in TV). Docs are too valuable to be placed in the war zone - especially surgeons etc. But some paramedic/ER docs are placed in the field (obviously) - but usually a bit further back in camp at a "safer" spot.
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Yea...from what the doc i spoke with told me, I will prob get sent overseas but I am in no way at the frontline of the action and am very well protected..
 
brooklynblunder said:
i mean if you save/invest your stipend of $24k a year, you could come out with a good amount of cash
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or...i can eat
brooklynblunder said:
can you practice anywhere after you serve?
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no limitations...free as a bird
bleargh said:
as someone who's also been interested in the military for a while, there are other issues too on top of residency, length of commitment, GMO billet, etc. things like allegiance, esp for immigrants like us - if you're deployed to war against russia, would you have no hesitation? frequent moves, impact on family, etc etc etc.. the list is long.. just take a LOOOOOONG time to think about it. a military residency from what i've heard and read can pretty severely hamper your civilian career depending on field.

A quick search shows an O3 with 4 years of experience (at start of residency for HPSP) is $56,674
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My brother is in NG...I've seen some of the quirks that I am sure I will have to deal with myself. Thanks bleargh...I honestly appreciate your input, I don't really want to sign up for something I end up hating. I knwo there will be some downsides, I am just trying to see whether it is still a good option for me. Right now, it looks pretty good. But I def dont want to eff myself over without realizin it.
brooklynblunder said:
if u do military residency it counts as time served though right?
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yep
 
Damn I've only been awake for four hours but it feels more like 14.
 
brooklynblunder said:
if u do military residency it counts as time served though right?
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My understanding is that your commitment does not include residency, regardless of residency. In other words, the military will not let you get away with doing a military residency and then calling it quits.
 
TooMuchResearch said:
My understanding is that your commitment does not include residency, regardless of residency. In other words, the military will not let you get away with doing a military residency and then calling it quits.
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TMR is correct from what I researched like a year ago
 
Sentinel said:
.. you woke up at noon?!
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😳 I'm on summer vacation, ok!?

I also just realized you don't even have 1k posts yet. Now's the time to catch up! (or in the nighttime when I'm almost always on)
 
FloatOn said:
😳 I'm on summer vacation, ok!?

I also just realized you don't even have 1k posts yet. Now's the time to catch up! (or in the nighttime when I'm almost always on)
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Hah I don't post much because it's rare I have useful information.

And yea you young'ns and your summer vacation. I'm still working for my office till the 25th. Then I'll be unemployed and it'll be sad 🙁
 
Sentinel said:
Hah I don't post much because it's rare I have useful information.

And yea you young'ns and your summer vacation. I'm still working for my office till the 25th. Then I'll be unemployed and it'll be sad 🙁
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I've enjoyed my unemployment of almost a month. I've been pretty busy until this past week, though.
 
brooklynblunder said:
so you still have to do 3 years?
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This should help and seems pretty accurate based on what I've read on my own:

Perrotfish said:
This is more complicated than you want it to be, but make sure you read this and understand it before you accept anything:

Service for HPSP:

First, be aware that if you take HPSP you have to through the military match, and take their residencies even if there is a civilian residency that you would rather have. You can apply for the opportunity to participate in the civilian match instead, but these opportunities are rarely granted. The odds of matching into certain specialties in the military match are not always the same as in the civilian match. Mostly they're very close, and a few give you slightly better odds, but there are a few residencies (EM in particular) that are significantly harder to get into the military, and a few (dual residencies like IM/Peds) which are not available at all without a deferment to the civilian match.

If you go through the military residency system, the time you owe the military at the end of residency is either the legth of your residency (not counting the first, or 'intern' year) or the number of years of medical school they paid for, whchever is more. If you get a deferment and do a civilian residency you owe the number of years they paid for in medical school no matter what.

However the Navy residency system mostly works the way the civilian residency system worked a generation ago, meaning you don't match
into an entire residency, you just match into an intern year and then apply for the rest of residency at the end of that intern year. If you don't match at all at the end of intern year, which is not only a real possibility but actually happens to the majority of military docs, you go do what is caused a GMO tour for at least two years. This means being a sort of basic primary care physician for a group of warfighters (pilots, marines, the doc on a ship, etc), and at the end of those two years you will have the chance to reapply to residency. The time you spend as a GMO will count against your obligation (which is the number of years HPSP funded for you to go to medical school), so if you owed 4 years going in you will owe 2 when you start residency.

However, and this is the important bit, the amount of time you owe at the end of the residency you matched into is either the obligation you had going in, or the length of residency, whichever is more. So if you go into a 4 year otho residency after doing a 2 year GMO tour at the end of that residency you will owe the same 4 years you would have owed if you matched directly out of intern year.

