INTEL OFFICER intro

[INTEL OFFICER]

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Greetings,

Not relly sure what the site rules are here, so I'll post an intro as the resident newbie.

Background: Current Air Force intelligence officer with just shy of 10 years in service (8 enlisted and the last two as a commissioned officer). Looking to make myself eligible to apply to med school in the next two years before my term of commitment with the AF is up. My academic background is pretty weak (30 credits from WVU from back in 1998, worked up through my senior year at Wright State University in Dayton Ohio, and used Excelsior College to get a BS in "liberal studies" dual concentration Psychology/Poli Sci in order to obtain a commission).

With a ummm... non-illustrous university diploma, and a serious lack of the requisite courses needed to apply to med-school, I have just recently signed up at Boise State (I'm stationed close-by) to begin my Biology and Inorganic Chem sequences.

Medical school is always what I've wanted, I've just recently had a few life changing events (including a deployment) that have spurred me to action.

I understand that I'll face an uphill battle as a non-traditional student (30 yo) with two wonderful daughters (7 weeks and 20 months), a non-stellar undergrad degree (although I do have a 3.9 GPA), etc. I've never failed at what I've committed to, and am eager for the challenge.

Specifically would love to her from anyone who was selected while active duty for the HPSP (military health scholarship program) as that would be my first choice if accepted (would hate to lose those 10 years towards retirement)...

Thanks and now I think I'll browse a bit.

 

[njbmd]

Looks like all you need to do is take the pre-med pre-reqs, do well, take the Medical College Admissions Test and you are on your way. Depending on how long you have been away from the academics, start slow and add more courses as soon as you know the rigor and how efficiently you can get the job done. Get some clinical volunteering under your belt too.

Your background should give you a boost, ex-military is great and you know where to find loads of info on the HPSP (check out the Military Medicine forum too). Otherwise, find yourself a good spot to take your pre-reqs and get the job done. Looks like you have made the first steps OK. Keep that great uGPA. It doesn't really matter what college you attended, you did well.

 

[2008orbust]

You are a few steps ahead of many non-trads because you don't have to do damage contol for past grades when you were young.

Nose to the grindstone will be difficult with two infants, but it can be done. Ask family for help. Ask anyone for help. When taking time to study for the MCAT (do NOT underestimate it because you got good grades) schedule your study time as if it were a job and arrange childcare to keep that "job".

You are already ahead of the game.
Good luck to you

 

[Flopotomist]

Have you considered applying to USUHS? Might be an even better deal for somebody in your situation if you are thinking a military career is for sure for you.

 

[ChandutheMagici]

I'm not sure you wanna do military medicine dude, but that's up to you. Anyway, I might know you. Depending on what facilities you worked. I'll send you a pm. 😀

Josh

 

[bryce]

Hey,

As a WSU and prior-enlisted army Officer myself, I can tell you that [if you're not opposed to the thought] you would still stand a very good chance at WS's med school, so long as you do a decent job on your pre-req courses and mcat... When were you at WSU?

 

[nontrdgsbuiucmd]

Sounds like your background is solid so far. On the plus side, schools in general focus much more on GPA than the name of the institution(s) that one graduated from. It will be a bit more important for you to do very well on prerequs to show that you're able to handle a tough workload. Be prepared to convince others/explain why you're changing, as this will be more an issue for you after 10 yrs in another field.

As mentioned above, I'd plan on a LOT of time for the MCAT, as in 2 months fulltime study or the equivalent - that's what I've read, and experienced, in earning that required 30+ score.

Suggest that as you move further along you consider the non-military path also - depending on the field you're looking into, for several reasons -

-more freedom to choose a specialty and more certainty regarding future plans - I've only read about this, but it appears there's no guaranty that you will be able to pick your specialty, and that you won't be deployed mid-training. Check what's in writing on this rather than what's verbally committed.


-financial incentives - you'd mentioned the retirement plan in the military, which I know a bit about as an ex-federal employee. Take a good look at the pay of military doctors and non-military doctors and the number of years commitment required after completing training. Substantial difference in compensation between the two.

best of luck!

 

[INTEL OFFICER]

Thanks for all of the responses. Definitely appreciated. I'll keep pressing ahead and consider more the non-military route as I go. I also plan on browsing Wright State's med school webpage after I finish off a couple of briefings at work this morning (still experiencing that post-deployment "where exactly do I fit in here again" feel in my office...a good time for research into med-school).

Again...thanks to everyone that took the time to give thought and respond to my post!

 

[ChandutheMagici]

Could you elaborate more on the topic? I am uneducated on the cons of military medicine.

Hmmm, this could take a while. Although, it has been discussed on this forum before, I'll put it in short detail here.

There are a couple programs that will pay for your med school if choose to sign up with the military. They all pretty much follow the same format. The one I hear talked most about on these forums is HPSP (Health Professions Scholarship Program). The other one is USUHS (Uniformed Service University of Health Sciences) which people pronounce "You-Shoes" for some unknown reason to me. They both pretty much work the same way. Essentially, you join up with the military before med school, get 2nd Lieutenant pay while in med school (and climbing the chain to 1st Lieutenant while in school), and become a Captain upon entering active duty. It pays a 20k bonus upon signing up and will give you about 1900 a month (+ a housing allowance I'm sure) all through med school.

Now that's standard recruiter talk....meaning that's the good part. Here's what they don't tell you or at least don't bring to the forefront.

1. Your residency is based on the needs of the military, not what you want.... (cite http://www.amsa.org/military/FAQs.cfm)

This should be a flat out no for most people. I say that because hell, if you've made the decision to do medicine, this is your life. What if what you really wanna be is an emergency physician/family practice guy (what I wanna do 😀) and they put you in a Pathology residency? How bad would that suck? I'll let you answer that.

2. There is a possibility depending on the service, that you will be a GMO (General Medical Officer). I shadowed lots of guys on bases and I can say without a doubt that being a GMO would suck, hard. Basically, you're an officer that works at the hospital. No training, can get put anywhere. That's a year of your life wasted. And speaking of officers..

3. The military considers you an officer first, physician second. Think about the implications of that.

4. Your orders as a physician can get trumped by a nurse who is ranked higher than you. I actually saw that happen to a guy when I was shadowing at Eisenhower Medical Center. He was a sharp guy (3rd year resident) and put in an order for some medication only to have a nurse tell him that it wasn't needed (He was a Captain, Nurse was a Lt. Col). I hear this happens quite a bit. The thing is, that scares me for patients.

5. They own you. Literally.

6. Side Military Duties. I can tell you, having 6 years in the Air Force and working shift work much of that time..that the extra **** they make you do is infuriating at times. They would call and wake me up for training days, "morale" days, fun runs, change of command ceremonies, etc etc.

These are just a few of the numerous different cons. Let me tell you though, why I wouldn't join. For me, medicine is about an overall philosophy of helping others no matter what. You dedicate your life to a position which states DO NO HARM.

The military is a much different scenario. I'm not saying it's not needed (because it is) but the military's sole function is to kill or destroy. When they try to do anything else they really suck at it (cite our Iraqian Nation Building efforts). Personally, I don't want to be a cog in a machine which has a sole mission of superiority and destruction. But hey, that's just me.

Josh