Moonlighting during Army payback

[Future army dentist]

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Hi everyone, I had a question regarding moonlighting while in the military. I am assuming you can only moonlight on the weekends or use PTO if you want to moonlight during the week. Can someone who has experience moonlighting give insight into this? I am graduating dental school in May and starting the AEGD-1 in August. I have read about moonlighting during your payback years but wanted some more insight into it. Thanks in advance!

 

[ShortShortsDad]

You are not allowed to while in residency. Afterwards many will work part time off post. You technically have to be on leave for it which means using one of your “vacation” days. Some leadership will be fine if you work weekends or long weekends, most would rather be ignorant to what you do when you’re not at your Army job. Certain positions will not allow you to moonlight at all but that’s usually down to toxic leadership rather than a legitimate operational reason.

Every oral surgeon I know moonlights and makes far more money doing it than their Army salaries, the ****ty pay is one of the many reasons we all get out

 

[Future army dentist]

You are not allowed to while in residency. Afterwards many will work part time off post. You technically have to be on leave for it which means using one of your “vacation” days. Some leadership will be fine if you work weekends or long weekends, most would rather be ignorant to what you do when you’re not at your Army job. Certain positions will not allow you to moonlight at all but that’s usually down to toxic leadership rather than a legitimate operational reason.

Every oral surgeon I know moonlights and makes far more money doing it than their Army salaries, the ****ty pay is one of the many reasons we all get out

Thanks for the reply! I’m assuming most dentists will moonlight with a DSO office?

 

[D1Bound]

Consider this. I have missed out on thousands of dollars of moonlighting due to participating in this AEGD. I’m not sure the program has been worth it.

 

[Future army dentist]

Consider this. I have missed out on thousands of dollars of moonlighting due to participating in this AEGD. I’m not sure the program has been worth it.

Can I ask which base you are at completing the AEGD?

 

[Guocamole]

Hi everyone, I had a question regarding moonlighting while in the military. I am assuming you can only moonlight on the weekends or use PTO if you want to moonlight during the week. Can someone who has experience moonlighting give insight into this? I am graduating dental school in May and starting the AEGD-1 in August. I have read about moonlighting during your payback years but wanted some more insight into it. Thanks in advance!

Fill out paperwork to ask your boss if you can moonlight. If your clinic numbers are good (memebrs ready to deploy, good access to care time, etc) for readiness they can let you and you can either use leave, holiday/family days, or weekends. I’ve been at clinics they wouldn’t let you because their access to care time sucked or they were undermanned but just ask your boss when you get to your base after AEGD and if allowed you find a job and then fill out the paperwork

 

[Future army dentist]

Fill out paperwork to ask your boss if you can moonlight. If your clinic numbers are good (memebrs ready to deploy, good access to care time, etc) for readiness they can let you and you can either use leave, holiday/family days, or weekends. I’ve been at clinics they wouldn’t let you because their access to care time sucked or they were undermanned but just ask your boss when you get to your base after AEGD and if allowed you find a job and then fill out the paperwork

Great, thanks for the info!

 

[D1Bound]

Can I ask which base you are at completing the AEGD?

Pm

 

[knewstance]

I wouldn't count on moonlighting day one either. It took me about 3-4 months to get comfortable with the full time army workload and then another 3-4 months to find the right office to work with. Doing an AEGD will just further delay this for you.

The extra money is nice, but I'd say the biggest benefits I gain from moonlighting is running multiple columns on private practice timeline, full utilization of DAs, learning to convert same day dentistry, increased procedural speed and competence, and lastly my own abilities to earn outside of the military if I were doing it full time.