Experiences in the ARNG

[deleted1076141]

Hi everyone. I'm starting medical school in the fall at the University of Minnesota, and I'm considering commissioning in the ARNG. If you've been a medical student/resident/physician in the guard, can you share your experiences? How much of a disruption was drill to your studies as a student? I've heard that, though students can't be deployed, they can still be "activated" during times of emergency. Is that true, and have you had any encounters with the guard taking you away from school unexpectedly? As a physician, how often do you typically deploy, and what does a worst case/emergency deployment look like? Is it common that physicians deploy more than the pitched 90 days BOG every 2-4 years? Does the Guard exert any restrictions over what residencies you can attend? What have been your favorite and least favorite parts of being a student/physician in the guard? Do you regret it at all? Thank you!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[DeadCactus]

There are a number of anecdotal experiences posted here throughout the years, they are pretty variable. You need to talk to the Minnesota ARNG, ask to be put in touch with current medical students and physicians. Ask to talk to your states medical leadership and your prospective units leadership. Find out what their expectation is for you. The answer should essentially be "your job is to finish school and become a physician". If you hear anything substantially different, I would strongly consider how much the benefits are worth the hassle of a second boss during medical training. The risk of being activated for state emergencies is rolled up into this issue too.

I was left alone during medical school to study. During residency, I sacrificed a lot of my limited days off and vacation time to drill and go to various training but I was also not hassled if I said I can't do it this month. I got to do some cool stuff, I also dealt with a lot of extra stress and fatigue. I got a good deal, wanted to be in the military, and overall am happy I did it.

I think 90 days every 2-4 years as an attending is a reasonable expectation (and probably above what most physicians are doing) with the understanding that by signing up you are accepting the risk that things change drastically at any moment and you may end up on 9-15 month deployments as an attending (or as a resident if WW3 breaks out).

The Guard has no say in your residency. The biggest perk of the Guard and Reserve over active duty is that you're free to train in whatever residency you want, live wherever you want, and work whatever civilian job you want. It's a much more stable life in many ways. The biggest downside is you have a civilian boss, a military boss, and a personal life all pulling you in competing directions.

 

[armytrainingsir]

I would reiterate what DeadCactus said above. Talk to current medical students, residents and attendings in MN ARNG about their experiences and issues. Especially try to talk to folks in the specialities you think you want to pursue. Generally speaking, primary care is NG mission, specialist mission is in the reserves.

Talk to everyone you can think of before you sign.

 

[deleted1076141]

Thank you both for the advice! I've asked my recruiter to put me in touch with both a student and physician in the MN ARNG.