HPSP Advise desperately needed!

[gorideyourbike]

Although this is my first post here, I have been a lurker for a LONG time as I have gone through the process of applying and being accepted to medical school. I was recently accepted into the 2012 Class of Medicine at Tulane University and am very excited in starting my path to becoming a physician. However, now that I am "in," I am feverishly looking into how I am going to pay for this! Needless to say, I am very interested in applying for Army or Navy HPSP and would very much appreciate any advice you guys (and gals) could give me. I have throughly read everything I can find here on the student doctor website (as well as elsewhere) on the pro's and cons of taking an HPSP scholarship, yet I am still torn over this difficult decision.

As it is a private school, Tulane's tuition with books and fees is close to $45,000 a year, plus I already have about $15,000 in undergrad debt. As some of you might know, the Army and Navy currently have $20,000 signing bonuses for HPSP students...and the prospect of completely paying off my current school debt and getting out of medical school with no debt is extremely tempting. Plus the $1900/month that the services are now offering as a stipend would definitely help me and my fiance out (we will be married this summer before I start medical school).

Although I have never thought of myself as a "military" type person, I don't think i would hate the lifestyle and I do think I would get some satisfaction in serving my country. However, I have never felt a "need" or yearning to serve my country in the military.

I do not know exactly what I want to eventually specialize in, but I do not want to go into general practice or internal medicine. As a retired professional cyclist, I have an interest in orthopedic surgery, but I know that residency is extremely competitive and definitely want to look at other options as well.

I have done the math and it seems to me that when special pay, interest on student loans, etc are factored in HPSP might be a good option for me, yet I am sill wary about not matching where I want, deployment, etc. Can you guys give me any advice? What would YOU do in my situation?

Thanks so much.

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[IgD]

First of all, calm down. It sounds like you are suffering from sticker shock much like buying in California or Hawaii.

If you take the 20k bonus you are committing yourself to 4 years. What is the worst case scenario? What if you didn't match for the specialty of your choice? Would you be willing to do a 4-year GMO tour and get out? Could you and your family tolerate being geographically separated for 1-2 years?

Are you a disciplined investor? Could you save a lot of the bonus and monthly stipend in a mutual fund to really come out ahead?

Are you semper gumby like flexible? Do you have enough patriotism to last you through the rough seas?

 

[Galo]

First of all, calm down. It sounds like you are suffering from sticker shock much like buying in California or Hawaii.

If you take the 20k bonus you are committing yourself to 4 years. What is the worst case scenario? What if you didn't match for the specialty of your choice? Would you be willing to do a 4-year GMO tour and get out? Could you and your family tolerate being geographically separated for 1-2 years?

Are you a disciplined investor? Could you save a lot of the bonus and monthly stipend in a mutual fund to really come out ahead?

Are you semper gumby like flexible? Do you have enough patriotism to last you through the rough seas?

Good questions and advice. Are you ready for the possible delay of your training of choice for 2-4 years? Are you ready to potentially take training that some may not consider on even par with civilian residencies. Are your ready to possibly be deployed to a place for a long time where your skills may languish.

It sounds like you really want to do this for the money, and with just a short perusal through this forum you will see that is the single WORST reason to do it.

Unless you have a desire to be a military officer first and a physician second, I would strongly advice agains military medicine.

 

[BomberDoc]

I made the mistake of doing it for the money. I had significant undergrad debt, worries about financing medical education with more loans, etc.

I hate it more than I have ever hated anything. It was the WORST decision of my life. Listen to the wisdom that is to be found throughout this forum... If you want to be a military officer more than anything in the world, and being a doctor is way below that priority, go ahead and join. If being a doctor is even in your top 10 priorities, do not under any circumstances, join the military.

 

[NavyFP]

I actually believe HPSP is a decent way to pay for med school, but I have to agree with the others that you should have a desire to be in the military if you go this route.

