Insight Needed (AF HPSP)

[tomba27]

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Hi,

I am considering applying for the AF HPSP and am at a loss of what to do considering the mixed reviews I have received from this site regarding the AF HPSP program. I have looked at the various threads and still have several concerns and I'm hoping a few can give me their insights and opinions.

1. If I were to do a residency in a speciality, such as Ear, Nose and Throat surgery, would it be safe to assume I practice this form of medicine when I go active duty? Or is there a chance I could spend four years in active duty doing internal medicine, family practice, etc.? If so, does this negatively impact your marketibility into civilian medicine?
2. In general, how marketable is a military physician in transitioning to the civilian world? Again, I've read mixed reviews on this subject based on differing training practices between the two sectors.
3. I keep hearing people say, "You will regret this program if your in it just for the money." I come from a family with military history, but can some people elaborate on this? I know real basic, but insight would be appreciated.
4. I've read horror stories of FP or IM physicians seeing only 10 patients during one week and spending the rest of their time with administrative paperwork, military obligations, officer trainings, etc. Is this accurate? If so, what are these obligations that take up a physician's time and keep him from practicing medicine?

Thanks in advance.

 

[DocArmy]

I suggest you read more before you sign anything. Just my opinion.

1) No, the military does not typically force board certified surgeons to be family practice doctors for the duration of their payback. That is silly from the AF point of view. Why would they train you to be an Otolaryngologist if they planned to use you as a pediatrician? What you may be thinking about is a GMO. A GMO is someone who has NOT finished residency, but has only done internship (1 year). If you want to do something very competitive (like ENT) you may have to do a GMO/Flight Surgeon tour for 2 years before you can get into a program in the AF. (Before you get too excited, Flight Surgeons don't do surgery. Google it) If you are a specialty trained surgeon, then NO, they don't deploy you as a GMO (usually, unless the needs of the AF dictate that they do, in which case they will, but not for 4 years, more like 3-12 months). Typically, it is my understanding that, surgeons deployed to a war zone perform surgery. You may not be doing extremely delicate/complicated surgery in a war zone (as war zones tend to be dirty and lack the ancillary support for that), but surgery nonetheless. Non-surgical, non-EM people serve overseas as Flight/Battalion Surgeons. These are doctors attached to combat units.

2) I have no direct experience here, but would venture to guess that they do just fine. If you're a ****ty surgeon with a record of disasters in the mil, you will likely have trouble on the civilian side. Most people on this board have been able to find work coming out.

3) To elaborate; They pay you in school, they pay you better than civilian in residency, then they can send you anywhere in the world, they have a say in whether or not you get to train straight through or have to do a GMO tour, they tell you where you have to live, you make less money as an attending than your civilian counterparts (surgery folks make much less), but you get the privilege and honor of taking care of the people who put boot to ass for America. You also get to feel like you're serving your country. If taking care of Airmen and their families, wearing the uniform and being an officer in the Air Force doesn't appeal to you on its own, then you probably shouldn't join the Air Force. So... to reiterate, if you're mostly doing it for the upfront money, you're going to be unhappy.

4) The higher in rank you get, the more admin responsibilities you will have in the military. Once you reach O6 and up, it becomes the majority of what you do. Now, are there weeks where you have to do a lot of admin/paperwork/military training? Yes. You have to remember that you're not just training to be a physician. As a practicing military physician, you're also training to go to war. This will entail some courses on Nuclear/Chemical/Biological weapons, terrorism training, Operational Security, writing orders, etc, on top of the usual corporate stuff like sexual harrassment and hippa stuff. You will do PT with your coworkers, go on field exercises, etc. These activities are not seeing patients, but are helpful to your career.

The military is a large bureaucracy. This is a fact. When you accept a commission as an officer, you make a commitment to the military that will supersede several things in your life (choice of where you live, how many hours you work, where you deploy, etc). Another fact. If you don't want to be in the military, then joining the military is a bad idea. If you want to be in the military, then HPSP or FAP or USUHS or one of the Reserve programs are all nice ways to do it.

In the end, you're a grown up now and get to make your own choices.