Navy Reserves "Non Commitment" Program

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Castro Viejo

Castro Viejo

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Anyone know anything about the USNR "Non Commitment" program.

It was explained to me this way: Sign up with the USNR in a Non Commitment program where you can leave when you want. You are apparently protected during residency and fellowship training from being called up for active duty, but this "protection" is gone when you become an attending and you haven't left. The USNR pays $440/month and gives the enrollee most of the benefits of being an O-3 or O-4, depending on specialty, as well as $25,000 to pay off your student loans at your 1 year anniversary.

Does anyone have any experience with this kind of thing? What's in it for the USNR?
 
Could you point to a written Naval source that says you can leave whenever you want? I think you might be referring to the Financial Assistance Program (FAP). Did your information come from a recruiter or a published document?
 
****** said:
"Sign up with the USNR in a Non Commitment program where you can leave when you want."
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That doesn't sound right. There has to be a service commitment. What would prevent you from completing training and then leaving without any payback?
 
****** said:
Anyone know anything about the USNR "Non Commitment" program.

It was explained to me this way: Sign up with the USNR in a Non Commitment program where you can leave when you want. You are apparently protected during residency and fellowship training from being called up for active duty, but this "protection" is gone when you become an attending and you haven't left. The USNR pays $440/month and gives the enrollee most of the benefits of being an O-3 or O-4, depending on specialty, as well as $25,000 to pay off your student loans at your 1 year anniversary.

Does anyone have any experience with this kind of thing? What's in it for the USNR?[/QUOTE]

Indeed. Last I heard the military wasn't in the habit of giving away free money, unless it's to Halliburton.
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The following comes from a "Naval Reserve Medical Department Guide," published in January 2005 and forwarded to me by a Navy Medicine recruiter.

2. Non-Commitment Program/Medical In-Training Option. The drill option for residents, fellows and students is called the Medical In-Training Option (MIT). The MIT billets will be attached to a Naval Reserve Activity (NRA)- also known as a Reserve Center. The billet will be cross-assigned to a Commanding Officer of an OHSU unit supporting an MTF and, whenever possible, a Professional School Liaison Officer will be assigned as a mentor to the trainee. The drilling flexibility allows for the use of conferences that are part of the training program and CME to count as drill credit. Accumulating 4 hours of conference and/or drill credit equals 1 drill period. This is reported on an Individual Monthly Drill Performance form (NAVRES 1570/16). There are 4 drill periods to each weekend drill which means an individual must accumulate 16 hours of conference and/or drill time each month to equal the 2 days a month that a drilling Reservist executes. A minimum of 4 hours must be turned in for drill credit. No partial credit is given for less than 4 hours. Trainees will still be required to drill twice annually with their unit to meet the administrative and PRT requirements and receive monthly pay in the amount of $440/month. All in-training residents will be able to participate in the Medical In-Training Option until the completion of residency/fellowship training. The billet projected rotation date (PRD), the date an individual must rotate to another billet assignment, will cover the entire time of residency/fellowship training. Members of this program are ineligible for mobilization, recognizing that someone in training is more valuable when they are finished and in most cases can not be privileged prior to completion of their program. Performance of AT is not required. Members of this program can discontinue at any time, both during residency/fellowship and thereafter.
Following training, if the reserve medical officer elects to remain in the program, they will have several options for drilling. The reservist can be assigned to an OHSU supporting an MTF or a Fleet Hospital and request the flexibility of the REFLEX instruction (COMNAVRESFORINST 1570.9D allowing drill credit for collateral duties and CME). Alternately, an operational billet may be assigned with a Marine Unit (Program 9), or with the Seabees (Program 7). The Priority Medical Specialists Program may also be an option (see below).
 
Need more information please. The way I read it, you can discontinue being in the program whenever you want, but it doesn't say what happens to you afterward or that you can discontinue being in the Navy. Are you automatically assigned to active duty or one of the billets listed in the second paragraph if you decide to quit the program? Because then they could take you out of residency or fellowship and put you on a boat somewhere for a year.
 
Just more lies and subterfuge to trap the next generation of disposable docs. This program just doesn't make any sense. Why would they pay you during residency/fellowship just to let you walk away without any payback as an attending? The key thing to look for is somewhere that says you can separate from the service and get a DD214. This is the only time you are really out of the military.
 