I'm not worried about you making this decision in haste as the application process is fairly long. You should talk to some Orthopods and other docs in the service to guage how appropriate it would be for you. Your fiance needs to be on board as well. She needs be an equal partner in the decision.

The key is information. While there is a ton of information on this forum, the testimonials are slanted towards the negative. That is not a bad thing, you should understand that you could be miserable for the 4 years of payback. I usually say that if you are flexible and have a desire to serve, it can be some of the most interesting times of your life.

 

[sethco]

Joining HPSP for the money?

Excellent Idea

(BTW, Congrads on being our poster of the week who asks the question should I join HPSP because my situation is so unique )

 

[DogFaceMedic]

Congrats on Tulane - go to Mommas for a real Po'Boy.
Do not make a decision based on this forum. It is filled with bitter people who expected to be treated special because they are MDs and did not understand the governemtn is not the cutting edge of efficiency and intelligence. Anonymous postings are just anonymous postings.

The money advantages are great, and no debt is a very good thing. But would you ever consider wearing boots, living under green canvas, or jumping out of a plane for fun? I'm prior service and know what I'm doing.

I recommend you go find someone who was in your shoes and did what you are thinking of in person. Just ask around with physicians you know or do a local web search for military medicine alumni.

 

[MaximusD]

I actually believe HPSP is a decent way to pay for med school, but I have to agree with the others that you should have a desire to be in the military if you go this route.

I'm not worried about you making this decision in haste as the application process is fairly long. You should talk to some Orthopods and other docs in the service to guage how appropriate it would be for you. Your fiance needs to be on board as well. She needs be an equal partner in the decision.

The key is information. While there is a ton of information on this forum, the testimonials are slanted towards the negative. That is not a bad thing, you should understand that you could be miserable for the 4 years of payback. I usually say that if you are flexible and have a desire to serve, it can be some of the most interesting times of your life.

A balanced and altogether useful response. This is what I would have said, and it MEANS something coming from you.

 

[The White Coat Investor]

As it is a private school, Tulane's tuition with books and fees is close to $45,000 a year, plus I already have about $15,000 in undergrad debt. As some of you might know, the Army and Navy currently have $20,000 signing bonuses for HPSP students...and the prospect of completely paying off my current school debt and getting out of medical school with no debt is extremely tempting. Plus the $1900/month that the services are now offering as a stipend would definitely help me and my fiance out (we will be married this summer before I start medical school).
.

Just to show you that there is a little light at the end of the tunnel, $20K is chump change to me now. I saved three times that this year on my military paycheck, which is about half of what I can make in the civilian world. You can pay those debts off without difficulty without joining the military. ONLY JOIN THE MILITARY FOR NON-FINANCIAL REASONS. My debt aversion made me make the worst financial decision of my life (which was to join the military.) There are some good things about it, but financially, it was definitely a losing proposition for me. Don't be ridiculously debt averse.

 

[gorideyourbike]

I know it must be annoying having some young medial student posting what is basically the same question over and over every week, but thank you for bearing with me. I have read everything I could on this forum about HPSP, but it is still very reassuring.

As for now, I have a few appointments next week to speak with a few recruiters from different services (and I will be taking what they say with a huge grain of salt). However it is looking like my fiance and I will just be taking out loans and paying them back after.

Thank you all so much for your honest and frank advise...It has, and I am sure will continue to be, very helpful in making this decision. I'll be sure to keep you posted on what I decide to do (although I'm not sure anyone would care!)

