Medical School and National Guard Advice

[Consession’s Oppression]

Hey guys,

I’ve seen they’re are a few active members on SDN who are in the National Guard. It would be awesome if you can confirm my thoughts, give me some of your advice and your story.

I’m applying to medical school right now and just recently got accepted in my state school. I’m interested in joining the National Guard without any incentives. Doing this, I’m under the impression that I have to serve 8 years until I have the choice to leave. During those 8 years I’ll have to drill a weekend every month. Is this true? How far usually was the location to drill for you guys?

Secondly, after those served 8 years, if I choose to stay in the Guard, they could pay debt repayment $40,000 per year?

A few more questions:
If I were to join, should I start the process around now so I can do my paperwork/training(?) early so I wouldn’t have to do it in school?

Would you be able to give me how a usual day/month/year is for you?

Knowing what you know now and where you are, would you do anything different? Any suggestions? Anything you wish you would have done earlier?

Thanks for reading this, appreciate it a lot. I’m genuinely looking forward to your responses!

(TLDR: Interested in National Guard for medical school. Looking for direction)
@sb247 @notdeadyet

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[deleted480308]

Hearing how the reserves doesn’t seem to make their people drill during med school to get drill pay makes me wish sometimes I did reserves instead.

If you are going for sure to join, start paperwork as soon as you are accepted. Don’t let your stipend start before jan1 or july1 without knowing that even 1 day prior means you owe the army another year in payback time. Any portion of a 6 month block is a year you owe

 

[DMBandFan86]

I guess I'm confused about how to NG works. How does the NG assign an AOC to new-entry soldiers with acceptance to medical school who don't take an incentives program? In the army reserves you would either have to enlist or go through OCS; is this not the case in the NG? Is there not and initial training period?

Why wouldn't you just do MDSSP while in medical school and elect to take 3 years of incentives. Then don't take STRAP or HPLRP in residency. You would be protected from deployment in medical school and then do a condensed form of BOLC between your 1st and 2nd year of school. No delays in medical school graduation. Even better yet, join the AR and you shouldn't have to drill during school.

 

[notdeadyet]

I guess I'm confused about how to NG works. How does the NG assign an AOC to new-entry soldiers with acceptance to medical school who don't take an incentives program? In the army reserves you would either have to enlist or go through OCS; is this not the case in the NG? Is there not and initial training period?

Not quite true for the Reserve. In both ARNG and AR, you are a "direct commissions" and later go to BOLC designed for AMEDD officers. You do not really go through OCS.

In the ARNG (can's speak for AR), you are given a classification that is "medical student." You are a non-deployable asset. This is the case regardless of whether or not you accept incentives.

Why wouldn't you just do MDSSP while in medical school and elect to take 3 years of incentives. Then don't take STRAP or HPLRP in residency. You would be protected from deployment in medical school and then do a condensed form of BOLC between your 1st and 2nd year of school. No delays in medical school graduation. Even better yet, join the AR and you shouldn't have to drill during school.

If you take 3 years of MDSSP for ARNG or AR, you incur a 6 year drill obligation that begins AFTER you finish residency. And during that payback period, you are ineligible for student loan repayment of $40K/year (you can not pay back an obligation while joining an obligation incurring incentive). If you do NOT do MDSSP, you may finish your 6 year drilling obligation during residency (so you can leave after residency if you didn't like the ARNG) and you can begin student loan repayment immediately after residency (or during PGY-3 year if certain qualifications are met).[/QUOTE]

 

[KaBoom'd]

How far usually was the location to drill for you guys?

A few more questions:
If I were to join, should I start the process around now so I can do my paperwork/training(?) early so I wouldn’t have to do it in school?

Would you be able to give me how a usual day/month/year is for you?

Knowing what you know now and where you are, would you do anything different? Any suggestions? Anything you wish you would have done earlier?
@sb247 @notdeadyet

I'm a M2 and recently commissioned medical student officer and not taking any incentives. I think the commitment and loan repayment questions have been answered so I'll address the other stuff.

Yes, you should start applying early. I was enlisted active duty and then in the National Guard, including M1 year. It took me exactly a year to commission after first contacting the recruiters. I'll spare the details but if this is something you're interested in, start now. Best case scenario is you complete the ~6 weeks of mandatory courses prior to the start of M1 year. I was also told that it's easier to complete a packet for someone with no prior service but who knows.

Medical student officer experiences in the Guard vary wildly by state. I'm actually not in my state Guard because my prior job was only available in the adjacent state. I drill 3 hours away. I was told to keep a current PT test, maintain a current PHA (annual physical), and try to be there for the annual weapons qualification days. The those first two things are on me to show up for. Other than that they told me to stay away. I get paid and counted every month. I still haven't been to the unit because I'm current on those 3 things. My classmate is a medical student officer in a different state and they want him there as many drill weekends as possible unless he's really busy with school. Like I said, it is highly variable.

Would I do anything different? I'm committed because of time and family health insurance needs. TBD how it turns out if a new command team changes things radically or how it goes in residency and beyond, but so far so good. I did several deployments prior to all of this and depending on the specialty I chose I suspect I'll be seeking a deployment after training for a broader experience and to put things back in perspective one more time.

Congrats on the acceptance and good luck.


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