Public Health Service from USUHS

[Aiicha]

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I'm look for some info about going from USUHS into the PHS. Has anyone had experience with that that would be willing to share? I would like to find out more about residency options and what the service obligation entails. For example, do you do your 10-15 years in IHS, or are there other options through the PHS? Thanks!

Aiicha

 

[GraC_undr_PrsR]

Hi There,

I know a bit about this since I plan to apply for a place next year. There are 4 spots in the PHS at USUHS (for NIH and IHS). You get to choose your own residency/specialty in civilian programs. The service requirement is 10 years post-fellowship. I would recommend contacting the PHS office at USUHS. I did this about a month ago and was very impressed by this path. I read everything I could find on the net about the PHS and USUHS so there's alot of details (read: fine print).

Good Luck!

 

[freubr]

trying to revive this thread. I have been doing a lot of research about the IHS and USUHS and it seems like a fantastic opportunity. First, the school is free, books free, and you get paid as military officer O-1 which, after taxes, is in the neighborhood of 40-45k/yr. With the IHS, they allow you to do a civilian residency during which they pay you about 65k/yr before taxes I believe, due to a promotion in rank. This, I believe, is one of the best parts: When applying for residency programs, you become an even more competitive applicant because the govt, and not the residency program, is paying your salary. You are essentially a free employee for the program, so if you have the right scores and interview well you should be able to get into an excellent residency program, most likely your 1st choice from what I have been told.
After Residency, you belong to the IHS. However, they are much more flexible in where they will send you than the military. According to current and former IHS physicians, you have some say in where you want to be, whether it be an urban clinic in Phoenix or a remote practice in Oklahoma. Also, correct me if I am wrong, but Obama is going to be throwing money into the IHS in his stim package, and if this is the case, it can only make the service that much better. Anyway, if I learn more I will let you know. If anyone learns anything else about the IHS please post. Thanks

 

[smq123]

trying to revive this thread. I have been doing a lot of research about the IHS and USUHS and it seems like a fantastic opportunity. First, the school is free, books free, and you get paid as military officer O-1 which, after taxes, is in the neighborhood of 40-45k/yr. With the IHS, they allow you to do a civilian residency during which they pay you about 65k/yr before taxes I believe, due to a promotion in rank. This, I believe, is one of the best parts: When applying for residency programs, you become an even more competitive applicant because the govt, and not the residency program, is paying your salary. You are essentially a free employee for the program, so if you have the right scores and interview well you should be able to get into an excellent residency program, most likely your 1st choice from what I have been told.
After Residency, you belong to the IHS. However, they are much more flexible in where they will send you than the military. According to current and former IHS physicians, you have some say in where you want to be, whether it be an urban clinic in Phoenix or a remote practice in Oklahoma. Also, correct me if I am wrong, but Obama is going to be throwing money into the IHS in his stim package, and if this is the case, it can only make the service that much better. Anyway, if I learn more I will let you know. If anyone learns anything else about the IHS please post. Thanks

I'm not terribly familiar with the IHS HPSP. But, I thought...

- You had to be Native American in order to apply? 😕 I think you need documented proof that you are Native American.

- You're, again, limited to which specialties you can apply for. I think the IHS allows FM, IM, Peds, psych, OB/gyn, and EM - but no surgery, no ortho, no rads, no ophtho, etc.

 

[freubr]

I'm not terribly familiar with the IHS HPSP. But, I thought...

- You had to be Native American in order to apply? 😕 I think you need documented proof that you are Native American.

- You're, again, limited to which specialties you can apply for. I think the IHS allows FM, IM, Peds, psych, OB/gyn, and EM - but no surgery, no ortho, no rads, no ophtho, etc.

These are both common misnomers. You definitely can be from any background, not necessarily Native American (None of the docs I spoke to are). Also, from what I was told by practicing physicians, you do not necessarily have to do PCP, which is what I was also made to believe before I spoke to them. However, the IHS needs PCP more than any other field because they usually outsource specialists, and most people who want to sign up with the IHS tend to be of the mentality of a PCP. If you really made a case to your superiors, you could specialize, but it would not necessarily be easy. Also, the money you could possibly lose out on would be in the millions after all is said and done if you specialized and stayed in the IHS vs. private practice, which is certainly not something to sneeze at and may be an issue to you.
I think it is unfortunate that there are so many things that people think of the IHS that are not true, but then again there is not a whole lot of advertising in order to bring out the facts.

