Hello- I was accepted into New York Medical College a little more than a week ago so the reality of actually having to procure $40,000+ is now setting in. I have been seriously considering the many military programs available however I have some very serious questions. I am open to traveling across the country and possibly doing the FYGME, but I am afraid that I will be told "You're specializing in the branch of medicine WE want you to study, you're going HERE, and forget about having a family until WE say you've finished your obligation." Granted, they are paying for me, they will own me. Are my fears out of proportion, are these things that could happen in a small number of cases or do they happen on a regular basis? Anyone and everyone who has input please reply!! Thank you.
I have an HPSP scholarship and from my knowledge, you must apply to do an army residency and just like the regular match you list a certain number of places on your match list and hope you get one of them. The only problem is that you must put down 5 FYGME places, but if the residency you want is only offered at 3 places, you'll have to fill in the other two spots with either a transitional year or a different specialty. From what I've read, about 85-90% of HPSP students get one of their first 3 choices. The only issue is if you don't match. The army will generally give you a deferrment, but I think very rarely they may not grant you a deferrment. I can't imagine they would put you into just any old residency though. You should search for "military" or "HPSP" and look at old threads on this issue. Good luck. I'm only a MS1, but I'm happy with my scholarship so far.
Hmm, Maybe we should keep these posts all in one topic: there is one over in the main forum. However, I will address your issue, at least to the extent that it has been explained to me. If you do the HPSP, you MUST apply to the Army FGYME (internship). You are required to put down five programs. If the Army does not have five programs in the specialty of your choice, you must still put down five programs. You can fill out your choices with transitional year selections. You may also request a deferment to do a civilian residency. It seems, then, that the Army will not force you to do a specialty you did not put on your list. Note however, that the Army has two Matches. During your Army internship you must apply again to match in the GME 2+ Match. There is an active discussion of this in the other Forum and what the impact of failure to match would be (GMO tour?) Hope that helps. ed
The Army may be different now that they are phasing out the GMO tour. In the Navy, you are required to apply for the PGY-1 match (internship) and if selected you must take it. The difference is that you are NOT obligated to apply for PGY-2 spots during your internship year. You are able to, and may match into a great Military residency, but you don't have to. The options after internship are General Medical Officer (GMO), Flight Surgeon (FS), and Dive Medical Officer (DMO). You may then pay back your scholarship commitment (2, 3, or 4 years) and apply for the civilian match when you are near completion of your payback. The only thing you sacrifice is time with respect to residency training. I know, blah, blah, blah, you have to salute, you have to do this , do that... (see other threads- bottom line it's TIME that you sacrifice). You may apply for Military GME after one year in the fleet (realize that orders are usually 2 year assignments so you can APPLY and expect that if you match you leave the following July- thus 2 years after receipt of initial orders). Of my military FS counterparts at my duty station (just my GME year) about 70% left the Military after their 4 year payback- 3 are doing Radiology, 1 MED/Psych, 2 Orthopaedics (1 prelim year, 1 straight ortho). Two stayed in the Military and each got their first choice- 1 Peds, 1 FP. Not a bad track record. The program I matched into (civilian Rads) had NO PROBLEM with the fact that I had spent four years in the Military after internship. Consider the HPSP scholarship only if you are prepared for Military life and know/fully understand your contract. It can be a GREAT personal experience- but remember, it is just that, personal. Some will have had a tougher time than others and may disagree with me. Personal testimonials (good or bad)can strongly influence your decision. Get the facts. Good luck! PMB