AF M4 said:
The way I read it, you can discontinue being in the program whenever you want, but it doesn't say what happens to you afterward or that you can discontinue being in the Navy.
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Excactly the way I read it.

Similar to the clause in the HPSP contract: you can drop out of med school any time you want, which drops you from the HPSP program; DOESN'T mean you're out of the military, they'll just find another role for you.

To the OP (or any other person considering a program like this):

There ain't no thing as a free lunch. Medical degrees are expensive because they're worth it...OK, not from a financial perspective 😀, but because they offer a rewarding and personally redeeming career helping people be healthy. That you think you can get that on the cheap suggests you don't value the degree that much.
 
The way this program was sold to us was that it would give us an idea of being a Navy doc without the commitment so that people aren't initially scared off/turned off by it. The recruiter said 10-15% of enrollees into this program will stay voluntarily to continue in the program, and that's the Navy's angle.

I was further told that your usefulness to the Navy with fewer than 84 training days is very limited so mobilization is not a possibility. Once you've accumulated 84 (or more) training days then, per this recruiter, you wouldn't be called up for active duty during residency/fellowship, but you may be called up later on in life as an attending.

It's quite confusing and I'm getting information from secondary sources and such. This excerpt I posted mentions nothing about the 84 training days or anything else.
 
****** said:
Anyone know anything about the USNR "Non Commitment" program.

It was explained to me this way: Sign up with the USNR in a Non Commitment program where you can leave when you want. You are apparently protected during residency and fellowship training from being called up for active duty, but this "protection" is gone when you become an attending and you haven't left. The USNR pays $440/month and gives the enrollee most of the benefits of being an O-3 or O-4, depending on specialty, as well as $25,000 to pay off your student loans at your 1 year anniversary.

Does anyone have any experience with this kind of thing? What's in it for the USNR?
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You may not be required to serve on active reserve duty, that is what they are referring to when they say you can "get out" and that you will have no "commitment". But you will still be in the IRR, and could be called to active duty as a commissioned medical officer if needed. You won't be able to get out of that, if it happened.

What is in it for the USNR? A lot, actually. They have the legal authority to call you up from the IRR, and in that status they do not have to pay you anything, give you any benefits or credit you any time toward retirement. In a lot of ways they are getting 90% of active reserve benefit for none of the cost. And lets be honest, even if you decided to remain on active reserve, no one in the services is sweating anything to pay you.
 
Yup, 10-15% of enrollees stay voluntarily, the other 85-90% stay because the Navy makes them. THAT'S the angle.

"Mobilization is not a possibility." Hmm. "Not useful until after 84 days of training." Double hmm. "per this recruiter, you wouldn't be called up for active duty during residency/fellowship, but you may be called up later on in life as an attending." Triple hmm. Great but confusing recruiter promises that you can't find in the fine print anywhere. HMMMmmmMMMMmm....

You seem to be a smart individual who knows a good deal and a trustworthy salesman when he sees them. I just so happen to have a deal you may be interested in once you collect your free phat cash from the Navy and are looking for investment opportunities. It's a long concrete conveyance that allows cars to pass over water from one side of Manhattan to the other, and considering the large population of the great city of New York, you could easily make back your initial investment from toll receipts within the year.

One Brooklyn Bridge, for the low low price of eleventy billion dollars. You game?
 
AF M4 said:
Yup, 10-15% of enrollees stay voluntarily, the other 85-90% stay because the Navy makes them. THAT'S the angle.

"?
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Do you KNOW this or just guessing? I will say I've never heard of this program but it is possible to me that they figure paying everyone $440 a month is worth it if 15% stay.
 
AF M4 said:
One Brooklyn Bridge, for the low low price of eleventy billion dollars. You game?
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I have no issue with being called to active duty.

I just want to be certain of this program thoroughly and know what I'm getting myself into so that there are no surprises in the future.
 
