MDSSP Dilemma

[deleted966906]

Hey guys, so I am applying for medical school this coming cycle and have a dilemma about the MDSSP.... I was originally planning on taking it for all 4 years of medical school. Payback comes after residency finishes correct?

One of my goals is to pursue a PhD after residency and become an academic, would I need a release from the military to pursue a PhD if I were serving on the reserves as part of my payback time? Would they even allow me to do a PhD during my payback time? What about a fellowship?

If these are issues, I was thinking of taking MDSSP for 1 year during medical school, so I would only need to pay back 2 years post-residency and be free to pursue my PhD. Thanks in advance guys.

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[Lankers]

From my understanding, you can decline to take STRAP during residency which means you will pay back your MDSSP after residency. If you a take STRAP you can pay back MDSSP during residency and it will be cut from a 2:1 to a 1:1 obligation, but then you will owe for STRAP. Either way you will owe AFTER residency. I guess after residency you can try and pursue a PhD. The Army will not necessarily know what you are doing - from my understanding. However, you would still need to drill / possibly get deployed. Technically, you should be granted a leave of absence from your PhD program with your active duty orders. Although, this might not be the best idea...

 

[DeadCactus]

You can pursue a PhD while in the Reserve/Guard, your time outside of drill is your own. But you may find it difficult to balance family/friends, mental health, PhD, clinical work, and military obligations. Drill, training, and deployments would potentially disrupt research so you really would want a focus that is flexible and doesn't require you to bein the lab running time sensitive experiments on a set schedule. This is even more true if you want to pursue any of the more meaningful experiences in the military.

 

[deleted966906]

Thanks for the input guys. I was under the impression that being in the reserves meant that I would need to ask the military to grant my relocating to an area for PhD? Is that true? So if I do take MDSSP, the military could potentially bar me from getting my PhD in the 8 years that I have to serve on the reserves? Thanks

Apparently that is true to enlistments applying to medical school. They have to ask for permission to go to medical school and this may not be granted.

 

[DeadCactus]

Military has no control over a Guard/Reserve member’s civilian career apart from being able to call you to duty. You don’t need anyone’s permission to go to school, change jobs, or move. It can make certain careers and goals difficult as military obligations run into civilian ones, especially if your leadership is unsupportive, but you don’t need permission to try and make it work. Enlisted reserve component members can apply to medical school all they want. They can be pulled from classes/rotations for a deployment or training so it’s best to have support from leadership or to be in a medical student assignment but they don’t need permission.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think the Reserve/Guard is a great idea for someone wanting to be a physician scientists especially while trying to get a PhD. It’s hard enough to be a modestly productive academic physician and serve; too many bosses and schedules with competing interests. I’m just saying the military can’t stop you from trying. Might be worth it if you have a deep yearning to be in the military but definitely not just for a stipend.

 

[deleted966906]

Thanks @DeadCactus. We'll see where it goes. Currently may be interested in enlisting as a reserves member. And I can freely apply to medical schools and convert this into a MDSSP scholarship?

My heart is to serve in the military and hopefully be a physician scientist as well.

 

[Lankers]

You should just talk to a recruiter. Going enlist might be a bad idea. You sign up for X number of years and you might not be able to transfers MDSSP.