HPSP help!!!

[boboo]

I just recieved the HPSP scholarship for the Navy and will recieve the Army one later this week. What should I do? I am 27 years old and single. Either way I am going to be a old man when I'm done. Is it that bad? After reading alot of the posts on this site, it sounds like it's horrible.

Residency sucks in both the military and civilian world. Basically, I'll be doing four years as a physician somewhere other that where I want to settle down. That doesn't sound to bad to me, with no debts and all.

Also...I recieved some advice from a physician who did his time in the Air Force. He said that if he had to choose between the Army and Navy he would go with the Army. This is because of the larger opportunity of residency and not having to do a GMO tour. Basically, he thinks I'll be able to get a job easier with 4 years experience in that field. He highly recomends military medicine and has no negative feelings about it at all. Is he nuts or sane? What do you guys think of this and what I should do?

Any advice would be appreciated.

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[none]

Go with the assumption that you will be doing some battlefield work, it's a very good assumption. Would you prefer to do that on the ground or on a ship?

 

[mikeaparker]

From what I heard, go with Navy.....

 

[boboo]

anyone else

 

[none]

Yeah, my question was designed to also be in support of the Navy. There really shouldn't be much of a decision here...

 

[Homunculus]

army. no gmo tours, more bases, more residencies, not stuck on a boat. and i doubt your going to be stuck *on* the battlefield-- the army isn't stupid, virtually all docs are kept safe well back from the fighting. when none asked his question i preferred the ground. where are you gonna hide when your ship is attacked/sinking?

try doing a search here, there are some old threads i think that discuss it pretty well.

take it easy

homonculus

 

[boboo]

Are you people in the Program or just have heresay like me.

Yea, I am leaning toward the Army. Tripler Med Ctr. Can't beat that. Plus all the residecy spots.

 

[DW]

A professor of mine was a pilot in the Air Force before he became a doc and joined CDC. When I told him i was thinking about doing HPSP when i apply to med school, he emphatically told me to steer clear of the Navy. The major issue is that you might have to spend a year at sea during residency, and while that might fly with general practices, that is not good for your more specialized fields. Also, apparently the Navy has a really high divorce rate relative to the other branchs (dont know why that matters, but he told me that anyways). This makes getting residencies in the Army a little harder, and in the Air Force a LOT harder, than the Navy, but he said even his buddies from FedMed (Uniformed Services) did not like the Naval medical program.

 

[hosskp1]

I am in the program right now. Army HPSP all the way. There are reasons for choosing NAvy or Air Force. If you have an interest in dive medicine or service aboard a ship or sub-- go NAvy. If you want to be a flight surgeon and a pilot go Air Force. Personally, I wanted to go to airborne school, air assault school and yell hoo-ah. Also, they have more ortho spots than any other service. I must also mention the fact that Tripler ARMY medical Center is in Honolulu. These facts made me want Army all the way. Any branch is good (depends on the individual)-- go with your heart and you will have no regrets. I certainly do not.

 

[Homunculus]

since you asked-- i am Army HPSP

 

[Dr.A-OPTIC/NavyDO]

I sent 29 years in the Navy and was faculty at DMU and now am at PCSOM. Contact me if you want to know more.
You should match what you want and expect with what they have to offer. A $160,000 HPSP will leave you debut free. A military program will give you great training and elegiblity for ACGME and AOA boards.
Navy - Dive medicine, Flight surgery, and The Marines. You are always by the water. GMO tour -see the word with great experiences
Army - larger bases, Air Bourne
Air Force - Flight surgery and great bases

 

[drhillary]

Dear Boboo,

I second Homonculus' post about getting shipped off to GMO on some carrier in the middle of nowhere, but hey, that might be your thing. Also, if they GMO you out of the rotation cycle, you can get stuck waiting once you get back to go on your next one for up to 6 months. The ARMY has more resources & medical centers than all the other branches combined, which lends to many more opportunities if you don't already know EXACTLY what you want to do. If you couldn't guess, I am ARMY HPSP too, but good luck in your decision, it is an important one!!

Peace,
Hillary

 

[Olly5]

can u get into any of the HSPS? programs if you are a permanent resident but not a citizen?
O.

 

[LilRas]

Having been there, the Navy HPSP is outstanding! Don't sweat the GMO tour, not everyone does it, and it helps better prepare you for the residency of your choice, not what you get pigeon holed into.

The Army and Air Force don't happen to mention it, but they have their version of the GMO tour too, it's called one year unaccompanied TDY to somewhere like Korea. Barring a significant mishap, what's the likelihood of say a surgeon getting to do many interesting cases in an unsterile tent? Now which sounds better, a tent in a Korean jungle for a year or a 6 month world tour with all the amenities of home. Your spouse can even meet you in an overseas port for a conjugal visit!

If you are interested in Flight Surgery, the Navy's is the best of the three by far. Army and Air Force only give you 6 weeks of training and then stick you as a doc in the box on the side of a runway! The Navy's was 6 months and included 6 weeks of actual fight simulator and cockpit training. Navy Flight Surgeons actually are required to fly as part of their maintaining their quals, which probably explains why we are the ones most often selected to work with NASA.