 

[NJEMT1]

Hello there,
I am a 4th your AF HPSP student so let me say that first as a disclaimer. I consider myself someone who signed up for reasons similar to yours. My motivation was financial (undergrad debt, 50k/yr med school, expensive city) and I had no prior military contacts or experience and am very liberal. However I have really come to love being in the AF and am proud that I will serve. I made a lot of good friends at officer training, school of aerospace medicine, my school's military med group, etc. I loved my two AF rotations- there was great teaching, a ton of camraderie, a lot of "let's order this test and watch him longer bc he's one of us." I thought there was great rapport btwn the docs, nurses, and techs bc they were all deploying to the same location (i'm sure someone will contradict this but that was my limited med student experience). Before joining I randomly emailed numerous military medicine folks who I found online, including people in the specialty I wanted to pursue, and 1 military surgery resident a friend knew of.... I asked a million questions and I think I was very well informed. I knew signing up I would likely be deployed, have no control over my location, likely encounter BS military admin hassles, and would have a great chance of not getting the specialty I want to go into and may have to postpone residency training until I get out after a GMO tour. I think you need to be aware of these things and be ok with it (whereas a lot of people on SDN were unhappily surprised). I applied for one of the most competitive specialties in the AF and I have to say the application process nearly made me physically and mentally ill and I was nearly questioning joining, bc I knew for certain I would match into a civilian program but might not get to do residency at all because of the military match. It was a really difficult process, but I was fully aware when I took the scholarship that my specialty was hard to get here and not civlian. I decided to take the chance, knowing that even if i were a fabulous med student it might not be enough. That being said, things worked out for me and I got a civlian deferral, but I rotated with and know of many people who don't get to do residency now (only intern yr), and it really really really sucks for them. I know one of them now considers joining to be the biggest mistake of his life, bc he wants to be going to residency and he is engaged to a civilian med student and won't be with her when she is a resident and he is a GMO. If these people weren't military they would be going to residency now. So maybe I would advise someone differently if I hadn't matched or after I am a military attending facing low patient volume and acuity, atrophied skills, deployments, taking orders from nurses, and lower pay -- but for now I am very happy with my decision. I have no med school debt and many of my friends have 250k+ in loans and I feel good about working in a military hospital. You will be an officer first and a doctor second, but I'm not sure that your heart absolutely needs to be in that place before you sign up. You might come to like being in the military. Maybe I will tell you something different tho in 5 yrs and I probably would say something different if I hadn't matched...

 

[Galo]

Hello there,
I am a 4th your AF HPSP student so let me say that first as a disclaimer. I consider myself someone who signed up for reasons similar to yours. My motivation was financial (undergrad debt, 50k/yr med school, expensive city) and I had no prior military contacts or experience and am very liberal. However I have really come to love being in the AF and am proud that I will serve. I made a lot of good friends at officer training, school of aerospace medicine, my school's military med group, etc. I loved my two AF rotations- there was great teaching, a ton of camraderie, a lot of "let's order this test and watch him longer bc he's one of us." I thought there was great rapport btwn the docs, nurses, and techs bc they were all deploying to the same location (i'm sure someone will contradict this but that was my limited med student experience). Before joining I randomly emailed numerous military medicine folks who I found online, including people in the specialty I wanted to pursue, and 1 military surgery resident a friend knew of.... I asked a million questions and I think I was very well informed. I knew signing up I would likely be deployed, have no control over my location, likely encounter BS military admin hassles, and would have a great chance of not getting the specialty I want to go into and may have to postpone residency training until I get out after a GMO tour. I think you need to be aware of these things and be ok with it (whereas a lot of people on SDN were unhappily surprised). I applied for one of the most competitive specialties in the AF and I have to say the application process nearly made me physically and mentally ill and I was nearly questioning joining, bc I knew for certain I would match into a civilian program but might not get to do residency at all because of the military match. It was a really difficult process, but I was fully aware when I took the scholarship that my specialty was hard to get here and not civlian. I decided to take the chance, knowing that even if i were a fabulous med student it might not be enough. That being said, things worked out for me and I got a civlian deferral, but I rotated with and know of many people who don't get to do residency now (only intern yr), and it really really really sucks for them. I know one of them now considers joining to be the biggest mistake of his life, bc he wants to be going to residency and he is engaged to a civilian med student and won't be with her when she is a resident and he is a GMO. If these people weren't military they would be going to residency now. So maybe I would advise someone differently if I hadn't matched or after I am a military attending facing low patient volume and acuity, atrophied skills, deployments, taking orders from nurses, and lower pay -- but for now I am very happy with my decision. I have no med school debt and many of my friends have 250k+ in loans and I feel good about working in a military hospital. You will be an officer first and a doctor second, but I'm not sure that your heart absolutely needs to be in that place before you sign up. You might come to like being in the military. Maybe I will tell you something different tho in 5 yrs and I probably would say something different if I hadn't matched...