Gastrapathy said:
Do you KNOW this or just guessing? I will say I've never heard of this program but it is possible to me that they figure paying everyone $440 a month is worth it if 15% stay.
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No, I don't know it because I have never heard of this program before this thread nor have I seen the entire contract. I'm simply going off the assumption that the US military has not turned into a fairy godmother and is giving out packages like this:

"The USNR pays $440/month and gives the enrollee most of the benefits of being an O-3 or O-4, depending on specialty, as well as $25,000 to pay off your student loans at your 1 year anniversary."

Orbitsburg made a good point - what's the IRR commitment? This is going to be my Oliver Stone moment, but envision the following scene being played out in wherever the Navy Medical headquarters is:

Someone gives a presentation showing HPSP etc. enrollment rates are declining and how the Navy is running out of doctors. Everyone scratches their heads and wonders what to do since contractors are really expensive, and they'd like to save some money by getting more military doctors. Someone mentions bringing people back from IRR. People agree that this is a good idea, but someone pipes up that they'll have to bring up a ton of people from IRR, which is going to be really unpopular and further hurt recruitment. More head-scratching. Then someone says, "What if we somehow got more people in the IRR? Then we could spread call-ups around some, and we'd be less unpopular while having a larger base of doctors to draw from."

Ah, but how to do that?

Well, what if we started a new program where we gave out a relative pittance (say, roughly $30,000 a year) that allowed us to sign up a ton of doctors to a "no strings attached" program that they could quit whenever they wanted; all they'd have to do is be on IRR for a few years where it would be "unlikely" that they'd be called up. We don't have to pay them and we can bring them up whenever we want to for a third of the salary of civilian contractors. Brilliant!

(Yes I love conspiracy movies.)
 
AF M4 said:
No, I don't know it because I have never heard of this program before this thread nor have I seen the entire contract. I'm simply going off the assumption that the US military has not turned into a fairy godmother and is giving out packages like this:

"The USNR pays $440/month and gives the enrollee most of the benefits of being an O-3 or O-4, depending on specialty, as well as $25,000 to pay off your student loans at your 1 year anniversary."

Orbitsburg made a good point - what's the IRR commitment? This is going to be my Oliver Stone moment, but envision the following scene being played out in wherever the Navy Medical headquarters is:

Someone gives a presentation showing HPSP etc. enrollment rates are declining and how the Navy is running out of doctors. Everyone scratches their heads and wonders what to do since contractors are really expensive, and they'd like to save some money by getting more military doctors. Someone mentions bringing people back from IRR. People agree that this is a good idea, but someone pipes up that they'll have to bring up a ton of people from IRR, which is going to be really unpopular and further hurt recruitment. More head-scratching. Then someone says, "What if we somehow got more people in the IRR? Then we could spread call-ups around some, and we'd be less unpopular while having a larger base of doctors to draw from."

Ah, but how to do that?

Well, what if we started a new program where we gave out a relative pittance (say, roughly $30,000 a year) that allowed us to sign up a ton of doctors to a "no strings attached" program that they could quit whenever they wanted; all they'd have to do is be on IRR for a few years where it would be "unlikely" that they'd be called up. We don't have to pay them and we can bring them up whenever we want to for a third of the salary of civilian contractors. Brilliant!

(Yes I love conspiracy movies.)
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You're wasting your time in medicine. A fortune awaits you at your friendly neighborhood management consulting firm.
 
AF M4 said:
No, I don't know it because I have never heard of this program before this thread nor have I seen the entire contract. I'm simply going off the assumption that the US military has not turned into a fairy godmother and is giving out packages like this:

"The USNR pays $440/month and gives the enrollee most of the benefits of being an O-3 or O-4, depending on specialty, as well as $25,000 to pay off your student loans at your 1 year anniversary."

Orbitsburg made a good point - what's the IRR commitment? This is going to be my Oliver Stone moment, but envision the following scene being played out in wherever the Navy Medical headquarters is:

Someone gives a presentation showing HPSP etc. enrollment rates are declining and how the Navy is running out of doctors. Everyone scratches their heads and wonders what to do since contractors are really expensive, and they'd like to save some money by getting more military doctors. Someone mentions bringing people back from IRR. People agree that this is a good idea, but someone pipes up that they'll have to bring up a ton of people from IRR, which is going to be really unpopular and further hurt recruitment. More head-scratching. Then someone says, "What if we somehow got more people in the IRR? Then we could spread call-ups around some, and we'd be less unpopular while having a larger base of doctors to draw from."

