New member from NC

[11B2MD]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Hello All,

I'm currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Army. I'll be turning 32 in a few months and I'll have a little over 12 years of federal active service when I get out at the beginning of next year (2015). A few months ago I really started to think hard on what I wanted to do as a career when I exit the military. Originally I had planned to go into the legal field, eventually becoming a lawyer, but the more I researched it the less interested I became. I have completed about a year of college with good grades and have recently applied to a biology program, which will start soon. I don't know why it took me so long to realize my true interest was in the medical field, maybe I was fighting the idea of it, but now I am certain this is where I want to be. I'm under no illusion that I have a lot of hard work ahead of me, but then again hard work is kinda my thing. The thought of being able to help people who are facing some of the most stressful and demanding times of their lives is truly something remarkable.

1. How are you all surviving medical school financially? I will still need to pay bills (car payment, insurance, housing, phone, etc...). I am engaged to an amazing woman, so being able to be a good provider is very important to me. My plan is to do 2-3 years of overseas contracting, which will pay 3 times my current annual income thus allowing me to save nearly 2 years worth of income for each contractual year. I will be doing this while completing my BS.

2. Are there any programs out there on top of MGIB and Post 9/11 GI Bill that assist veterans with the cost of medical school? I am a Georgia resident, is there anything that particularly pertains to Georgia residents?

3. Are there any Yellow Ribbon MD producing medical schools? Are any of the MD schools particularly fond of veterans? I would prefer to attend an MD program, but DO isn't out of the question.

4. What is your overall feel for my situation and expectations?

Thank you to all respondents in advance.

 

[Five0tomed68]

To start, thanks for your service. ADCOMS will look favorably on your service and it will make a great talking point.

Private contracting is a great way to make a lot of money and it should have you set for a couple of years afterward.

Reference your other questions, I don't have a lot of answers. Some people might not respond due to the long post (people don't like long post).

If you don't get a lot of answers here, there is a military medicine forum that may have more answers.

 

[Blue Spoon]

Hello All,

I'm currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Army. I'll be turning 32 in a few months and I'll have a little over 12 years of federal active service when I get out at the beginning of next year (2015). A few months ago I really started to think hard on what I wanted to do as a career when I exit the military. Originally I had planned to go into the legal field, eventually becoming a lawyer, but the more I researched it the less interested I became. I have completed about a year of college with good grades and have recently applied to a biology program, which will start soon. I don't know why it took me so long to realize my true interest was in the medical field, maybe I was fighting the idea of it, but now I am certain this is where I want to be. I'm under no illusion that I have a lot of hard work ahead of me, but then again hard work is kinda my thing. The thought of being able to help people who are facing some of the most stressful and demanding times of their lives is truly something remarkable.

1. How are you all surviving medical school financially? I will still need to pay bills (car payment, insurance, housing, phone, etc...). I am engaged to an amazing woman, so being able to be a good provider is very important to me. My plan is to do 2-3 years of overseas contracting, which will pay 3 times my current annual income thus allowing me to save nearly 2 years worth of income for each contractual year. I will be doing this while completing my BS.

2. Are there any programs out there on top of MGIB and Post 9/11 GI Bill that assist veterans with the cost of medical school? I am a Georgia resident, is there anything that particularly pertains to Georgia residents?

3. Are there any Yellow Ribbon MD producing medical schools? Are any of the MD schools particularly fond of veterans? I would prefer to attend an MD program, but DO isn't out of the question.

4. What is your overall feel for my situation and expectations?

Thank you to all respondents in advance.

I spent some time in the infantry got out of the army after about 10 years, did two years of post-bac and got accepted to medical school and now I am finishing my second year and currently prepping for the STEP 1.