What better advice could you ask for? One guy got lucky and so far has had a good experience, got the residency he wanted, but has seen lots others not get it, and if that was him he might be telling you something different. Unfortunately there is a large number that will not end up like him, and may very well experience some of the negatives he already knows about.

You're doing a good thing to steer clear of mil med at this point in time.

 

[BomberDoc]

So if the military works to your advantage it is great and if it doesn't, it sucks. That logic works perfectly in hindsight.

How many of us before starting med school could predict which specialty we want, whether we would find a mate, where we want to settle, etc?

You got lucky and I'm happy for you. You're one of the few.

 

[Homunculus]

#1 rule has been and always will be to not do it for the money.

loans are deferred through medical school and residency anyway-- you have time, and if after residency you find you *still* want to join and pass up that sweet private practice opportunity and give up any semblance of control and stability in your life, *then* do it.

another thing to remember-- fellowship training is an entire different beast, and if you want to do a fellowship you have even more hurdles to clear (getting it approved, getting selected), not to mention *more* time to pay back.

i would consider a fellowship (except that it's not offered in the military, go figure) but even if it were i wouldn't extend my obligation 3 more years.

--your friendly neighborhood experienced caveman

 

[DOForeverYO]

I got accepted into medical school and commissioned for Army HPSP in late 2007. I signed up before the 20K bonus even existed for the Army. Considering that I won't be drawing from the Army bankroll until this summer, would it be crazy to think that I too would be eligible for the bonus. Kind of backwards to award someone who was on the fence about the scholarship initially and punish or leave out those of whom were set on accepting it even before taking their MCATs . I guess that's how recruiting works and shame on me for being too eager or perhaps impulsive. It just kills me that had I waited an extra couple of months, I wouldn't be discussing this right now. 20K would have been nice to pay off some undergrad debt or perhaps a down payment for a house. Feel free to laugh at me or commiserate.

 

[elderjack21]

I got accepted into medical school and commissioned for Army HPSP in late 2007. I signed up before the 20K bonus even existed for the Army. Considering that I won't be drawing from the Army bankroll until this summer, would it be crazy to think that I too would be eligible for the bonus. Kind of backwards to award someone who was on the fence about the scholarship initially and punish or leave out those of whom were set on accepting it even before taking their MCATs . I guess that's how recruiting works and shame on me for being too eager or perhaps impulsive. It just kills me that had I waited an extra couple of months, I wouldn't be discussing this right now. 20K would have been nice to pay off some undergrad debt or perhaps a down payment for a house. Feel free to laugh at me or commiserate.

Here is the paperwork I got in an email from the recruiter this week. Read into it what you will, if you are already going to serve 4 for the scholarship, you may as well try to get the extra 20k.

 

[militarymd]

Congrats on Tulane - go to Mommas for a real Po'Boy.
Do not make a decision based on this forum. It is filled with bitter people who expected to be treated special because they are MDs and did not understand the governemtn is not the cutting edge of efficiency and intelligence. Anonymous postings are just anonymous postings.

The money advantages are great, and no debt is a very good thing. But would you ever consider wearing boots, living under green canvas, or jumping out of a plane for fun? I'm prior service and know what I'm doing.