Ah, but how to do that?

Well, what if we started a new program where we gave out a relative pittance (say, roughly $30,000 a year) that allowed us to sign up a ton of doctors to a "no strings attached" program that they could quit whenever they wanted; all they'd have to do is be on IRR for a few years where it would be "unlikely" that they'd be called up. We don't have to pay them and we can bring them up whenever we want to for a third of the salary of civilian contractors. Brilliant!

(Yes I love conspiracy movies.)
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Nice. If only our leadership were anywhere near that smart or had even 10% of that foresight.
 
If it sounds too good to be true...
 
Here's part of the confusion:

The "$25,000/$30,000/whatever per year after a year in to repay back loans" is an option.....you don't have to accept that...if you do, you are not in the Non-commitment program per se. The Non-commitment program in it's purest sense just pays you a small amount every month.

If you want to be taken off the IRR, I was told by a recruiter that you must put in paperwork to resign your commission to sever all ties with the Navy.

I will ask him if this corresponds to a DD214 and if it is guaranteed.

I was also told that you sign a contract for the reserves, but all the modifications (non-commitment, IRR, you are in the MIT etc) is not language in that contract, it's a "policy that's guided by a Navy message"...I was thinking of having an attorney who specializes in military contracts look this over...will I be wasting me time? Will this attorney probably just tell me "If you sign a regular old reerves contract, you will have the rights of a regular reservist"?
 
joshmir said:
Here's part of the confusion:

The "$25,000/$30,000/whatever per year after a year in to repay back loans" is an option.....you don't have to accept that...if you do, you are not in the Non-commitment program per se. The Non-commitment program in it's purest sense just pays you a small amount every month.

If you want to be taken off the IRR, I was told by a recruiter that you must put in paperwork to resign your commission to sever all ties with the Navy.

I will ask him if this corresponds to a DD214 and if it is guaranteed.

I was also told that you sign a contract for the reserves, but all the modifications (non-commitment, IRR, you are in the MIT etc) is not language in that contract, it's a "policy that's guided by a Navy message"...I was thinking of having an attorney who specializes in military contracts look this over...will I be wasting me time? Will this attorney probably just tell me "If you sign a regular old reerves contract, you will have the rights of a regular reservist"?
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So what did you find out?
 
joshmir said:
Here's part of the confusion:

The "$25,000/$30,000/whatever per year after a year in to repay back loans" is an option.....you don't have to accept that...if you do, you are not in the Non-commitment program per se. The Non-commitment program in it's purest sense just pays you a small amount every month.

If you want to be taken off the IRR, I was told by a recruiter that you must put in paperwork to resign your commission to sever all ties with the Navy.

I will ask him if this corresponds to a DD214 and if it is guaranteed.

I was also told that you sign a contract for the reserves, but all the modifications (non-commitment, IRR, you are in the MIT etc) is not language in that contract, it's a "policy that's guided by a Navy message"...I was thinking of having an attorney who specializes in military contracts look this over...will I be wasting me time? Will this attorney probably just tell me "If you sign a regular old reerves contract, you will have the rights of a regular reservist"?
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[Bolds mine.]

A DD-214 is not a document of de-commissioning or of release from IRR. It is a release from active duty document. Saying that you would be issued a DD-214 does not imply you would be out of the IRR. The only way you would have this to be true is if your service at time of document issue equaled or exceeded the minimum reserve duty period incurred at commissioning (which if you signed on through HPSP was eight years from the date of activation from school IRR status to active duty.)
 
Am I correct in reading that medical students, not just residents and fellows, are eligible for this program?
 
It really makes me laugh that all of the Active Duty docs say that this program is bogus. It is absolutely true. National Guard does not advertise it like this, but we have the same deals. (If not better, because some states have tuition waiver for state schools for all Natiuonal Guard members. National Guard is state funded. Tuition waivers for state schools, not for reserves. But still something to consider.)

However, one must realize that when a non-prior service individual signs up for the military (any component any branch AD or reserve). There is an automatic 8 year service obligation. Read the fine print.