 

[smq123]

These are both common misnomers. You definitely can be from any background, not necessarily Native American (None of the docs I spoke to are). Also, from what I was told by practicing physicians, you do not necessarily have to do PCP, which is what I was also made to believe before I spoke to them. However, the IHS needs PCP more than any other field because they usually outsource specialists, and most people who want to sign up with the IHS tend to be of the mentality of a PCP. If you really made a case to your superiors, you could specialize, but it would not necessarily be easy. Also, the money you could possibly lose out on would be in the millions after all is said and done if you specialized and stayed in the IHS vs. private practice, which is certainly not something to sneeze at and may be an issue to you.
I think it is unfortunate that there are so many things that people think of the IHS that are not true, but then again there is not a whole lot of advertising in order to bring out the facts.

Thanks for trying to clear up these misconceptions (misnomers are something else).

I'm going off the websites for the HPSP and for the payback requirements.

Did those doctors specifically SAY to you "I am not Native American"? Or did you ask?

I have very little personal vested interest in this scholarship, since I'm almost done medical school anyway. But, in the interest of getting good info out to the people who ARE interested in this scholarship, what sources are you going off of? They may be more accurate than mine.

 

[freubr]

I'm not terribly familiar with the IHS HPSP. But, I thought...

- You had to be Native American in order to apply? 😕 I think you need documented proof that you are Native American.

- You're, again, limited to which specialties you can apply for. I think the IHS allows FM, IM, Peds, psych, OB/gyn, and EM - but no surgery, no ortho, no rads, no ophtho, etc.

I just looked at some of your other posts and see where you are coming from with your comments. I was referring specifically to USUHS in Maryland. They have scholarships through the IHS. I am not sure if NHSC feeds into IHS or not.
I have been looking into HPSP for Navy, NHSC, and USUHS. Navy HPSP, from the docs I have spoken to, is not worth it unless you are into the military thing. The NHSC program is so competitive, if I didn't get into it then I would be stuck paying all my loans back. The docs in the IHS all seem to love it and I have heard nothing but good things about it. Still doing research though!

 

[freubr]

Thanks for trying to clear up these misconceptions (misnomers are something else).

I'm going off the websites for the HPSP and for the payback requirements.

Did those doctors specifically SAY to you "I am not Native American"? Or did you ask?

I have very little personal vested interest in this scholarship, since I'm almost done medical school anyway. But, in the interest of getting good info out to the people who ARE interested in this scholarship, what sources are you going off of? They may be more accurate than mine.

I was talking about USUHS, which is the actually title of this thread if you would have read that.
I interviewed at USUHS and was accepted for IHS and I am not Native American (I think they knew that since they saw me, but maybe they thought I was light-skinned). The doctor who is the point person at USUHS for IHS was an IHS FP for 15 yrs. She is also not native american and has given me a lot of info. The other physicians in IHS I have spoken to are not Native American. The only issue concerning native americans is that some, if not most, of the positions you will end up applying for will be filled by a native american of that tribe first if possible.
I have been told that, as a USUHS grad, and I would guess IHS HPSP would also follow this, that you must enter a residency in pediatrics, psych, EM, FP, IM, OBGYN, Rads, Gen Surg, or Orthopedic Surgery.

 

[smq123]

I was talking about USUHS, which is the actually title of this thread if you would have read that.

Yes, I realize. That was my mistake; I had forgotten that there is a path into the PHS/IHS from USUHS. And seeing as you had clarified it AFTER I posted my mistake, I didn't see any need to post again. 🙂

Since this discussion seems to be focusing more on USUHS, and possibly entering the IHS from there, I am going to move it to the military medicine forum. You can also try looking at the USUHS class of 2013 if you haven't already.

Good luck with med school.

 

[mslall]

I was talking about USUHS, which is the actually title of this thread if you would have read that.
I interviewed at USUHS and was accepted for IHS and I am not Native American (I think they knew that since they saw me, but maybe they thought I was light-skinned). The doctor who is the point person at USUHS for IHS was an IHS FP for 15 yrs. She is also not native american and has given me a lot of info. The other physicians in IHS I have spoken to are not Native American. The only issue concerning native americans is that some, if not most, of the positions you will end up applying for will be filled by a native american of that tribe first if possible.
I have been told that, as a USUHS grad, and I would guess IHS HPSP would also follow this, that you must enter a residency in pediatrics, psych, EM, FP, IM, OBGYN, Rads, Gen Surg, or Orthopedic Surgery.

I think you're still limited to Peds, FP, IM, OB/GYN, psych, and EM. Thats what we were told on interview day at USUHS.

