Patriotism pushing me toward military Medicine

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nynh19

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Hi everyone,
I think I've read almost every thread on here about military medicine. I realize most people have negatives feeling towards it. I wanted to ask my own question because I feel like it's a little unique.
I consider myself very patriotic. I think of myself as an American before anything else. I've always had a desire to serve. I thought one day I would figure out how to mesh medicine and service my working with veterans. I've now started to consider hpsp or FAP. However, paying for medical school should not be an issue for me. My state schools are cheap and I have saved diligently since I started considering it in high school. Also, my undergrad is cheap. Given this, is hpsp the wrong way to go?
Finally, considering I would be doing this because of my desire to serve and not for the money, do you think I would be more likely to have a positive experience in the military?
Thank you for reading.
Best,
nynh19

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You're in high school? Get into medical school first. Join ROTC if you're really serious, but it's not going to help your medical career. Then come back and ask. This seems brusque, but getting into med school is very hard. It's not worth planning past that at your point.

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You're in high school? Get into medical school first. Join ROTC if you're really serious, but it's not going to help your medical career. Then come back and ask. This seems brusque, but getting into med school is very hard. It's not worth planning past that at your point.

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Hi,
I'm an undergrad. I've taken all my pre-reqs and I've begun studying for the MCAT. I have good grades and internships so I'm hoping I'll get in but I realize it's early to consider since I haven't taken the MCAT. But not, I'm not in high school.
 
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Hi,
I'm an undergrad. I've taken all my pre-reqs and I've begun studying for the MCAT. I have good grades and internships so I'm hoping I'll get in but I realize it's early to consider since I haven't taken the MCAT. But not, I'm not in high school.
Advice stays the same. MCAT weeds out a bunch.

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Hi everyone,
I think I've read almost every thread on here about military medicine. I realize most people have negatives feeling towards it. I wanted to ask my own question because I feel like it's a little unique.
I consider myself very patriotic. I think of myself as an American before anything else. I've always had a desire to serve. I thought one day I would figure out how to mesh medicine and service my working with veterans. I've now started to consider hpsp or FAP. However, paying for medical school should not be an issue for me. My state schools are cheap and I have saved diligently since I started considering it in high school. Also, my undergrad is cheap. Given this, is hpsp the wrong way to go?
Finally, considering I would be doing this because of my desire to serve and not for the money, do you think I would be more likely to have a positive experience in the military?
Thank you for reading.
Best,
nynh19
One could argue that patriotism and a sense of duty is the only reason to join the military, medical corps or not. I tend to agree with this argument.

However, there are certain monetary situations in which it becomes a serious consideration. You sometimes have to take a very mercenary type attitude toward the military. No, you should not join for money, but you will be asked to make certain concessions/sacrifices while in the military, and money figures into that. I am one of the GMO cautionary tales you hear of, but at the end of the day I received approximately a 500K benefit from taking HPSP when you factor in the cost of med school + interest + health insurance + books + the stipend. I do wish I hadn't joined but I acknowledge that I got a lot out of HPSP, financial-wise. If you go to state U for medical school, and can save even more money by living at home or something, then your benefit becomes much less. Yes, you will still get to serve your country but will the sacrifices you make be worth it? There are many roads to Dublin. If you want to take care of active duty soldiers and veterans, you can always stay civilian and become a contractor for a military MTF or VA hospital. You will maintain control over your career and still take care of soldiers. You will also be exempt from a lot of the military crap that drives us bonkers.

Keep this in mind as you move forward. You have plenty of time to figure this all out. Best of luck.
 
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One could argue that patriotism and a sense of duty is the only reason to join the military, medical corps or not. I tend to agree with this argument.