The quality of the residency training is second to none, why else would the President and Congress get their care at Bethesda Naval Hospital?

Go Navy!!

 

[marinedoc02]

Navy HPSP was a great experience. There are alot of different paths that can be taken from the moment you enter an active duty status. Military internship does not count as payback for scholarship time, but it DOES prepare you quite well for residency/GMO tour/Flight Surgery etc... Several of my internship classmates were offered residency spots immediately following internship (2 Psych/2 Int Med/3 ER/2 Gen Surg). I chose Flight Surgery and have no regrets at all. Two tours with the Marines and now doing civilian residency (Rads). My time in the Military was looked upon quite favorably but most, if not all, of the programs that I accepted interviews. Do your research with respect to the finer details of the scholarship and fortify your reasons for accepting the scholarship. Great training, awesome people, and cool jets..... Go Navy! MD2

 

[Echo]

I think all the advice you have received is great! I'm currently on the Air force HPSP. I preferred USAF since flight surgery is what I want to do. I picked USAF over NAVY because I'd rather be stationed on the ground than on a boat. Each service has it's goods and bads. Air Force supposedly takes care of you and your family better than the other branches (cushier lifestyle) and since I'm married and expecting kiddo #1, USAF was the one for me.

About the 1-yr TDY, you only end up doing that if you end up staying in for around 10-20 years. With HPSP, you'll only be committed for about 4 (depending upon your residency). However, the AF is heading towards what is called AEF (aerospace expeditionary force) which means you'll be deployed for 3 months for every 18 month cycle.
Be wary of the NAVY's GMO tour. I've heard both good and bad...some people never even go on one, many others get plucked right after the internship year and spend time on the boat. A buddy of mine is going ARMY and loves it (he dreams of Airborne school).
Hope this helps a little

 

[ljube_02]

Hey could you please tell more about flight surgery and dive medicine?
How hard is it to be selected? The perks of each job? i.e. what is the typical day in those fields? Can you do 2 years flight surgery and 2 years dive medicine tour? Can you be stationed in Hawaii or Iceland in either of those tours?

And unless you're going to do all 20 years in the navy, why do residensy there at all? If you do 2-4 years as a gmo, do military residensy , then you'll owe another 4 years. So why not get out after your gmo tour?

thanks.

 

[phil413ru]

You can be a flight surgeon in the Army too. I worked with one in my National Guard unit. The Army has an aviation branch--someone needs to fly all the helipcopters. (Remeber Black Hawk Down? Those are our helicopters).

I am currently Army ROTC applying for HPSP and USUHS. I am definately sold out on the Army. You have opportunities to fly, operational medicine, air borne, air assualt, mountain warfare, pathfinder etc. ..
Army is also very family friendly. It has excellent medical facilities. As mentioned, Tripler. Also Madigan in WA, and Walter Reed outside of D.C. A couple of Army Docs I swadowed this summer came from Heidelberg Germany. They loved it. You get to travel and see world with Army too. Anything you wish to specialize (well almost) they have in the Army.
I would choose Army. You stay either on land or in air. You can fly or you can crawl. You can jump out of airplanes, of helicopter.
Plus, green has always been my favorite color.

Good luck---what Medical school are you attending?

 

[ljube_02]

Hi,
I am a premed and consider applying for hpsp when going to med school. I still have lots of time to decide on which service is best. My decision will be based on what gmo tour is most suitable for me (battalion surgeon, flight surgeon or dmo).
Thanks!

 

[Pitt Panther]

My question is this... What branch would you chose if you wanted to specialize (Neurosurg. for example). Personally, I prefer being by the water and because of that, the Navy sounds good to me. I just don't know if I would have access to a neurosurg residency. Any input that anyone can give is appreciated!

 

[ljube_02]

From what i see the only difference between the services is the gmo-tour and the bases you're assigned at..
In navy you will at first do internship, then a gmo tour. You can choose working on a ship, being a flight surgeon, or being a diving medicine officer. If you're on 2-4 year hpsp scholarship, you can be done with the military after this tour, and just go do a civilian residensy... If you want to stay in the navy for a career, then you apply for residensy in the navy (there is only 1 spot), but if they dont take you, you can apply to the civilian residensy. Then you'll be paid only the civilian salary for the 6 years, and after that you can come back to finish the career at some navy hospital.

In army if you want, you can avoid the gmo tour and go straight to neuro residensy, they have more spots. You will then serve in some army hospital. In air force, you would most likely go to civilian residensy straight after your internship.


If you just want the quickest way to finish your residensy and make more money, then it is not sound to join the military at all. You can easily pay off the loans within 2 years of working in civilian world. If you're looking for some military experience, then i would suggest doing a gmo-tour after a 2-4 yr hpsp scholarship, and then getting out of the military. Then you'd just want to compare if you find more fun being a flight surgeon for a marine air squadron or perhaps being a battalion surgeon for the rangers in the army?

If you want to make a career in the military, i would suggest www.usuhs.edu if you're not already in med school. The major difference is that army offers bases in Hawaii, Germany among others, and Navy offers bases in San Diego, Italy, Iceland... In army there are more opportunities for promotion, but you probably have to do more administrative work.