DoD vs. VA jobs?

[enduroevo]

Hello all,

There is a lot of talk in this forum about the VA and the pros and cons of VA internships, post-docs, and careers. However, depending on location, VA jobs are often highly sought after and pretty competitive to attain. I was wondering if anyone in here could speak to the pros and cons of working for the DoD (e.g., Army, Navy, Air Force, etc), either as a civilian or active duty -- and via the DoD directly or a contracting company. Alternatively, if anyone has worked at one of these agencies before and would be open to share a little bit about your experience (either publicly or by PM), I would also be very interested and appreciative to hear about it. A comparison of DoD vs. VA would also be helpful (VA folk, please do chime in here if you have heard any things!).

One thing that confuses me a bit is there seems to be many pathways to working for the DoD: Some people seem to go the DoD internship/post-doc route, while others may take a DoD job as a civilian. I'm not sure what are the advantages/disadvantages of one versus the other. Also, what does it mean if you are hired as a "active duty psychologist" vs "reserves psychologist"? For reference, I'm doing my post-doc at a VA currently.

Thanks!

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[Therapist4Chnge]

Military v. Civilian positions are worlds apart. A civilian job is much closer to a regular job than joining a branch and serving in active duty (or reserves, which is diff too). It’s not that one path is better/easier, but instead it’s about whAt you want from your career and how much flexibility you want.

 

[erg923]

Hello all,

There is a lot of talk in this forum about the VA and the pros and cons of VA internships, post-docs, and careers. However, depending on location, VA jobs are often highly sought after and pretty competitive to attain. I was wondering if anyone in here could speak to the pros and cons of working for the DoD (e.g., Army, Navy, Air Force, etc), either as a civilian or active duty -- and via the DoD directly or a contracting company. Alternatively, if anyone has worked at one of these agencies before and would be open to share a little bit about your experience (either publicly or by PM), I would also be very interested and appreciative to hear about it. A comparison of DoD vs. VA would also be helpful (VA folk, please do chime in here if you have heard any things!).

One thing that confuses me a bit is there seems to be many pathways to working for the DoD: Some people seem to go the DoD internship/post-doc route, while others may take a DoD job as a civilian. I'm not sure what are the advantages/disadvantages of one versus the other. Also, what does it mean if you are hired as a "active duty psychologist" vs "reserves psychologist"? For reference, I'm doing my post-doc at a VA currently.

Thanks!

Yea, you are mashing up way too many things here. Civilian DoD and VA positions are nothing like active duty military. You should have a good idea about the VA at this point due to your post-doc and observing your supervisors. Civilian DoD positions will focus heavily on short-terms work, adjustment issues, substance abuse and trauma recovery/resilience. I would expect there to be a good deal of family work as well (depending on what department you are working in), as working with children and adolescents (dependents of the service members), unlike the VA system.

 

[roubs]

Are you alright being tapped for a sudden deployment or temporary duty on the other side of the world where you'd be ordered to pack up and go in a few days? It doesn't happen every day, but it would be in the cards if you choose an active duty route. Do you want to move yourself and any family around every 2-3 years? This is the first mental tollgate to go through to figure out if you would want to pursue active military service or a job as a DoD civilian.

 

[psyphd]

Hello all,

There is a lot of talk in this forum about the VA and the pros and cons of VA internships, post-docs, and careers. However, depending on location, VA jobs are often highly sought after and pretty competitive to attain. I was wondering if anyone in here could speak to the pros and cons of working for the DoD (e.g., Army, Navy, Air Force, etc), either as a civilian or active duty -- and via the DoD directly or a contracting company. Alternatively, if anyone has worked at one of these agencies before and would be open to share a little bit about your experience (either publicly or by PM), I would also be very interested and appreciative to hear about it. A comparison of DoD vs. VA would also be helpful (VA folk, please do chime in here if you have heard any things!).

One thing that confuses me a bit is there seems to be many pathways to working for the DoD: Some people seem to go the DoD internship/post-doc route, while others may take a DoD job as a civilian. I'm not sure what are the advantages/disadvantages of one versus the other. Also, what does it mean if you are hired as a "active duty psychologist" vs "reserves psychologist"? For reference, I'm doing my post-doc at a VA currently.

Thanks!

Hello, active duty Air Force here.

I can say that a large number of folks coming in as active duty do so through the residency programs. This would also include the HPSP route as well. I have met a few that were “direct accession” (meaning they were fully liscensed on the civilian side and came into active duty service).

A lot of the “downsides” people talk about are about perspective. If you enjoy moving locations 3-4 years (where you get to meet new people, work in different clinics, and often have a different job) then it is a good thing with awesome opportunities to grow. Even the TDYs can be enjoyable.

 

[PsyDr]

The military is reducing the number of healthcare providers billets by something like 60%. I highly suggest you go to the military med part of sdn and educate yourself.

POM20 Navy Medicine Billet Reduction

 

[psyphd]

The military is reducing the number of healthcare providers billets by something like 60%. I highly suggest you go to the military med part of sdn and educate yourself.

POM20 Navy Medicine Billet Reduction

Yeah, I wouldn’t fret about this too much. Based on my experience, and from interaction with those much higher on the food chain:

1) Anything military takes forever to change when it comes to policy such as this. Therefore, more changes and adjustments are bound to occur.

2) DHA (Defense Health Agency) is slowly taking over all military healthcare from all branches, which already occurs in the military. So, again, changes will come with this as it begins to be implemented.

3) The military is actually very interested in what psychologists can offer. In the Air Force, it has actually attempted to increase numbers and has had an increase in training slots available. True, it may not be so “outpatient clinic-therapy” focused as it has in the past. There is an increasing focus on placing psychologists “embedded with units” where we are not necessarily operating inside a clinic. But this can be a positive change.

4) Finally, I suspect much of the force shaping you refer to will take place with med specialties that are not commonly needed for military personnel.