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Greetings SDN. It's been a while. I joined SDN in 2000, when I started medschool, and signed up for the old paltry monthly stipend HPSP for a 4 year scholarship, after having used ROTC for undergrad. My old posts should all still be around, and I'm sure if I went back and blew the dust off them it'd be a bit nostalgic. My last update was in 2019, a little over a year after leaving active duty.
to give a brief summary -- I did AD army residency, spent 4 years gen peds, during which I deployed a little over a year as a battalion surgeon. 95% boredom and 5% WTAF but those utilization points helped with getting fellowship. Fellowship 3 years, then spent another 4 AD, during which I spent 9 months rotting away in Kuwait. Prior to going I was told these could be split-- had a replacement figured out and everything but (shocking) this was rescinded by my department chief after spending a couple of months in country. Even so, as my wife (who was also AD peds specialist) and I neared the end of our ADSO, we said we'd stay if we could get a particular duty station. The answer was no, so we left. She had her terminal leave denied (same super awesome department chief denied it- naturally) and I learned from her mistake and my last 3 months active duty I had a lot of glorious 3 day workweeks. So if you're in that situation do not sell any leave or days-- get that leave to zero and plan accordingly that "terminal leave" is a privilege not a right.
Getting out I had 14 yrs AD, and my wife 12. We both knew of people in the IMA program who seemed to be doing ok, we gave that a go. She found a peds specialty (rare), I found a gen peds slot. Needless to say, the shenanigans continued, mostly due to Covid related issues and constant IMA coordinator/green suit turnover and no one knowing how to run the program. She did rotations that no one had record of. During covid everything was a mess with travel restrictions and even though she did her active duty time remotely the admin staff never submitted her for credit. I had a similar experience, going through 5 IMA coordinators from when I started to when I finished, with a year or so of no IMA coordinator during which no one knew what to do with me. We were told we could submit our IDT points to HRC, then told we couldn't, then told different things on what qualified and IDT points and what didn't. For sake of brevity, hers became so ridiculously jacked up she left, but I was able to stick it out long enough that combined with the 1 yr HPSP counting for 1 "good" year for every reserve year you complete I was able to recently finish off my 20 (HPSP will get to 21) to go into "retired awaiting pay" to hopefully start collecting when I'm 60.
I transferred to the IMA in 2018 with 14 years-- theoretically to get to 20 (the 3 years plus the 3 years HPSP credit) should have finished in 2021/22. Instead I finished this year, mostly thanks to *finally* having an IMA coordinator the last 2 years who actually knew how to do the job. One year I did an AT rotation and wasn't paid for it until a year later. I **** you not, lol. I have told the new guy how appreciative I am of him SIMPLY KNOWING HOW TO DO HIS JOB that he seems honestly confused.
At any rate, this should conclude the Army phase of my life. I could stay longer but given the political climate that extra few points a year just isn't worth it. I hate giving up my free pre-check but there are worse things in life to deal with.
Overall I think my path was right for me. We left at a good time, and feel we got our a decent amount of our pound of flesh (GI bill transferred to kids, PSLF for the both of us, now some nice retirement cheese) back from the military.
I could say more-- any may at some point, but if anyone wants to ask a salty boomer about any details feel free. I don't know the IMA program in and out, but generally IF you have someone running it who knows WTF they're doing it's not a bad gig. 2 weeks of active duty to remind you why you left 🙂
--your friendly neighborhood 20 year letter holding caveman
to give a brief summary -- I did AD army residency, spent 4 years gen peds, during which I deployed a little over a year as a battalion surgeon. 95% boredom and 5% WTAF but those utilization points helped with getting fellowship. Fellowship 3 years, then spent another 4 AD, during which I spent 9 months rotting away in Kuwait. Prior to going I was told these could be split-- had a replacement figured out and everything but (shocking) this was rescinded by my department chief after spending a couple of months in country. Even so, as my wife (who was also AD peds specialist) and I neared the end of our ADSO, we said we'd stay if we could get a particular duty station. The answer was no, so we left. She had her terminal leave denied (same super awesome department chief denied it- naturally) and I learned from her mistake and my last 3 months active duty I had a lot of glorious 3 day workweeks. So if you're in that situation do not sell any leave or days-- get that leave to zero and plan accordingly that "terminal leave" is a privilege not a right.
Getting out I had 14 yrs AD, and my wife 12. We both knew of people in the IMA program who seemed to be doing ok, we gave that a go. She found a peds specialty (rare), I found a gen peds slot. Needless to say, the shenanigans continued, mostly due to Covid related issues and constant IMA coordinator/green suit turnover and no one knowing how to run the program. She did rotations that no one had record of. During covid everything was a mess with travel restrictions and even though she did her active duty time remotely the admin staff never submitted her for credit. I had a similar experience, going through 5 IMA coordinators from when I started to when I finished, with a year or so of no IMA coordinator during which no one knew what to do with me. We were told we could submit our IDT points to HRC, then told we couldn't, then told different things on what qualified and IDT points and what didn't. For sake of brevity, hers became so ridiculously jacked up she left, but I was able to stick it out long enough that combined with the 1 yr HPSP counting for 1 "good" year for every reserve year you complete I was able to recently finish off my 20 (HPSP will get to 21) to go into "retired awaiting pay" to hopefully start collecting when I'm 60.
I transferred to the IMA in 2018 with 14 years-- theoretically to get to 20 (the 3 years plus the 3 years HPSP credit) should have finished in 2021/22. Instead I finished this year, mostly thanks to *finally* having an IMA coordinator the last 2 years who actually knew how to do the job. One year I did an AT rotation and wasn't paid for it until a year later. I **** you not, lol. I have told the new guy how appreciative I am of him SIMPLY KNOWING HOW TO DO HIS JOB that he seems honestly confused.
At any rate, this should conclude the Army phase of my life. I could stay longer but given the political climate that extra few points a year just isn't worth it. I hate giving up my free pre-check but there are worse things in life to deal with.
Overall I think my path was right for me. We left at a good time, and feel we got our a decent amount of our pound of flesh (GI bill transferred to kids, PSLF for the both of us, now some nice retirement cheese) back from the military.
I could say more-- any may at some point, but if anyone wants to ask a salty boomer about any details feel free. I don't know the IMA program in and out, but generally IF you have someone running it who knows WTF they're doing it's not a bad gig. 2 weeks of active duty to remind you why you left 🙂
--your friendly neighborhood 20 year letter holding caveman