I recommend you go find someone who was in your shoes and did what you are thinking of in person. Just ask around with physicians you know or do a local web search for military medicine alumni.

typical bureacrat double talk.
if you sign....expect it on a daily basis...per rectum.

 

[militarymd]

Plan and simple ...don't do it for the money...

20,000 seems like a lot to a medical student....and it seemed like a lot to me as a military ATTENDING....

I'm in private practice now.....it's pocket change.


If you want to sacrifice yourself for the country....leave your family....risk your life......lead an unpredictable life...maybe not train in your specialty of choice ...etc.etc....than sign up.....DO NOT do it for the money.

 

[CheeseheadDO]

I've searching over threads for the last 3 hours (also avoiding studying OB/GYN), still have some questions and don't want to start a new thread. I'm a second year med student, and have been toying with the HPSP since before I was accepted. I think I want to do IM residency and possibly cardio/heme-onc/endo fellowship (haven't been on rotations yet so = no real clue).

I want to join the military because I want to serve my country (I also wanted to avoid being cliche) and not for the help in paying my school. That being said still would like to get the best deal. So... my question.

Is a 2 year HPSP a completely foolish thing to do and would I be better off doing HPLR or FAP (I can't seem to find much discussion about these programs)?

Talked to an Army recruiter and a Army MD with 18 years in today and apparently I would owe 3 years for the HPSP, 4 if I took the $20,000 (which would make a decent dent in my $90,000 to-date debt but don't know it's worth it).

Then there's always the question of Army/Navy/AF... leaning towards Navy but sounds like there's a lot more training opportunities in the Army. AF sounds SNAFU.

Thanks for your help

 

[sethco]

Is a 2 year HPSP a completely foolish thing to do and would I be better off doing HPLR or FAP (I can't seem to find much discussion about these programs)?

IMHO, a 2 year HPSP "scholarship" with a 3 year ADSC (not to mention 8 year MSO) is a completely bad idea. If you are really serious about a fellowship, avoid HPSP at all costs. Get residency and then fellowship trained and THEN join the military if you desire to serve your countryor use the FAP while you are in your fellowship (or already have a fellowship program secured)

I am sure very FEW people on this site would disagree with that (and I am not talking about current medical students as a channel of advice)

 

[CheeseheadDO]

Thanks, I think the FAP sounds like a lot better deal the more I learn about the HPSP. I think I made a mistake and I would only owe 2 years ADSC not 3 BUT if I didn't do a GMO and went right into a residency it is my understanding that your initial ADSC committment is paid off while you are in residency while at the same time you accrue 1:1 committment during residency so even if I only owed 2 years and did a 3 year residency when I finished it I would owe 3 years. Is this correct?

btw, recruiters seem to cringe at the mention of FAP haha. Another sign it might be the way to go!
FAP is sounding like the obvious choice.

 

[The White Coat Investor]

apparently I would owe 3 years for the HPSP, 4 if I took the $20,000 (which would make a decent dent in my $90,000 to-date debt but don't know it's worth it).

Wow! Actually considering selling a year of your freedom for $20K! I would pay a lot more than that to BUY a year of freedom, even considering the time value of money since I signed up.

DON'T JOIN THE MILITARY FOR THE MONEY! EVEN IF THAT IS A SECONDARY REASON.

 

[CheeseheadDO]

DON'T JOIN THE MILITARY FOR THE MONEY! EVEN IF THAT IS A SECONDARY REASON.

No kidding Money is an issue but not a reason.

I'm just trying to decipher everything the recruiter is telling me and while getting the $20K and adding on a year seems like a very stupid thing to do it might not be for this reason: If I signed HPSP for 2 remaining years of medical school I would have 2 years ADO. Doing a 3 year residency would give me 3 years ADO. So if I would end up with 3 years ADO anyway, why not get an extra $20K for it? If how I understand the sytem is correct, this seems logical to do.

Probably going to do FAP anyway if I can actually get info on it from my recruiter.

