MilMed: A way to just get a taste? Alternatives?

[Altruism]

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I've read through a lot of the "avoid military medicine" threads, those by USAFdoc and medical corpse. I'm glad to be a bit more enlightened but at the same time confused.

For several years now I've wanted to go into the military. Yeah, I'm a kid (19) lots of kids want to head out and sign up be it naivity or fantasy. I'm attracted to the military because of the discipline, challenge, and really the greatest reason: I feel like I'd get the most satisfaction and fulfillment working in a dangerous environment to help save those who help save me.

So, with that brief bit of insight into who I am out there, I pose this question:

Is there any way I could just get a taste of the military, a one year tour or even better, some kind of internship program that I could get into now (still just a pre med)? Some way I could still raise a great family later on? Or is there some other avenue of service that you guys could suggest?

Appreciated,
Altruism

 

[sethco]

Really don't think there is any way you can "get a taste" of the military without signing up for an 8 year commitment (Minimum Service Obligation, MSO). Regarding these 8 years, any time that is not served as Active Duty is served as either Reserve, Guard, or Individual Ready Reserve. I am pretty sure it is either all-or-nothing and the least time you can serve on active duty is 3 years (with an additional 5 year non-active duty commitment), but I could be wrong.

BTW, you can raise a "great family" in the military. It just is a little bit harder with the deployments. However, if you put the work into it, you can have a satisfying family life, even if you are working 100+ hours a week or away from them a couple of months at a time.

 

[MonkeyRalph]

There is a way to get a taste of military life that holds no obligation.
It's called the Leader's Training Course (LTC). It's through ROTC and basically is just a 4 week long camp at Ft. Knox.
You get treated like a private for the first two or three days and then after all the scarety cats drop out, they ease up on you a bit.
You do PT, drill and ceremony, weapons training, and a bunch of squad training drills. At the end, you can choose whether or not to sign the ROTC contract. Either way, they'll pay you for your time and then you can go on your merry way. Usually, most people who don't drop out during the first week end up signing their life away, so just keep that in mind. You can always say no. My battle buddy actually said no, though I fell for it hook, line and sinker.

Here's the link: http://www.usaac.army.mil/acce/ltc_home.html

 

[Perrotfish]

If you're willing to enlist I believe it's possible to sign up for a single year of Army Reservist Duty under the Army's 'try one' plan (if it still exists), which these days should be about the same as a year of active duty. However I believe that still entails 7 aditional years of IRR, and of course your can be stop lossed.

However the consensus here seems to be that military life in general doesn't give all that great a perspective of military medicine, so I don't know how much that will help you make a decision. My advice: if you want medical school stick to studying. Join a fraternity if you're feeling bored.

 

[SgtDoc]

If you're willing to enlist I believe it's possible to sign up for a single year of Army Reservist Duty under the Army's 'try one' plan (if it still exists).

It still exists (at least in the national guard).

 

[alpha62]

Try a 28 day drug rehab first.

It's a lot like officer basic. Stuck in a confined location with a lot of ridiculous rules designed to break your obsession along with a couple hundred other people just as miserable as you are.

Just for fun, you could to a wilderness rehab and spend the winter humping a ruck sack in the snow. that'll help you decide infantry or airforce.

If you're not calling momming every five minutes, you might be suitable for continued military service. Let me take one thing back... they take your cell phone away from you in rehab, so in a way rehab is tougher than the army.

 

[73BARMYPgsp]

Try a 28 day drug rehab first.

It's a lot like officer basic. Stuck in a confined location with a lot of ridiculous rules designed to break your obsession along with a couple hundred other people just as miserable as you are.

Just for fun, you could to a wilderness rehab and spend the winter humping a ruck sack in the snow. that'll help you decide infantry or airforce.

If you're not calling momming every five minutes, you might be suitable for continued military service. Let me take one thing back... they take your cell phone away from you in rehab, so in a way rehab is tougher than the army.

No cell phones in basic or AIT either. Try having your cell phone go off while a DS is anywhere within 500 ft.

 

[elderjack21]

There is a way to get a taste of military life that holds no obligation.
It's called the Leader's Training Course (LTC). It's through ROTC and basically is just a 4 week long camp at Ft. Knox.
You get treated like a private for the first two or three days and then after all the scarety cats drop out, they ease up on you a bit.
You do PT, drill and ceremony, weapons training, and a bunch of squad training drills. At the end, you can choose whether or not to sign the ROTC contract. Either way, they'll pay you for your time and then you can go on your merry way. Usually, most people who don't drop out during the first week end up signing their life away, so just keep that in mind. You can always say no. My battle buddy actually said no, thought I fell for it hook, line and sinker.

Here's the link: http://www.usaac.army.mil/acce/ltc_home.html

This is the best way to get a taste of it and not "signing your life away" right off the bat.