 

[freubr]

Yes, I realize. That was my mistake; I had forgotten that there is a path into the PHS/IHS from USUHS. And seeing as you had clarified it AFTER I posted my mistake, I didn't see any need to post again. 🙂

Since this discussion seems to be focusing more on USUHS, and possibly entering the IHS from there, I am going to move it to the military medicine forum. You can also try looking at the USUHS class of 2013 if you haven't already.

Good luck with med school.

Good luck to you too..

Mslall,
I was also told that, but then I was sent a flyer from IHS/USUHS and it listed gen surgery, orthopedic surg, and rads along with PC fields. I have also talked to a few physicians who are practicing in IHS and graduated from USUHS and they told me they have a few friends who specialized and were IHS physicians who graduated from USUHS. If you speak to other IHS physicians who tell you differently, let me know. Just trying to get facts straight.
Were you accepted to USUHS? What branch?

 

[mslall]

yeah, i got an army acceptance

 

[freubr]

yeah, i got an army acceptance

congrats...I will probably be seeing you there. I am very excited about the school. Are you definitely going there or mulling other decisions?

 

[mslall]

i'm 98% sure I'm going. I've gotten cleared unconditionally and have withdrawn most of my apps. I've got 2 that I still have open just to see what happens, but I'm not really even considering them at this point.

Were you accepted to PHS? Or another branch?

 

[freubr]

i'm 98% sure I'm going. I've gotten cleared unconditionally and have withdrawn most of my apps. I've got 2 that I still have open just to see what happens, but I'm not really even considering them at this point.

Were you accepted to PHS? Or another branch?

I was accepted to the PHS. I want to work with the underserved and live in a different part of the country, as I have not traveled very much. I was considering NHSC scholarship but it is very difficult to get and I really like USUHS and like the idea of making the PHS a career because there are so many branches in the PHS to ultimately get into if I would choose to (Coast Guard, NIH, etc.). Also, with the costs of medical education, and my lack of financial resources, I am worried I would not have the opportunity to work with underserved in the way I want to because I would be so preoccupied with paying off loans.
Do you have military experience? Working in the military with the soldiers would be an incredible experience and really fulfilling I am sure.

 

[xmsr3]

Congrats freubr! You must have been one heck of an applicant to get into PHS! Do you mind sharing your stats with us, (so the rest of us know whether or not we have a shot🙂 Also what branch of PHS are you in? NIH or IHS?

Do you mind answering some questions for those of us who are planning on going to USUHS but have no idea what the PHS is like compared to the other branches?

Where do you do Officer Development School? Or do you do it at all? Does PHS have the same physical fitness requirments as the other branches, such as running a mile in 13:15 or less? Do you know if they ever deploy people overseas? Finally do you have some idea how often you move from where you are stationed?

For example, say I am stationed in San Fransisco, but deployed for 3 months due to an emergency. After deployment do I go back to San Fran or stay where I was deployed until I am deployed again? In other words how often do you move? In the other branches its every 3-4 years? Is it the same for PHS?

Any answers you could give us of your experience with the PHS would be greatly appreciated.

And congrats again on winning one of only 4 spots!

PS. If anyone else knows the answer to these questions please let feel free to answer.

 

[Cook]

I'm starting the NIH track through PHS this year and can answer a few of your questions.

The Officer Basic Course (OBC) lasts two weeks and is held at the National Convention Center not far from DC. Its death by powerpoint, lots of information on the history and ethos and internal workings of the PHS, plus some team building exercises. I'm finishing up the first week right now actually. There are 2 of us USUHS students here out of a class of 45, with everyone else coming from a very broad range of health professionals (MD's, dentists, nurses, PA's, pharmacists, researchers, etc) working for a wide variety of federal agencies like the CDC, NIH, Bureau of Prisons, IHS, FDA. Its very laid back, even compared to the officer trainings that other USUHS students do, from what I understand.

There are physical fitness requirements for the PHS. 1.5-mile run, push-ups and sit-ups. You can find more information here: http://usphs-hso.org/pac/subcommittees/readiness/readiness_information.shtml#physical

PHS officers do sometimes deploy and serve in positions overseas. The US is certainly their main focus, but if international work is a priority of yours then you can most likely make it abroad at some point in your career. One of our OBC instructors spent a year in Brazil as a Health Liaison with the embassy, for example, and my PHS contact officer at NIH does a significant amount of traveling on research related trips. PHS officers will deploy to international disasters as well. I know they sent people to the 2004 tsunami, for example, and to several Central American earthquakes.

