Has anyone thought about joining the armed forces to pay for med school?

[WarmFuzzyKittens]

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I know there are programs with the air force and army(?) that pay for everything in med school, and may even give you a stipend, but require you to serve four years after you graduate. does anyone have any more info on these programs? Will residency count towards those four years?

 

[efs]

Look for HPSP (Health Professions Scholarship Program). Yes, they do pay for more or less everything in med school. Tuition, books, fees, lab stuff, etc. THey do also pay a stipend. They CAN be very good programs.

On the other hand, look carefully. Residency does not count towards your commitment. So, after school you could be looking at 5-11+ years in the service to pay back your scholarship. (Depending on residency). You may also not have as much choice in selecting your residency. You may have to delay your residency, if they need you to. Etc.

Definitely check out the info though.

Eric

 

[csgirl]

"WarmFuzzyKittens" wants to joint the army?! That just doesn't sound right! 😉 🙂

 

[gooloogooloo]

Definitely definitely definitely DON'T do that! Every thing the military says to you only means to recruit you. Every good things you see before you join the service is the 0.1% of the whole pie. The sugar icing on top of that one single bitter cherry. After you join you will understand the rest 99.9% of the truth.
Go to their program they might require you to serve wherever they want you to, includes to work in a bio or clinical lab has nothing to do with patient care or treatment. You don't have a clue where you will end up. Committing yourself into the military for longer than 2 years is a very scary things, because you NEVER know what will happen in the world tomorrow. US military is basically the most battle active military in the world- they oversee every things like intl. police.
Most importantly you need to consider, are you a soldier type person? A good soldier regards himself relatively little. A good soldier has no sense of selfness. A good soldier can't have too much brain, or act upon his behalf too often. A good soldier is the one who think less but obey his command strictly for the sake of the macro-objective.
Lots people join military for things that appear attracting, only they are facade. You simply DON'T have freedom whatsoever. You will feel that there is an invisible hook that attaches to your neck for the next 10 years or so. You will feel that every day for 10 years. You can't travel freely, you don't get paid much, you don't really social like regular doc, you are basically more like a serviceman than a doctor. That's how I will state it.

 

[WarmFuzzyKittens]

Thanks for the advice guys...I guess it's too good to be true. My boyfriend who's in the army reserves really doesn't want me to do it either...he was recruited to join special ops but think the army's too binding on your future...

 

[efs]

Most importantly you need to consider, are you a soldier type person? A good soldier regards himself relatively little. A good soldier has no sense of selfness. A good soldier can't have too much brain, or act upon his behalf too often. A good soldier is the one who think less but obey his command strictly for the sake of the macro-objective.

Where did you come up with this crap from. I would guess from what you say that I would not make a good soldier. Beats me why they kept promoting me.

You simply DON'T have freedom whatsoever.

Without the military you do not have freedom. I feel free now, and I did on active duty. Always have, and I would certainly fight for it.

You can't travel freely, you don't get paid much, you don't really social like regular doc, you are basically more like a serviceman than a doctor. That's how I will state it.

This is not what I would say from my military experience.

 

[nerfornothin]

Hey WarmFuzzyKittens,

If you're looking for a way to fully fund medical school check out the National Health Service Corps http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/nhsc/

They pay for everything along with stipend for up to all four years in exchange for your guarantee that you will 1) go into primary care and then 2) serve in an underserved community for an amount of time equivalent to the number of years they funded you for(they pay four years, you serve four years) after you complete your residency. All the details are on the site. 🙂

 

[lilninja]

Boy, what a slam on the military. I can't really speak for them, but I do know people who are doing a military-related scholarship (you can choose how much you want to participate, from 1 to all 4 years of your medical education). I definitely think you should carefully consider your reasons why (if it is only for the money, then I would say forget it), but if you have often thought about serving the country and want to help yourself financially, then definitely look into your options. efs wrote some good stuff about it, I will try to find out from the people I know what the details are.
It is not for everyone, but I would definitely have to disagree with much of what gooloogooloo said. Are you in the military now? Why do you see it in such a negative light? I am not part of the military nor have my parents ever been, but I recently became a citizen, and even though I am against war as much as anyone else, I am extremely proud of our service-men and women. They are not held prisoner to serve whenever and wherever - besides, they choose to participate and most do for their entire lives. There have to be doctors who staff the VA hospitals, military-supported doctors aren't sent to do labwork in some remote part of the world. No offense, but I am a bit surprised to hear such a negative tone on something you might not know all the details about.

"you are basically more like a serviceman than a doctor" My opinion is that a doctor is very much a service-oriented profession, as are teachers, police officers, and the military, and many, many other professions.

Obviously, the military-supported program is not for you, but it could be for someone else. Like I said, I know several people who currently participate in the Navy Progam, and they appear to be quite happy. As long as you know why you are participating, what your commitment is in return, and what your expectations from the military are, you should be fine.

No offense gooloogooloo, but I think some of your statements are a bit harsh and generalized.

Sorry for such a long post.