I am a recent graduate from the Army program, and might be able to give you some more info. (You can also search for my past posts for more specific stuff about the residency. I won't get into it here.)
In all of the services the DPMs are in a different branch than the MD/DOs. In the Army it is Medical Services Corps, Air Force Basic Sciences Corps and not sure about the Navy. In part this makes it tricky in getting similar loan repayment/bonuses in parity. So far it's not happening, but it is always a hot topic.
The programs available are always changing, so I can't give specifics but should be able to give you a general idea.
The Navy likely has the best deals right now. They do not have a residency, but will allow you to do any residency you match with. They offer student loan repayment of about $30,000/year. For each year of student loan repayment you also incur an additional year service obligation. Some direct commission podiatrists take advantage of this to go back for additional training. About every other year or so a Navy resident might match with the Army program and go through that way.
The Air Force doesn't have any residency program, and as far as I know only take DPMs after residency. I'm not sure about any loan repayment programs or bonuses they might offer. I'm not aware of any.
The Army is the only service that has a residency program. It is currently a PM&S-36 joint program, with the first year at Eisenhower Army Medical Center in Augusta GA and the next 2 years at Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg NC. I can say it is a strong program and you will definately learn what you need to, but it is not typical. You will not see as many diabetics though with dependants and retirees they are still inthe patient mix. There are more pediatric patients than most places. Most of the patients are younger, active duty people so more emphasis on sports medicine type issues (lateral ankle instability and chronic ankle pain have got to be among the top problems) and lots of fractures. Not much "primary care" nail and callus problems. There is also a strong drive towards developing independant practitioners. After residency you may be the chief of the podiatric services in a samller hospital and will need to be able to work independantly as well as run the services.
Student loan repayment and bonuses have been hot topics for a while, and there are things in the works. The latest I have heard is that they are trying to work out a selection process to offer student loan repayment to the incoming residents. This should be on par with what the Navy offers, ~ $30,000/year for 4 years with an additional year service obligation for each year. So far I've not seen anything official. I also haven't seen any additional money in my paycheck, but it may happen.
Two more things. We are still a nation at war, and this concerns some people. There is a possibility of deploying. Two of our recent graduates have served or are on their way to Iraq to work in a Combat Support Hospital. From what I understand most of the patients they are treating are Iraqis, and life isn't too bad there. It still is time away from home. It is also an opportunity to do stuff that most people don't get to, and the addtional pay/tax breaks aren't bad either. It isn't for everyone, but I would go if it works out that way.
The other is that for all of the services the money is a bit different than for someone in private practice. Pay is based on rank and time in service. For the most part you can expect to start as a Captain (O-3), but for those with prior service promotion may be accelerated, and pay will start a bit higher on the scale. There are additional breaks that should be factored in. I'll offer an incomplete list.
- Full medical/dental benefits (and for family)
- Malpractice is covered
- Good CME/test reimbursement
- 30 days paid vacation/year (may not be able to use all of it while in residency, but it accumulates)
- Thrift Savings Program (similar to 401-K, great program)
- For those who stay for 20 years, pension benefits
- For those leaving early, time counts if you get into a VA or GS position
- Housing allowance and Subsistance Allowance are not taxable income (about 20% of my pay is not taxed, this makes a pretty big difference)
- PX/Commissary benefits (PX is similar to Walmart, I don't see hige differences there, but using the Commissary can cut grocery bills by ~ 20%)
- MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) programs offer discounted travel and other things
- Free gyms
- Lots of other things depending on what you are looking for
- Working with some of the best patients in the world. This one is really intangible, but makes my practice worthwhile. It's difficult to put into words, but being able to help some of these people makes it an easy job to go into every day. It may also be that since money isn't one of the higher things on my priority list it makes it a nicer job to have.
- I'm sure this is an incomplete list.
This turned into a longer post than I anticipated. I hope it offers some useful information. I'm here, I'm doing it, I think it is a good way to go. I don't think this holds true for everyone. For the right person it can be a great way to go, but a lot of people would find it doesn't suit them.
Last comment. If you think you are interested, or if you just want a good experience, I would highly recommend spending the time to rotate at Fort Bragg. May open your eyes a little.
Eric