 

[NJEMT1]

So if I would end up with 3 years ADO anyway, why not get an extra $20K for it? If how I understand the sytem is correct, this seems logical to do.

Probably going to do FAP anyway if I can actually get info on it from my recruiter.

If you do FAP then you get to choose your specialty and residency. You don't have to apply for permission to do your specialty with the military. You will avoid the dreaded GMO tour or going to an undesirable location for residency training (assuming you can go directly from med school). In my opinion that is the big advantage of FAP.

 

[militarymd]

They can and will change the rules....watch out and be careful....

 

[The White Coat Investor]

No kidding Money is an issue but not a reason.

I'm just trying to decipher everything the recruiter is telling me and while getting the $20K and adding on a year seems like a very stupid thing to do it might not be for this reason: If I signed HPSP for 2 remaining years of medical school I would have 2 years ADO. Doing a 3 year residency would give me 3 years ADO. So if I would end up with 3 years ADO anyway, why not get an extra $20K for it? If how I understand the sytem is correct, this seems logical to do.

Probably going to do FAP anyway if I can actually get info on it from my recruiter.

I think the minimum HPSP commitment is 3 years, even if you only had a 2 year scholarship. Read that contract carefully. 3 for 3 is a bad deal. 3 for 2 is even worse.

 

[BomberDoc]

If you absolutely MUST join the military, FAP is the only logical route. HPSP offers way too many risks and zero rewards. If you are really interested in IM sub specialties, military GME does not offer many and you may end up owing double the service commitment. Stay civvie for now, do IM, secure a fellowship in your chosen field, and then take another look at FAP. Meanwhile, keep your ear to the ground and listen to all of the current med studs as they become military docs and watch them turn negative on this board by the dozen. You'll see some of the blind cheerleaders become bitter guys in a few years.

 

[sethco]

In addition, residency DOES NOT count towards your ADSC and you must match the number of years of residency to your ADSC if doing a military residency (i.e. 4 year residency= 4 years owed after finishing residency), even if you only have an initial 3 year commitment.

Read the contract carefully

 

[AngryDoc77]

As a current Active Duty Doc, I am begging you NOT TO DO IT. You can pay for med school through loans and you will easily be able to pay it all back.

Taking the HPSP scholarship was the single worst thing that I have ever done or will do in my lifetime.

Honestly, if I had $20K sitting around right now, I would send it to you just to save you from the unfortunate fate of being an active duty physician (or even worse, surgeon).

I am 3 years into my payback and I have 1 year left. Once I get out, I plan to start a scholarship for people like you in order to fight all the lies and BS that the recruiters tell you about HPSP.

Please don't do it. Think about your future.

 

[militarymd]

I wonder if there are enough of us Anti-military medicine folks to start a website.... www.hpsp.net or something like that ....so that potential recruits can have another POV before they get their life cheated away from them.

 

[Galo]

I wonder if there are enough of us Anti-military medicine folks to start a website.... www.hpsp.net or something like that ....so that potential recruits can have another POV before they get their life cheated away from them.

How wierd, I clicked on hpsp.net, and it immediately redirected me to:

http://www.militarymedicine.com/

Looks like a FAQ site.

I'd be up for it. Its unfortunate that I know so many others who had just as bad a time as me, but are just not interested in revisiting old ghosts.

 

[DiveMD]

Like a friend of mine said:

HPSP=indenture services.

 

[Homunculus]

I wonder if there are enough of us Anti-military medicine folks to start a website.... www.hpsp.net or something like that ....so that potential recruits can have another POV before they get their life cheated away from them.

maybe "anti" is a bit strong, but i think a website to give some real world views on milmed and maybe a PAC to publicize exactly what is going on wouldn't be a bad idea. . . .

anyone good with website design?

it would be a bit sticky for current milmed physicians to join (but i'm sure many would donate to the cause in various ways) but the ex folks would carry some weight-- a lone ex MAJ is easily ignored, but a variety of ranks/services/subspecialties would turn some heads.

perhaps we should PM a few people?