1. Financially you are going to take a hit. Even with the Post-9/11 GI Bill (and Yellow Ribbon program) you are not going to qualify as a "good provider". You will make more than enough to live on but things may be tight. I am married with a little girl and we are making it without problem but my wife does have to work part-time and we max out the loans. I would suggest saving what you can and ensuring that you have as little debt as possible before you start (pay off the car, credit cards, etc).
2. Look at the Tillman Scholarship it is renewable so can be used all four years of medical school.
3. A ton of Yellow Ribbon schools just check out the list (online easily searchable)
4. Not sure what to say about your expectations but I will say this. Going to med school is definitely possible. However, it is far more time-consuming and difficult than I had expected. Not necessarily to pass - that is easy- but to excel is difficult. I am around some of the smartest people I have ever met - most of whom didn't take a break coming out of college. Their general knowledge of things like biochem (just an example) is significantly better than mine. Does that make a difference yes and no. It probably doesn't effect things overall but there are a lot of little things that I have needed to catch up on or you feel behind on.

In the end I am glad I have taken this path. It was harder both on me and my family than I had anticipated but it can be a lot of fun (not-so-much now, prepping for the STEP 1 feels a little like Ranger school again, but whatever) and there a ton of opportunities for you to find what you like in medicine. Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[Rocketdog]

Research, research, research. Once you know the facts about medical school and what's required, you can "plan your attack" The closer you get to your BS degree the more clear medical school will become. You may find a completely different career to pursue. I know of people who started off interested in patient care and medical school only to become more interested in medical research.

I'm sure you know this is a life changing event in your life, one you cannot me "prepared for" only informed about!

As far as your situation is concerned: get straight "A"s if possible. The higher your overall and science GPA is, the more realistic MD school will be for you. You can EXPECT that you will be a 4.0 student however actually attaining that goal is a feat few ever really accomplish. Do the best you can and time will tell you where in the medical field you fall.

Always remember: A doctor is to a hospital as a Pilot is to an airport. They may seem like the "big cheese" however they could NOT do their job without many many other professionals doing theirs!

Welcome aboard!

Robert
US Army Military Police
1988-1996

 

[Darth Doc]

1. How are you all surviving medical school financially? I will still need to pay bills (car payment, insurance, housing, phone, etc...). I am engaged to an amazing woman, so being able to be a good provider is very important to me. My plan is to do 2-3 years of overseas contracting, which will pay 3 times my current annual income thus allowing me to save nearly 2 years worth of income for each contractual year. I will be doing this while completing my BS.

This will definitely help you, but if you want to be a good provider while in school, medical school isn't the way to go. It's tight for everyone, especially nontrads with families like us. I do have a great husband who works. We are still going to be taking out loans for living expenses. We have a bunch of kids.

2. Are there any programs out there on top of MGIB and Post 9/11 GI Bill that assist veterans with the cost of medical school? I am a Georgia resident, is there anything that particularly pertains to Georgia residents?

If you want to take more money from the military, you can enter the guard/reserves as a medical student and they will give you $2k per month to live on while in medical school and residency. It's 1 year of time in the guard as an MD (after graduation) for every 6 months of this stipend. Also, I've heard through SDN of med students who used their GI Bills to pay for med school.

3. Are there any Yellow Ribbon MD producing medical schools? Are any of the MD schools particularly fond of veterans? I would prefer to attend an MD program, but DO isn't out of the question.

No yellow ribbon for medical school/ graduate level professional programs. Yes, there are MD schools that are fond of veterans, the one I was accepted to, WVU, is one of those. I suspect a number of Texas schools are as well. However their fondness may/may not translate into financial aid.

4. What is your overall feel for my situation and expectations?

I think you need to be real about the probability of living on loans while in medical school and decide now whether that's really a direction you want to go in. You're at the point now that you can do anything you want. If money while going to school is that big of an issue for you and you can't focus on the prize down the road, this is probably not the direction for you. However, if going to medical school is more important to you than worrying about loans, go for it.

 

[Goro]

First, many thanks for your service to our country. To answer this question, AdComs have a soft spot for veterans.


3. Are any of the MD schools particularly fond of veterans? I would prefer to attend an MD program, but DO isn't out of the question.

 

[GreenBlade]

Hello All,

I'm currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Army. I'll be turning 32 in a few months and I'll have a little over 12 years of federal active service when I get out at the beginning of next year (2015). A few months ago I really started to think hard on what I wanted to do as a career when I exit the military. Originally I had planned to go into the legal field, eventually becoming a lawyer, but the more I researched it the less interested I became. I have completed about a year of college with good grades and have recently applied to a biology program, which will start soon. I don't know why it took me so long to realize my true interest was in the medical field, maybe I was fighting the idea of it, but now I am certain this is where I want to be. I'm under no illusion that I have a lot of hard work ahead of me, but then again hard work is kinda my thing. The thought of being able to help people who are facing some of the most stressful and demanding times of their lives is truly something remarkable.