So, some examples:

4 years HPSP, 3 year straight through residency, time you owe at the end of residency: 4 years

4 years HPSP, 5 year straight through residency, time you owe at the end of residency: 4 years.

4 years HPSP, intern year, 2 years GMO, last 2 years of a primary care residency, time owed at the end of residnecy: 2 years

4 years HPSP, intern year, 2 years GMO, last 4 years of an ortho residency, time owed at the end of residency: 4 years.

Finally you always retain the option of just doing an intern year, serving out your entire 4 year obligation at a GMO, and then doing the civlian match to finish your residency.

BTW if you want a straight thorugh residency you are most likely to get it in the Army, then the AF, and then the Navy. The Navy currently is attempting to reduce the number of GMOs so that we have less than the AF (though probably still more than Army) but who knows if that will happen.

Placements in the Navy:

Yes, then can deploy you, and they can place you anywhere. You will give them a preference list of where you want to go, but needs of the Navy are very much the top priority. If you don't want to be stationed abroad (other than wartime deployments) you probably won't have to since those are very popular locations.
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Sentinel said:
Hah I don't post much because it's rare I have useful information.

And yea you young'ns and your summer vacation. I'm still working for my office till the 25th. Then I'll be unemployed and it'll be sad 🙁
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Oh I rarely say anything good. I just interject and ramble and hope someone replies. I think this strategy has been working pretty well.
 
brooklynblunder said:
if u do military residency it counts as time served though right?
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it wont count towards "active duty" time....so yes indeed, after residency, I still have 3 years. But I am fairly certain that I am not obligated to do the AF residency (I asked this question like 20 times)
 
FloatOn said:
Oh I rarely say anything good. I just interject and ramble and hope someone replies. I think this strategy has been working pretty well.
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haha i usually post something obnoxious, like this:
[YOUTUBE]zcOFN_VBVo[/YOUTUBE]
 
Tatastrophy said:
it wont count towards "active duty" time....so yes indeed, after residency, I still have 3 years. But I am fairly certain that I am not obligated to do the AF residency (I asked this question like 20 times)
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Recruiters are not reliable sources for this type of information. Remember, they are selling something to you, and they earn a large commission for closing the deal.
 
TooMuchResearch said:
Recruiters are not reliable sources for this type of information. Remember, they are selling something to you, and they earn a large commission for closing the deal.
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I also spoke with a guy who just graduate med school and is doing civilian residency cause thats what he wanted....

I am gonig to bother bamtuba I guess 😛
 
Any good movies out now? My friend was raving about Prince of Persia but Jake Gyllenhal (sp?) looks like a sissy even with a beard.
 
metallica81788 said:
I've enjoyed my unemployment of almost a month. I've been pretty busy until this past week, though.
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Heh tell me about it... my last few weeks at work are going to be very interesting. I'm leaving after about 3+ years of being the technical resource/knowledge base for the team. So I'm getting hit w/ alot 🙂D) of questions to fill in whatever gaps my co-workers have.

Good times 👍 Loved working here though; sad to go 🙁 How many places let you work part time, 100% from home, for 2 years?!
 
Just sent in my letter of resignation to my boss and HR (for paperwork purposes). Damn, this is like official now. I'm officially :scared:

why am I leaving my cushy ass job to kill myself for the next 6+ yrs while being broke again!?

:scared:

/serenity now
 
Sentinel said:
Just sent in my letter of resignation to my boss and HR (for paperwork purposes). Damn, this is like official now. I'm officially :scared:

why am I leaving my cushy ass job to kill myself for the next 6+ yrs while being broke again!?

:scared:

/serenity now
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To help people. Duh.
 
FloatOn said:
😳 I'm on summer vacation, ok!?

I also just realized you don't even have 1k posts yet. Now's the time to catch up! (or in the nighttime when I'm almost always on)
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dont lie, u wake up at noon during school too :laugh:
 
DrYoda said:
Chicks + money.:meanie:
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I'd make more money staying where I am now. But you make a good point about the chicks..

Then again, apparently I don't know how to properly capitalize on the fact that I'm a (soon to be) med student to get chicks 🙁 I need to learn this skill STAT!
 
brooklynblunder said:
wow Nebraska just joined the big 10
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College football will never be the same. This wave is about to destroy what has been the norm for quite a while.

FloatOn said:
Any good movies out now? My friend was raving about Prince of Persia but Jake Gyllenhal (sp?) looks like a sissy even with a beard.
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Whoever cast him as Prince of Persia is a *******. I don't care how good of an actor he is, he is too white to play a Persian/middle easterner. Just stupid.
 
I was considering HPSP at one point. People in the milmed forum basically said that if you're only doing it for the money, it isn't worth it. Just throwing that out there.
 
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