You can spend your entire career in one position or location, if you like. Most people move around for career advancement purposes though, or just to try something new. For example, once I'm done with my payback commitment at NIH, I can apply for any MD or admin job that I'm qualified for at the CDC, FDA, IHS or any other organization that the PHS has a relationship with. Or I could stay at NIH. There are quite a few options. Here's a link to the agencies/organizations that PHS works with: http://www.usphs.gov/AboutUs/agencies.aspx

PHS officers deploy for a maximum of two weeks a year to respond to things like hurricanes, earthquakes, epidemics, and other disasters. They'll also deploy to provide public health expertise during scheduled large public events sometimes. One PHS officer I met deployed to Obama's inauguration in DC, for example, just to be on hand in case something went wrong. Its nothing like deploying with the military. You'll return to your usual job after a week or two.

My stats (FYI):

3.51 gpa
3.56 sgpa
36 MCAT (12 12 12)

I wasn't premed my first few years of undergrad and thought B's were perfectly fine so my gpa is a little low. I had a strong upward trend though. Finished out my last 3 semesters with 3.9/4.0's.

Your resume has alot to do with being eligible for the NIH slots. Its the National Institute of Allergy and Infections Disease (NIAID) that's actually paying for the slots, and they're the institute you'll work for when you're done with your training, so they're interested in people with research and lab experience that are committed to a career in infectious disease. I've done some ID-related research (1st author publication in a small but still peer-reviewed journal and a poster presentation at an international ID conference) and about 2 years of normal undergrad bench research with 1 poster coming from it. Worked as a microbiologist for a year after undergrad, which helped as well, I think.

I don't know how competitive the spots are, but I think it probably varies a bit year to year. Its a tall order deciding your subspecialty before even beginning med school. Kind of like choosing an undergraduate major while you're in middle school. Definitely not for everyone. Plus its not a very well known option at all (I didn't even find out about it until my interview day at USUHS), so I think the pool of people who apply is probably pretty small. My recommendation would be that if you're at all interested in a career in ID you should apply and see how it goes so you at least have the option available if you get accepted.

The Indian Health Service spots at USUHS are probably similar in that they're a great fit for specific types of people but definitely not for everyone. If you want to practice primary care in a resource-poor, undeserved setting (which would be very fulfilling work IMO) then IHS is a great way to go. But again you have to decide before even starting medical school, so its a leap of faith.

OK I think that more or less answers your questions. I'll be happy to help with any others you have.

 

[rkaz]

I don't want to detract much from this thread, but since there are currently 2 parallel threads on the public health service and USUHS... I was wondering, can someone join the public health service from a school other than USUHS? Are there any scholarships for the public health service (similar to HSPS) that will pay students' tuition in exchange for PHS commitment following residency?

 

[xmsr3]

http://www.usphs.gov/

No, you don't need to go to USUHS to go into the Public Health Service. This thread is for people going to USUHS and might be interested in PHS but any doctor can get in.

If you are a pre-med student looking for a scholarship for med school then you can try the National Health Service Corp, which pays all tuition, books, fees and a living stipend in exchange for 4 years of working in place that is on the government's underprivaledged list.

NHSC scholarship is competative as there are only 90 being offered next year and the application for applying has passed for those who are starting med school in 2010.



On a seperate note, does anyone know the phone number for the PHS office at USUHS? I have scowered their website and once found a list of the student commanders for each branch but I can't remember where it is and the site search feature brings up nothing but catelogue mentions of PHS.

I would like to call and verify what I have learned on this forum.

Of course I have no research experience so I would have to hope for 1 of 2 IHS spots but there is always a chance and if not, I would be more than happy in the Navy or AF.

 

[TheGoose]

I don't want to detract much from this thread, but since there are currently 2 parallel threads on the public health service and USUHS... I was wondering, can someone join the public health service from a school other than USUHS? Are there any scholarships for the public health service (similar to HSPS) that will pay students' tuition in exchange for PHS commitment following residency?

There's actually a whole forum dedicated to the PHS http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=179

The topic seems to come up in the milmed forum due to usuhs but you might want to move the general discussion over there

 

[rkaz]

I'll go there to read about the NHSC. Thanks guys. 👍

 

[Cook]

The current PHS commander at USUHS is Dr. Mary Porvaznik. You can find her contact info on this web page: http://www.usuhs.mil/bde/commandantm.shtml#phs

She's a busy person, but should be able to help.