1. How are you all surviving medical school financially? I will still need to pay bills (car payment, insurance, housing, phone, etc...). I am engaged to an amazing woman, so being able to be a good provider is very important to me. My plan is to do 2-3 years of overseas contracting, which will pay 3 times my current annual income thus allowing me to save nearly 2 years worth of income for each contractual year. I will be doing this while completing my BS.

2. Are there any programs out there on top of MGIB and Post 9/11 GI Bill that assist veterans with the cost of medical school? I am a Georgia resident, is there anything that particularly pertains to Georgia residents?

3. Are there any Yellow Ribbon MD producing medical schools? Are any of the MD schools particularly fond of veterans? I would prefer to attend an MD program, but DO isn't out of the question.

4. What is your overall feel for my situation and expectations?

Thank you to all respondents in advance.

If I get into medical school, I will still have 2 years of Post 9-11 GI Bill, then I will begin to use the Hazelwood Exemption for the final two. I saved as much as I could on the way out the door ~20k.

As for the Georgia resident thing, I remember there being a site off of AKO where you could look up state benefits for veterans (ie Texas gives the Hazelwood Exemption).

My last place of work was at Brooke Army Medical Center as the Manager for the Rheumatology Service. My boss was the Chief of the service (Assistant Prof of Medicine @ USUHS, UTHSCSA, & Baylor PT). He always talked about how most medical schools will love the fact that you were active duty. It should put you above other applicants as long as your GPA and MCAT are good.

I think as long as you apply yourself and do you best in UG, you should be able to accomplish whatever you want. Just make sure to take the time to study the complex topics.

 

[11B2MD]

Thank you all for your responses. I'm not particularly concerned about the financial part of all of this, but with that said, it is an important factor. Based on what I've been able to find online and talking with a few people, I am more comfortable with what I need to do and the resources that I have at my disposal. The VA yellow ribbon website was very helpful and it seems that there are a few medical schools out there that do offer some (very limited) yellow ribbon assistance with tuition.

 

[LupaCupcake]

Hello fellow Military Vet!!! You can make some bank doing private contracting with DOD, you already know that though. The fact you would willingly give that up after sometime for medical school will look like you are truly committed because you will be giving up a potential 6 figure salary for something that you might not even pass. Do not get discouraged by that comment, it shows sacrifice and true passion to be a physician. While you are doing the contract work, you probably know that most bases offer school at the education center. Look into those, you could work on prereqs while doing the contract work to save up $.

 

[11B2MD]

Thanks for the comments LupaCupcake. As of right now I'm planning to do at least 2 years, if not 3 years, of contracting. The two jobs I'm looking at are private security and training military forces in Africa. Both offer great pay, $150k and $180k per yr. respectfully, but I can't see myself doing either long-term. Right now I'm having a hard time finding a program of study that is local. Campbell University offers a BS in Health Science, which looks like a great program, but they want me to either have an AS in Health Science or have a medical MOS; I have neither. I did complete EMT-B and EMT-I through the Army via Fayetteville Technical Community College, but that was in 2005 and there were no SH or QH awarded, only contact hours. I'm awaiting word from the admissions director to find out if they will accept those certificates so that I can begin working on the Health Science program. I still have my $4,500 TA for FY 2014 and I'd like to use that up before FY 2015 begins.

Anyone know of a good program local to Fayetteville, NC?

 

[deleted480308]

Campbell university just started a med school last year in buies creek....they have a ton of other health professions programs and therfore the basic sciences to go with them

 

[11B2MD]

Gonnif,

Thanks for the info. Any idea on which brigade he is in? I haven't really looked into the USUHS program yet, so I think my weekend will probably be spent researching that opportunity.

 

[GreenBlade]

Gonnif,

Thanks for the info. Any idea on which brigade he is in? I haven't really looked into the USUHS program yet, so I think my weekend will probably be spent researching that opportunity.