--your friendly neighborhood politically active caveman

 

[BomberDoc]

Of course I think this would be a big hit. Those still active duty and likely even those still enslaved by IRR would have to be privacy conscious. However, I think you would get a pretty large slice of the milmed population. The trick is to get premeds and med studs to look at it and thus have a big negative effect on recruiting. That might actually force change. Either that or we all go to Leavenworth to make big rocks into little rocks.

 

[ILUvRVUs]

As a current Active Duty Doc, I am begging you NOT TO DO IT. You can pay for med school through loans and you will easily be able to pay it all back.

Taking the HPSP scholarship was the single worst thing that I have ever done or will do in my lifetime.

Honestly, if I had $20K sitting around right now, I would send it to you just to save you from the unfortunate fate of being an active duty physician (or even worse, surgeon).

I am 3 years into my payback and I have 1 year left. Once I get out, I plan to start a scholarship for people like you in order to fight all the lies and BS that the recruiters tell you about HPSP.

Please don't do it. Think about your future.

I Agree! Don't forget involuntary extention. Your contract with the Navy is not the same as a civilian contract. It is more of a suggestion....

 

[DOctor 2012]

I am hoping someone can answer this for me or give me information on it.

How is the Air Force in terms of an OB/GYN specialty? I am thinking of joining and wanted to know if anyone is or has been in the Air Force as an OB/GYN. Also I have read many posts talking about not getting into the specialty you want when you're in the military..I am confused? i thought that for residency you applied like everyone else to civilian residency programs? Can someone clarify this for me....thanks!

 

[The White Coat Investor]

I am hoping someone can answer this for me or give me information on it.

How is the Air Force in terms of an OB/GYN specialty? I am thinking of joining and wanted to know if anyone is or has been in the Air Force as an OB/GYN. Also I have read many posts talking about not getting into the specialty you want when you're in the military..I am confused? i thought that for residency you applied like everyone else to civilian residency programs? Can someone clarify this for me....thanks!

Uhhh...welcome to the forum. I assume this was the first thread you read in it and you made it through the first three posts before you were attacked by an unsuppressable urge to post a question and lo and behold, here it is! Just kidding...kinda.

To rehash for the 3000th time....you do not apply like everyone else to civilian residency programs. You apply to the military match:

Step 1: Pick your specialty
Step 2: See if the military selects you to do that specialty
Step 3: Assuming the answer to step 2 is yes, does the military want to train you or would it like to give you a deferral to go through the civilian match?
Step 4: If they give you a deferral then, and only then, do you enter the civilian match.

Yes, the military delays the training for many people to do the specialty of their choice. Instead of practicing as an OB/GYN, you would practice for 2-4 years (after an internship) as a general medical officer (physical exams and snotty noses) or a flight surgeon (physical exams and snotty noses in a flight suit) etc, then reapply to either the military match or if you've done your entire commitment and you want to get out, the civilian match.

OB/GYN actually isn't too bad in the air force in my opinion. I think the lifestyle is significantly better than in the civilian world, but you will be paid 1/3 of what the contractors doing the same job are making in the room next door. Being sued for malpractice is much less likely in the military system and there seem to be plenty of babies coming out all over the place. You may not see all the oncology cases you want, but compared to specialties like emergency med, cardiology, and surgery, I think the military population actually isn't too bad for OB/GYN.

 

[DOctor 2012]

Thanks for your response active duty MD! From your experience, how common is it for the military to delay your specialty?

 

[The White Coat Investor]

Thanks for your response active duty MD! From your experience, how common is it for the military to delay your specialty?

It is service, year, and specialty specific. It can range from nobody gets delayed and the residencies don't even fill so you can interview by phone (think AF Peds, FP) to everyone who wants to do it gets delayed (witness Navy EM most of the last few years.)