Once that 8 year committment is served as an (medical) officer without having taken any of the incentive options. There is absolutely no committment/ obligation. If you want out, you can go. Translation, if you sign up for all of med school and all of residency you are in a non-deployable status in training. That will most likely take you 7-10 years. After 8 years you are free to walk. If you do YOU MUST resign your officer commission. the DD-214 does not do that. (You are an officer for life, unless you officially resign.)

That time in training is time towards pay. You start off as an 01 in first year of med school, you have to do your officer indoctrination course within 2 years or 18 months. I am not sure. By the time you graduate med school yu are an 02. When you actually have your med diploma in hand you are an 03 automatically, even if you never made 02 in med school. After residency and board certification you are usually an 04.

You are correct with the Flexible training program. You can use CME courses that the reserves pay for and you show up and you go to that in lieu of drill. And you get paid for it as if you went to drill and it counts toward retirement points just like a drill weekend. The only hitch, you have to go in uniform. (It is a way of advertising for the reserves.). The fine print is you have to have attended your officer basic course or whatever they call it for your branch in order to qualify for the CME. But you can get alternative drills with other events too.

You can walk away, just like you said. However in my unit all of us plan to do twenty. We are a pretty happy bunch. It is also easy to get promoted because everyone is very friendly with their evaluators. You have to really screw up, not to get promoted or be morbidly obese. But I do see reserve docs with permanent profiles who walk their entire annual physical training test.

Also, you will never make, in my case, General (07, army) unless you take progressive command positions. Reservists with many years of private practice can come in as high as 06. They can be a blast. Its funny to see an 06 who learns how to salute.

If you are prior service coming into the reserves, who has already completed 8 years. Depending on your branch, in my case, I have to serve 2 years from the time I raised my right hand and took the Oath of Office. But right now I am not deployable. After residency, I can walk.

I could never personally see myself doing that. That would not be an honorable thing to do. However, it is nice to feel that freedom. I enjoy serving our soldiers. On drill weekends, I perform physicals right now. Nothing to rigorous.

In the reserves you are not deployable overseas until you have your unrestricted med license in any state. The military is very strict and does not play with that. No license, you are no go (not deployable.)
 
Are you allowed to enter the program even if you are in a combined degree program, such as an MD-MBA, MD-MPH, or MD-PhD? Also, where could I go to get contact information on this program? The medical recruiter I've spoken to doesn't even know it exists, and when I told her I read about it online, she denied that the Navy has such a thing (she's an active duty recruiter, but claimed to know her stuff about the reserves). Also, would it be possible to go to drill with a Marine unit? I'm interested in reserves FMF medicine and think I'd probably do 20 years in it. However, I'm also applying to MD-PhD programs since I want a civilian career in medical research. If I get an MSTP scholarship for the MD-PhD, the money isn't really an issue, but I'd love the opportunity to drill in the field and get a taste of operational medicine before finishing med school.
 
From what I remember, you can not do anything (e.g. MD/PH.d) that would extend your med school from the get go. I remember reading that in an Army regulation.(It could be different for other branches, but I doubt it. ) If you could finish at the same time, say with an M.B.A. it is okay. If one has to repeat a rotation for academic reasons, I believe that is okay because it can still be done within the regular time frame. That is not a big deal.

I am in the National Guard doing residency and I plan to start an MPH program online, that my state's tuition waiver will also pay, just for being in the National Guard. There is nothing against that because it does not extend or affect my residency.

Along those lines, in my unit, we had a med student who was doing Internal Medicine/Peds dual residency program.


He took advantage of the med student STRAP monthly stipend program. However, he had to get permission to participate in the residency STRAP stipend program because although we need Internal medicine, we don't need Peds in the National Guard. Initially he was turned down. But then he put in a special request and it was granted.

He eventually matched out of state and then very easily did an interstate transfer and hooked up with a new National Guard unit in his residency program's state.

Incentive programs do incur a time obligation.

For the original poster, I know that we are non-deployable during residency and med school, but in order to be non-deployable for Fellowship, it better be for something the military needs, like critical care or something on the critical wartime shortage list or you could very likely be pulled out of Fellowship. For that, you need permission or you could chance it and hope you don't get pulled. Most of our newly minted attendings, were made aware that they would deploy within 6 months of graduating residency. They did their 90 day deployment rotation and came back.