USUHS loves prior service. I know tons of physicans that went to USUHS that work at BAMC. They say that it is honestly worth it. Its free! You owe 7 years AD afterwards (residency does not count) and you will be a Captain right off the bat. If accepted to USU, you get commissioned as a 2LT, go to school everyday, spend summers with AD platoons or at military training schools, and basically look like a boss in uniform because you have a ton of ribbons.

USU is definitely one of the medical schools that all prior service members apply to.

 

[GreenBlade]

Sorry. You will be promoted to CPT after graduation.

 

[deleted480308]

OP...if you would rather go national guard, they have the mdssp (i think that is the initials)...you are non-deployable during school and residency but have to drill, you can choose any civilian residency you want (ushsu makes you audition for military residency) and you get like $2k/month during school. It's a 2/1 time commitment, you owe 2 after residency for every year you get paid

If you aren't interested in staying in, you can just take the loans like the rest of us.....you will be able to pay them off on a docs salary

 

[11B2MD]

Speaking with one of the guys I work with today I learned that his brother is a molecular biology major who scored a 34 on the MCAT. His GPAs are high and he didn't get into a med school. Aside from college work and a little volunteer work in research he really hasn't done anything else. This made me think that maybe I should do some volunteer work. Do you think I should or will my 10+ years on active duty cover down on this requirement?

 

[GreenBlade]

Speaking with one of the guys I work with today I learned that his brother is a molecular biology major who scored a 34 on the MCAT. His GPAs are high and he didn't get into a med school. Aside from college work and a little volunteer work in research he really hasn't done anything else. This made me think that maybe I should do some volunteer work. Do you think I should or will my 10+ years on active duty cover down on this requirement?

I would do a few hours of volunteering. Up until recently, I thought 5+ years of AD would help me out, but adding to that wouldn't hurt. I volunteer at a communuty college honor society that I was in. Sometimes I will pop into the "math zone" and help tutor remedial math students too. 2 hours every now and then will add up.

 

[deleted480308]

Speaking with one of the guys I work with today I learned that his brother is a molecular biology major who scored a 34 on the MCAT. His GPAs are high and he didn't get into a med school. Aside from college work and a little volunteer work in research he really hasn't done anything else. This made me think that maybe I should do some volunteer work. Do you think I should or will my 10+ years on active duty cover down on this requirement?

Your friends brother probably didn't apply DO as well as MD...or is horrible at interviews. That's plenty high enough to get in somewhere. I had about 75hrs of helping with paperwork at a free clinic. You should shadow a DO at some point because a lot of the DO schools want a letter from one

 

[Blue Spoon]

Speaking with one of the guys I work with today I learned that his brother is a molecular biology major who scored a 34 on the MCAT. His GPAs are high and he didn't get into a med school. Aside from college work and a little volunteer work in research he really hasn't done anything else. This made me think that maybe I should do some volunteer work. Do you think I should or will my 10+ years on active duty cover down on this requirement?

I don't know about your buddy's brother but I will say that med school admissions are competitive and getting more so. There are no guarantees. Next I will tell you what I tell all military who ask me. Military is a great plus for your application. It will make your application stand out, however, it does NOT exempt you from doing the other "basic" requirements (get good grades, good MCAT, exposure to research, and involvement in some form of volunteering). Many of those who read your application and participate in your interview (including most likely a student interviewer) are going to have very little knowledge of the military. They are going to know about grades, MCAT (student interviewers will likely not see these), research and volunteering. They will look for these things immediately because they are so standard on all the applications that they see.

In my mind the military does not count as volunteering. You are doing a job and it is a great leadership experience - but you are getting paid. You need to show putting your time in (even while you are in the military) to something for the community. When you get out put your time into something of service - volunteering at the VA is a great way to go.

In the end, this is just my opinion and I know military personnel who have gotten in without volunteering. That said interviewing is a lot of luck of the draw on what your interviewer values and how they perceive the military. I interviewed 5 of the 10 or so military applicants that applied to my school this year and I looked for volunteer service (and found it) on almost all of their applications. You will not be the only military applicant looking for a spot at whatever medical school you apply and you want to be as competitive as possible.

 

[11B2MD]

Blue Spoon,

Thanks for the information. This is exactly what I was looking for.