 

[xmsr3]

Thanks cook, I will be sure to email her on moday and politely ask her about how exactly IHS works for those in USUHS.

 

[20FutureMD11]

Does anyone know if you can be eligible to attend USUHS while being a single parent?

 

[NavyFP]

Does anyone know if you can be eligible to attend USUHS while being a single parent?

It is not like the Academies. Yes, you can.

 

[Osis]

I'm starting the NIH track through PHS this year and can answer a few of your questions.

The Officer Basic Course (OBC) lasts two weeks and is held at the National Convention Center not far from DC. Its death by powerpoint, lots of information on the history and ethos and internal workings of the PHS, plus some team building exercises. I'm finishing up the first week right now actually. There are 2 of us USUHS students here out of a class of 45, with everyone else coming from a very broad range of health professionals (MD's, dentists, nurses, PA's, pharmacists, researchers, etc) working for a wide variety of federal agencies like the CDC, NIH, Bureau of Prisons, IHS, FDA. Its very laid back, even compared to the officer trainings that other USUHS students do, from what I understand.

There are physical fitness requirements for the PHS. 1.5-mile run, push-ups and sit-ups. You can find more information here: http://usphs-hso.org/pac/subcommittees/readiness/readiness_information.shtml#physical

PHS officers do sometimes deploy and serve in positions overseas. The US is certainly their main focus, but if international work is a priority of yours then you can most likely make it abroad at some point in your career. One of our OBC instructors spent a year in Brazil as a Health Liaison with the embassy, for example, and my PHS contact officer at NIH does a significant amount of traveling on research related trips. PHS officers will deploy to international disasters as well. I know they sent people to the 2004 tsunami, for example, and to several Central American earthquakes.

You can spend your entire career in one position or location, if you like. Most people move around for career advancement purposes though, or just to try something new. For example, once I'm done with my payback commitment at NIH, I can apply for any MD or admin job that I'm qualified for at the CDC, FDA, IHS or any other organization that the PHS has a relationship with. Or I could stay at NIH. There are quite a few options. Here's a link to the agencies/organizations that PHS works with: http://www.usphs.gov/AboutUs/agencies.aspx

PHS officers deploy for a maximum of two weeks a year to respond to things like hurricanes, earthquakes, epidemics, and other disasters. They'll also deploy to provide public health expertise during scheduled large public events sometimes. One PHS officer I met deployed to Obama's inauguration in DC, for example, just to be on hand in case something went wrong. Its nothing like deploying with the military. You'll return to your usual job after a week or two.

My stats (FYI):

3.51 gpa
3.56 sgpa
36 MCAT (12 12 12)

I wasn't premed my first few years of undergrad and thought B's were perfectly fine so my gpa is a little low. I had a strong upward trend though. Finished out my last 3 semesters with 3.9/4.0's.

Your resume has alot to do with being eligible for the NIH slots. Its the National Institute of Allergy and Infections Disease (NIAID) that's actually paying for the slots, and they're the institute you'll work for when you're done with your training, so they're interested in people with research and lab experience that are committed to a career in infectious disease. I've done some ID-related research (1st author publication in a small but still peer-reviewed journal and a poster presentation at an international ID conference) and about 2 years of normal undergrad bench research with 1 poster coming from it. Worked as a microbiologist for a year after undergrad, which helped as well, I think.

I don't know how competitive the spots are, but I think it probably varies a bit year to year. Its a tall order deciding your subspecialty before even beginning med school. Kind of like choosing an undergraduate major while you're in middle school. Definitely not for everyone. Plus its not a very well known option at all (I didn't even find out about it until my interview day at USUHS), so I think the pool of people who apply is probably pretty small. My recommendation would be that if you're at all interested in a career in ID you should apply and see how it goes so you at least have the option available if you get accepted.

The Indian Health Service spots at USUHS are probably similar in that they're a great fit for specific types of people but definitely not for everyone. If you want to practice primary care in a resource-poor, undeserved setting (which would be very fulfilling work IMO) then IHS is a great way to go. But again you have to decide before even starting medical school, so its a leap of faith.

OK I think that more or less answers your questions. I'll be happy to help with any others you have.

Hey Cook,
That was very helpful. Thanks! I am thinking of applying to the PHS (I have an interview Dec 10th). When you graduate, and are obligated to serve in the NIAID, do you have options as to what you do? What I mean is that if I'm interested in becoming an infectious disease doc, for example, will I be allowed to follow that residency track. Or, could/would they just stick me in a lab somewhere, where I will solely do research and not see patients? Thanks!