The Loan Repayment Program is another incentive program, you can choose to incur obligation or not. This is not in addition to 8 years, but can be served concurrently with the initial 8 year obligation that everyone who ever signed a contract in the military incurs.

However, $440/month is drill pay that does not incur anything. (You still have the 8 year obligation that everyone incurs upon signing up for the first time. The 8 years can be served AD, Reserve or Inactive reserve, where you do not drill but you are on a "list" if they were to really need your specialty.)

For example. I signed up right after high school for the absolute minimum active duty military contract. I signed on the dotted line and this incurred the dreaded "initial 8 year obligation." This was served 2 years plus training (6 months) on active duty and then was scheduled to be 5 1/2 years in the inactive reserve (no drills.) 1 year after I got out, I was bored and missed the camaraderie of being in the Army and having those tight friendships. So, I signed up for active drilling in the National Guard.

As an officer, you have to resign your commission in order to not be on any "list" to be totally free. This can be done, granted that you served your initial 8 year obligation. There is absolutely no way around the "initial 8 year obligation". It affects every single branch of our military, for Active Duty or reserves.
 
Do you have to complete your 8 year reservist contract obligation before you can resign your commission or can you resign it at any time?
 
If you are in a dual degree program that extends beyond four years, can you enter the program once you have only four left?
 
My knee-jerk response is to say NO. Going to medical school will always take four years. The military is only willing to pay for your medical education without breaks. Therefore, any extension to training---such as taking a year off to pursue an MPH---would not be allowed under the terms of HPSP.
 
deuist said:
My knee-jerk response is to say NO. Going to medical school will always take four years. The military is only willing to pay for your medical education without breaks. Therefore, any extension to training---such as taking a year off to pursue an MPH---would not be allowed under the terms of HPSP.
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Your knee jerk would be correct with one exception. The BS/MD programs. Military will start to pay when you reach the 4 to go mark.
 
What do med students/residents do during the weekend drills and annual 2 week training? Actually, what do physicians do in general? Doesn't seem like they'd have a surgeon come in for a weekend of surgery and then pass all the post-op care off on someone else...
 
DeadCactus said:
What do med students/residents do during the weekend drills and annual 2 week training? Actually, what do physicians do in general? Doesn't seem like they'd have a surgeon come in for a weekend of surgery and then pass all the post-op care off on someone else...
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Med students and residents in the Reserves are IRR. (with the exception of Select Reservists doing the Medical in Training (MIT) program) They do not drill. Students on scholarship will do 45 days of active duty, but that duty will not interfere with school. Fully trained physicians in the reserves will often do physicals on their duty weekends. They also complete the standard readiness paperwork.
 
You sound like a recruiter yourself. Maybe you could straigten us out considering you have done absolutely nothing to answer the op's question about this program and really contributed nothing to this thread except an odd and seemingly misplaced sales pitch.
 
Two of my recently off active duty, former flight surgeon-type friends are in residency on a program that sounds suspiciously like the OP's description. They receive a small monthly stipend, are supposed to do biannual PRT's, and otherwise just do their residencies. They told me they didn't have any further obligation as far as they knew.

One has helped out with his reserve center's drill weekends, but as a volunteer, he wasn't asked to do so. I'll try to get in touch with them and get a little more info, like the formal name of the program, so any interested parties can look into it more fully.

It seems too good to be true, so there is likely some catch, if my current military experience is any guide.
 
Yes, please contact him/her. I am actually in the application process of the MIT program. It sounds much like what you have described. Any information would be much appreciated. Thanks.!!
 
NavyFlightDoc said:
Two of my recently off active duty, former flight surgeon-type friends are in residency on a program that sounds suspiciously like the OP's description. They receive a small monthly stipend, are supposed to do biannual PRT's, and otherwise just do their residencies. They told me they didn't have any further obligation as far as they knew.

One has helped out with his reserve center's drill weekends, but as a volunteer, he wasn't asked to do so. I'll try to get in touch with them and get a little more info, like the formal name of the program, so any interested parties can look into it more fully.