 

[DeAlighieri]

Actually, there might be a way. It's short notice, and you'd probably have to jump on having a local recruiter do the contacting for you, but a nice opportunity. Received this today:

----------------------------------

Just received word that the MERCY is looking for student support to
accompany them on their summer cruise to the South Pacific on another
Humanitarian Civil Affairs mission.

They are looking for pre-med/pre-dental program students, although I do
not believe they will turn away any nursing students.

Please forward your school/program contact information NLT Wednesday,
March 12 to LT Fred Licudine, [email protected]. Once the
school/recruiter names have been collected, the MERCY's POC will see if
a MOU needs to be drafted for participation.

DATES: May 1, 2008 - Sept 27, 2008 (150 days) Port sites: San Diego,
Guam, Cotabato-Philippines, Manila-Philippines, Nha Trang-Vietnam,
Singapore, Dili-Timor Leste, Darwin-Australia, Prot Moresby-Papua New
Guinea, Chuuk-Micronesia, Pearl Harbor
Funded: room and board on the MERCY
Cost to student: embard/debark location airfare, all personal expenses

Please reply if you think you might have interested folks.

Take a look at the entire email, I only covered the highlights.

 

[The White Coat Investor]

Actually, there might be a way. It's short notice, and you'd probably have to jump on having a local recruiter do the contacting for you, but a nice opportunity. Received this today:

----------------------------------

Just received word that the MERCY is looking for student support to
accompany them on their summer cruise to the South Pacific on another
Humanitarian Civil Affairs mission.

They are looking for pre-med/pre-dental program students, although I do
not believe they will turn away any nursing students.

Please forward your school/program contact information NLT Wednesday,
March 12 to LT Fred Licudine, [email protected]. Once the
school/recruiter names have been collected, the MERCY's POC will see if
a MOU needs to be drafted for participation.

DATES: May 1, 2008 - Sept 27, 2008 (150 days) Port sites: San Diego,
Guam, Cotabato-Philippines, Manila-Philippines, Nha Trang-Vietnam,
Singapore, Dili-Timor Leste, Darwin-Australia, Prot Moresby-Papua New
Guinea, Chuuk-Micronesia, Pearl Harbor
Funded: room and board on the MERCY
Cost to student: embard/debark location airfare, all personal expenses

Please reply if you think you might have interested folks.

Take a look at the entire email, I only covered the highlights.

Sounds like fun. Do they take active duty docs? I can't seem to finagle my way into anything like this, despite signing away years to the military.

 

[sethco]

DATES: May 1, 2008 - Sept 27, 2008 (150 days) Port sites: San Diego,
Guam, Cotabato-Philippines, Manila-Philippines, Nha Trang-Vietnam,
Singapore

Hope you like the "good dreams" you get with Mefloquine Mondays

 

[BomberDoc]

Want a taste of milmed?

Just grab a gallon jug of bleach and drink the whole thing down in one big gulp. Don't bother taking a breath halfway through. Milmed doesn't allow breathing. Unless a nurse orders you to breathe, you may not. Period.

 

[Perrotfish]

DATES: May 1, 2008 - Sept 27, 2008 (150 days) Port sites: San Diego,
Guam, Cotabato-Philippines, Manila-Philippines, Nha Trang-Vietnam,
Singapore

It seems like such a good idea except... What undergrad starts in OCTOBER?

Anyway, with permission I'm going to post this on pre-allo. I'm guessing someone might be interested

 

[IgD]

Please tell me you aren't violating OPSEC by posting that stuff.

 

[NavyFP]

Hope you like the "good dreams" you get with Mefloquine Mondays

Take the daily Doxy. Much better.

 

[sethco]

Take the daily Doxy. Much better.

More of a compliance issue though. Besides, the side effects (at least I heard) can be really fun!!!

 

[alphagojo]

Go talk to your school's Professor of Military Science (head of the ROTC program). He or she could set you up to go to LTC or just "try out" ROTC for quite a while, no obligation whatsoever. While it may not be active duty or anything close to it, you can still get a feel for the military atmosphere. I try to not be discouraged by so much negative talk about the military (but still take it into consideration) since there are many who love everything about it. Good luck.

 

[apoptosisisfun]

I believe you can do PLC without any obligation.

 

[Founder]

No cell phones in basic or AIT either. Try having your cell phone go off while a DS is anywhere within 500 ft.

No cell phone? Horrors!

Anyway Altruism, if you want to be in the military, and it appears you want to be in the military then you should listen to yourself. I knew the problems with military medicine and it wasn't some rosey picture that ROTC and recruiters painted. But since I was as young as I could remember I wanted to be in the military so this is like the best of both worlds.

There is going to be bull**** no matter where you are. The difference is one side wears a uniform and the other side wears a suit.