 

[Cook]

Hi Osis,

Yes, there is a surprising amount of flexibility in what the nature of the work done during payback will be. I've met a dozen or so MD's working/training at NIAID, and only one of them was a "functional PhD" who did bench research exclusively (by his own choice, of course). Most MD's seem to only do clinical work and a few do a combination of bench and clinical. The largest building on the NIH's Bethesda campus is the Clinical Center (http://www.cc.nih.gov/about.shtml), which sees about 7000 patients a year (about the same as the National Naval Medical Center across the street, so its a pretty busy place). All of those patients are enrolled in a clinical trial of one kind or another being conducted by one of the NIH's 27 institutes. As the second largest institute, after the NCI, the NIAID has lots of research groups/labs to choose from which wide variety of different types of research. You can get a feel for what they do here: http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/about/organization/dir/labDescriptions.htm. During your fellowship and payback period you choose one of these labs to work with and participate in whatever protocols they're working on, and get to make up your own protocols as well.

As an example, one of the labs I'm interested in is injecting people with sand fly saliva in Mali to improve a vaccine against leishmaniasis (its actually one of the more bench-researchy things I'm interested in), and my role in the lab could range anywhere from gathering bug saliva in Mali, to isolating specific saliva antigens in a lab at NIH, to designing/administering clinical trials for the vaccine in either Mali or at the NIH or both, to managing and observing the progression of leishmaniasis in patients at the Clinical Center. Lots of flexibility, and you get to choose which lab you work for and can work out a role for yourself with the lab director beforehand. You can change labs anytime if you feel that things aren't going well, so the sky's the limit to what you're permitted to do as long as its related to infectious disease somehow. Also, the patient population at the Clinical Center is more interesting than in normal hospitals because they've all been referred there due to the unusual/poorly understood nature of their diseases, so there's always something new and crazy to see. That'll be a big plus during fellowship training, I think.

So the short answer is yes, you have plenty of options during payback, and if you're interested in becoming a practicing ID doc and would like to learn how to do clinical research as well, this isn't a bad way to go.

Good luck with your interview!

 

[Osis]

Hi Osis,

Yes, there is a surprising amount of flexibility in what the nature of the work done during payback will be. I've met a dozen or so MD's working/training at NIAID, and only one of them was a "functional PhD" who did bench research exclusively (by his own choice, of course). Most MD's seem to only do clinical work and a few do a combination of bench and clinical. The largest building on the NIH's Bethesda campus is the Clinical Center (http://www.cc.nih.gov/about.shtml), which sees about 7000 patients a year (about the same as the National Naval Medical Center across the street, so its a pretty busy place). All of those patients are enrolled in a clinical trial of one kind or another being conducted by one of the NIH's 27 institutes. As the second largest institute, after the NCI, the NIAID has lots of research groups/labs to choose from which wide variety of different types of research. You can get a feel for what they do here: http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/about/organization/dir/labDescriptions.htm. During your fellowship and payback period you choose one of these labs to work with and participate in whatever protocols they're working on, and get to make up your own protocols as well.

As an example, one of the labs I'm interested in is injecting people with sand fly saliva in Mali to improve a vaccine against leishmaniasis (its actually one of the more bench-researchy things I'm interested in), and my role in the lab could range anywhere from gathering bug saliva in Mali, to isolating specific saliva antigens in a lab at NIH, to designing/administering clinical trials for the vaccine in either Mali or at the NIH or both, to managing and observing the progression of leishmaniasis in patients at the Clinical Center. Lots of flexibility, and you get to choose which lab you work for and can work out a role for yourself with the lab director beforehand. You can change labs anytime if you feel that things aren't going well, so the sky's the limit to what you're permitted to do as long as its related to infectious disease somehow. Also, the patient population at the Clinical Center is more interesting than in normal hospitals because they've all been referred there due to the unusual/poorly understood nature of their diseases, so there's always something new and crazy to see. That'll be a big plus during fellowship training, I think.

So the short answer is yes, you have plenty of options during payback, and if you're interested in becoming a practicing ID doc and would like to learn how to do clinical research as well, this isn't a bad way to go.

Good luck with your interview!

Hi Cook,
Again, thanks so much for your response! That was just what I was looking for. Very helpful! I just completed all the DodMERB stuff yesterday, and my interview is next Thursday 🙂xf🙂. I will be putting PHS as my preference. I really hope I hear something sooner as opposed to later after my interview, as all the waiting/anticipation can be pretty intense! Thanks again!