It seems too good to be true, so there is likely some catch, if my current military experience is any guide.
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What I am wondering is if any of the AF or Army are eligible for this program or are able to transfer services after their Active Duty Tour is over?

As another option, I have a couple of friends going into the Guard this year. They will have to do 1 weekend drill/month for about 9 months of the year. In exchange, they are non-deployable during residency and get drill pay (I think about 600/month). Also, as an option, they are eligible for the Stipend (1907/month), but this carries a 2:1 commitment that is served upon receipt of the last stipend payment. So, theroretically, you could take the Stipend for the first year only, and then payback the following 2 years while in residency. Seems like a pretty sweet deal to me, but the MIT program really does seem like "Money for Nothing". Must be some kind of hook, though.
 
sethco said:
As another option, I have a couple of friends going into the Guard this year. They will have to do 1 weekend drill/month for about 9 months of the year. In exchange, they are non-deployable during residency and get drill pay (I think about 600/month). Also, as an option, they are eligible for the Stipend (1907/month), but this carries a 2:1 commitment that is served upon receipt of the last stipend payment. So, theroretically, you could take the Stipend for the first year only, and then payback the following 2 years while in residency.
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This is called the STRAP program. Unless I'm mistaken, though, all commissions in the National Guard incur an 8 year MSO, of which 6 years must be drilling status. If you were commissioned under STRAP, it would probably make the most sense to take it for two years minimum, as you'd have to continue to drill for four years after that regardless.

Also, the IRR thing is funky in the National Guard. If you're activated while in the National Guard, current policy is for "90 days boots in sand" for a total of no more than 120 days activation roughly every two years. But if you drill six years and go into IRR for two years, if you are called up, you are called up into regular Army and follow their policies, which could be longer deployments.
 
rmj11 said:
Am I correct in reading that medical students, not just residents and fellows, are eligible for this program?
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Want some clarification on this as well with regards to the USNR MIT program. I ask because the first line in Castro Viejo's second post refers to students as well, but everything else in the description refers to only residents and fellows. The last half of this thread also seems to talk about National Guard programs, which makes stuff even more convoluted.
 
MIT is now TMS and as of 1 March, 2011 there is a change. You can not transfer to the IRR after residency, you have to complete 3 years in the Reserves (1 weekend a month/2 weeks a year). Then you can transfer into the Inactive Ready Reserves.
You get paid $500-600 every month even though you only actually attend 2 weekends each year. The others are accounted for by what you're already doing in your residency.

You could be recalled during your IRR time, but it has never happened in the 200+ years of the Navy. It's a popular theme with the Army, but has never happened in the Navy.

Option 2:
If you know you want the pride of service and you want the added experience of Navy medicine, then there is the Stipend and Loan Repayment option. You give the Navy 2 years Reserve time for every year you receive this but you get $2060 per month Stipend AND you get $50,000 loan repayment. Receive it 2 years, give 4. Receive it 3, give 6.

We should look at it as a chance to serve our country, even if only part time for just a few years. But you can also look at it as 3 years of residency equals $74,160 in pay plus $50,000 loan repayment and you serve part-time for 6 years (still making about $10,000 each year).

Then add the Post 9/11 GI Bill that you'll be entitled to. 100% tuition paid plus living expenses that you can use yourself or transfer to your spouse/children.

Add the $50 month Medical Insurance option you have as a reservist (also during your residency).

Add the travel, experiences, and friendships you gain along the way.

Presidents who served:
John F. Kennedy (1961-63)
Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-69)
Richard M. Nixon (1969-74)
Gerald R. Ford (1974-77)
Jimmy Carter (1977-81)
George Bush (1989-93)

"Any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction, 'I served in the United States Navy,'" wrote President John F. Kennedy in August 1963.

As you can tell, I'm serving and proud to be in the Navy!
 
Curious is this program really available for people just starting medical school or do you already have to have completed school ?
I'm an officer in the reserves right now looking at HPSP, but if there's a way to stay in the reserves I may be interested in that too!
 
prone2xl said:
Curious is this program really available for people just starting medical school or do you already have to have completed school ?
I'm an officer in the reserves right now looking at HPSP, but if there's a way to stay in the reserves I may be interested in that too!
Click to expand...

Only for residents. Not for medical students.
 
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