erambo:
The military route is a bit different than the civilian schools, but the education is identical plus you end up with some military specific training (ie - chemical weapons, etc) and the focus I believe is a bit greater in trauma management when you get to those topics. Anyhow, you were wondering how the military school works, so here it is:
The Interservice Physician Assistant Program (IPAP)
IPAP home page or
Army National Guard Medical Recruiting
is a 2+ year program that trains both active duty and Guard/Reserve Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, and Fed. Prision personel as Physician Assistants. The school is taught in two phases - phase 1 (didactic) at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio Texas. The second phase (clinical) is at various military posts in the continental United States. At the end of the program, you are eligble to sit for the PANCE exam, receive a bachelors degree from University Of Nebraska-Medical Center (will be upgrading to a Masters degree in the near futurer), and receive a commision as an officer in what ever branch you are in. In return, there is a service commitment, and while I do not know what it is for the active duty or other branches, in the Army Guard it is currently six years of National Guard time (ie - 2 weeks in the summer, one weekend a month). While you are at the school you are paid as an E-5 (SGT) or higher if you are of a higher rank and treated as an officer candidate. In addition, the military will pay up to 50k of student loans off (ie - undergrad) and there is currently a 30k bonus at the mid-point of your 6 year commitment. While an undergrad degree is not a requirement, at least 60 hours and various pre-reqs are required (listed on the web site). Competition is fairly fierce for the program - each class has 60 seats, and of those 60, they are divided up between the various branches. In my class, 10 seats were reserved for the Army National Guard, so you are competing with soldiers from all 50 states for one of those 10 seats. Application requirements are again listed on the web page.
Okay - enough babling about the school, but I do have one other critical point. Just like med students, if you are not interested in the military life, don't do this just for the cash. I've enjoyed 13 years in the army guard now, and it has been both financially and personally very fullfilling. I've gotten to do things that very few people in the world have done - from flight medic in combat zones, to riding a camel, to working with soviet medics. However, there is a price to pay - twice in my years I've been yanked from school or work and family to head to foriegn shores - once for desert storm and once for a rotation in Bosnia. While interesting, those are not stress free vacations. You need to be dedicated, at least somewhat patriotic, and willing to work hard. Not everything you do will be fun or directly related to what your final goal is, but you will learn more about yourself, the world, and life in general than you ever will from a textbook or class. That said, if you are interested, go for it! And if you need assistance locating additional information, let me know and I will help in any way I can.