However, there are certain monetary situations in which it becomes a serious consideration. You sometimes have to take a very mercenary type attitude toward the military. No, you should not join for money, but you will be asked to make certain concessions/sacrifices while in the military, and money figures into that. I am one of the GMO cautionary tales you hear of, but at the end of the day I received approximately a 500K benefit from taking HPSP when you factor in the cost of med school + interest + health insurance + books + the stipend. I do wish I hadn't joined but I acknowledge that I got a lot out of HPSP, financial-wise. If you go to state U for medical school, and can save even more money by living at home or something, then your benefit becomes much less. Yes, you will still get to serve your country but will the sacrifices you make be worth it? There are many roads to Dublin. If you want to take care of active duty soldiers and veterans, you can always stay civilian and become a contractor for a military MTF or VA hospital. You will maintain control over your career and still take care of soldiers. You will also be exempt from a lot of the military crap that drives us bonkers.

Keep this in mind as you move forward. You have plenty of time to figure this all out. Best of luck.
Thank you for the reply. It's a lot to think about but I'm thankful for the advice from experience people like yourself.
Thanks again.
 
Given the low cost of undergrad and medical school you mention, I would avoid making any commitments to the military despite your desire to join. This is because of the limitations that may be present in training while under military contract. Better to get through without the military help, especially if it is inexpensive. Then, if you still want to join, you can do so from a much stronger bargaining position with a shorter commitment.
 
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Patriotism and a desire to serve should be the primary reasons to join. If you can stomach the fact that you'll be an officer who also happens to do medicine, rather than a physician in the military, then you're on the path to a more positive experience. If you can also stomach the fact that there are all kinds of ways the military can derail your medical career by using you as an officer first (GMO tours, brigade surgery tours, operational billets, skill rot at low volume posts, etc.) then you'll probably do just fine. You have to ask yourself: does my patriotism trump my professional goals? If it really does, you're exactly what the military is looking for. Unfortunately, it's easier to say that you $#!t red, white, and blue than it is to actually do so in practice. So, often times people don't figure out that they're very patriotic, but maybe not that patriotic, until they're already locked in.
 
Patriotism and a desire to serve should be the primary reasons to join. If you can stomach the fact that you'll be an officer who also happens to do medicine, rather than a physician in the military, then you're on the path to a more positive experience. If you can also stomach the fact that there are all kinds of ways the military can derail your medical career by using you as an officer first (GMO tours, brigade surgery tours, operational billets, skill rot at low volume posts, etc.) then you'll probably do just fine. You have to ask yourself: does my patriotism trump my professional goals? If it really does, you're exactly what the military is looking for. Unfortunately, it's easier to say that you $#!t red, white, and blue than it is to actually do so in practice. So, often times people don't figure out that they're very patriotic, but maybe not that patriotic, until they're already locked in.

To piggyback on the bolded above, try to understand that your sense of self and commitment to your professional goals is likely to change in the coming years. The pre-med process, medical school, residency, and maybe a fellowship - this is not a trivial part of your life. I think it's hard for a person to go through all of that and not come out the other side with a different perspective on how you view your career.

Right now, when it's purely abstract, it's relatively easy to say that you can handle the stuff military medicine will throw at you. But put a full decade of your life into your training and career, and it's a very bitter pill to swallow when you find out you've got two years of skill rot ahead of you as a brigade surgeon at Ft. Elsewhere. And that doesn't even touch on your changing priorities outside of work (e.g. marriage, family).

A desire to serve is important. However, given the relative absence of a financial need, military medicine is probably only a good idea if you believe you will be professionally unfulfilled without it. Otherwise, there's too much uncertainty to make it worthwhile. Get into and attend the cheaper in-state school.
 
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You're in high school? Get into medical school first. Join ROTC if you're really serious, but it's not going to help your medical career. Then come back and ask. This seems brusque, but getting into med school is very hard. It's not worth planning past that at your point.

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Don't join ROTC, if you're serious about medicine.
 
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To piggyback on the bolded above [...]
Excellent post.


There's no good reason to take the HPSP offer when you have saved money for a less expensive state school, or can get through with a minimum of debt. HPSP isn't the only path in to be a military doctor.

The medical corps will still be here when you're done with med school and residency.
 
All above posters are correct—keep your eyes on the prize (medical school), but it's great that you're thinking down the road. Pursuit of military medicine out of patriotism is admirable (and essential). I think most people on HPSP or in military medicine will agree that you can't do it just for the money. (As a general SDN consensus) there are plenty of unhappy military docs out there who accepted HPSP years ago for the financial reasons and find themselves unhappy in the military. I'm at an expensive school (Uncle Sam is saving me from ~$350K in unsubsidized loans) and I'll admit—the financial help is awesome. However, the financial incentive is to help you to get to your (and their) goal—working as a military physician (and if you benefit financially, so be it). I, like many others, have done the math—in most specialties, even if I were to take massive loans, I would still end up financially ahead if I didn't take HPSP. Ill note that pgg is correct—there are many different paths to military medicine. Do your research and pick the path that's right for you.

Bottom line: You should accept HPSP if (and only if) you have the desire to work for a considerable amount of time as a military physician and officer, to serve your country, and adapt to all of the lifestyle and career implications that come with. You absolutely need to have the drive, passion, and commitment to handle this dual responsibility while in medical school and in the years that follow. Hope this helps!
 
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If your school is super cheap, you should consider direct ascension (comes with loan repayment options). Another option instead of the HPSP is to work for the VA or as a contractor; both will allow you a sense of patriotism.
 
If your school is super cheap, you should consider direct ascension (comes with loan repayment options). Another option instead of the HPSP is to work for the VA or as a contractor; both will allow you a sense of patriotism.
What exactly is a contractor? I've heard this term used a lot and I can't find specifics with research. Thanks for the reply.
 
What exactly is a contractor? I've heard this term used a lot and I can't find specifics with research. Thanks for the reply.

In this context, a contractor is a civilian physician that works at a military treatment facility. Lots of times they really are contracters (1099 income), but the DoD also employs (W2) lots of civilian physicians as well. In order to be competitive in hiring, the pay is often times a lot better than what active duty physicians receive, and you don't have to be bothered with a lot of the military stuff, all while getting to treat the same patient population.
 
In this context, a contractor is a civilian physician that works at a military treatment facility. Lots of times they really are contracters (1099 income), but the DoD also employs (W2) lots of civilian physicians as well. In order to be competitive in hiring, the pay is often times a lot better than what active duty physicians receive, and you don't have to be bothered with a lot of the military stuff, all while getting to treat the same patient population.
That's very interesting. Thanks for the help!
 
All above posters are correct—keep your eyes on the prize (medical school), but it's great that you're thinking down the road. Pursuit of military medicine out of patriotism is admirable (and essential). I think most people on HPSP or in military medicine will agree that you can't do it just for the money. (As a general SDN consensus) there are plenty of unhappy military docs out there who accepted HPSP years ago for the financial reasons and find themselves unhappy in the military. I'm at an expensive school (Uncle Sam is saving me from ~$350K in unsubsidized loans) and I'll admit—the financial help is awesome. However, the financial incentive is to help you to get to your (and their) goal—working as a military physician (and if you benefit financially, so be it). I, like many others, have done the math—in most specialties, even if I were to take massive loans, I would still end up financially ahead if I didn't take HPSP. Ill note that pgg is correct—there are many different paths to military medicine. Do your research and pick the path that's right for you.

Bottom line: You should accept HPSP if (and only if) you have the desire to work for a considerable amount of time as a military physician and officer, to serve your country, and adapt to all of the lifestyle and career implications that come with. You absolutely need to have the drive, passion, and commitment to handle this dual responsibility while in medical school and in the years that follow. Hope this helps!
Amen.
Truth.
Read this, pre-meds.
 
Even the contractors have to go to boring long meetings, and get stuck on committees.
 
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