Question for Premeds

[militaryPHYS]

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If someone mentions a debt-free option for your medical education by joining the military, what is your initial reaction and what questions would you have?

Serious responses only please. The hope is to compile a high-yield information source for premeds to address the major questions/concerns that normally arise.

 

[premedphilosopher]

Nothing is "debt free", maybe financially, but there is something that you will owe. I want to hear the straight story and not be "sold" something. If it is truly beneficial then the benefits will speak for themselves, at least to the right people. Be real about the downsides. Absolutely everything has negative aspects, and that's ok. However, when somebody makes it seem like there are none it fails the smell test for me right away.

 

[getdown]

Another question someone thinking about this path should consider is whether or not the military branch they're planning on joining will need your particular specialty choice. They always need IM, FM, ER but there's only a limited number of the more competitive specialties. Remember that doing HPSP means they expect you to match into military residencies first with exceptions made to match into civilian residencies. Maybe @HomeSkool can provide a better explanation.

It's also worth mentioning that one should only join if truly interested in serving in the military. Never do it for money.

 

[TakotsuboOkazaki]

The most worthwhile advice seems to be “don’t do it for the money”.

If you were not inclined to serve in the military before learning about the HPSP, then you probably shouldn’t take the scholarship.

 

[JMilo]

"Sorry, but I've already sold my soul"

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Another question someone thinking about this path should consider is whether or not the military branch they're planning on joining will need your particular specialty choice. They always need IM, FM, ER but there's only a limited number of the more competitive specialties. Remember that doing HPSP means they expect you to match into military residencies first with exceptions made to match into civilian residencies. Maybe @HomeSkool can provide a better explanation.

It's also worth mentioning that one should only join if truly interested in serving in the military. Never do it for money.

You make a good point, but I want to mention that competitiveness in the military is not necessarily the same as in the civilian world. Path is something you can walk right into in the civilian world, but the Navy only had 4 spots last year and none were for graduating interns.

 

[militaryPHYS]

I want to hear the straight story and not be "sold" something. If it is truly beneficial then the benefits will speak for themselves, at least to the right people. Be real about the downsides.

Great points.

If you were not inclined to serve in the military before learning about the HPSP, then you probably shouldn’t take the scholarship.

100% agree that you should not do it only for the money. I don't agree that if someone hadn't considered the military then that is a reason to not look in to the options. Many people have preconceived ideas or thoughts about the programs available that may or may not be accurate. This is why I am trying to compile a high-yield resource for all premed candidates to flip through to rule it in or out (despite preconceived impressions) as they plan their applications, etc.

competitiveness in the military is not necessarily the same as in the civilian world

This is very true, but unfortunately these things change every single year based on applicant pool and needs of the military. Hard to even find reproducible trends because it is more dependent on the actual applicant year group vice needs of military. i.e. the spots are there, but difficult to predict 4-6 years out how many GMO's are returning for Path residency and/or how many interns want to go in to Path that year. Definite negative for milmed. IF/when you are an intern and therefore have a much better ideas of the numbers for your year...if the numbers are not in your favor that year, you can request a 1 year GMO spot if you know your application is good enough and numbers are good for the following application year. Sometimes this is a better option than committing to 3 years as a flight surgeon and THEN coming back to path residency. But these 1 year GMO's are not common and shouldn't be relied upon when making a decision 5 years out from this waypoint in life.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

This is very true, but unfortunately these things change every single year based on applicant pool and needs of the military. Hard to even find reproducible trends because it is more dependent on the actual applicant year group vice needs of military. i.e. the spots are there, but difficult to predict 4-6 years out how many GMO's are returning for Path residency and/or how many interns want to go in to Path that year. Definite negative for milmed. IF/when you are an intern and therefore have a much better ideas of the numbers for your year...if the numbers are not in your favor that year, you can request a 1 year GMO spot if you know your application is good enough and numbers are good for the following application year. Sometimes this is a better option than committing to 3 years as a flight surgeon and THEN coming back to path residency.

Yep, that was exactly my point. Do they still have the 1-year GMO spots in the Navy? I thought we got rid of those.

 

[militaryPHYS]

Do they still have the 1-year GMO spots in the Navy?

They still exist. Not a common pathway and like everything in the military, not guaranteed. Detailers like to fill 2 and 3 years spots preferentially

 

[getdown]

You make a good point, but I want to mention that competitiveness in the military is not necessarily the same as in the civilian world. Path is something you can walk right into in the civilian world, but the Navy only had 4 spots last year and none were for graduating interns.

Very interesting. I didn't realize there was such limited spots for different specialties from year to year. Definitely good to know.

 

[Girlygirl2020]

there's not enough money in the world to convince me to join the military

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

there's not enough money in the world to convince me to join the military

Helpful.

 

[militaryPHYS]

there's not enough money in the world to convince me to join the military

You took the time to respond. It would be nice to take the time to elaborate so you could help improve understanding for your peers.

 

[700825]

1. A clearer picture of what my salary would be during my service commitment. Medical training is a serious investment of time, so wrong or not, compensation matters.
2. An clearer idea of the competitiveness of the various specialties in the military match. Info on the general competitiveness of various specialties in the civilian world is well known. I'd like similar data on the military match.

 

[HomeSkool]

Nothing is "debt free", maybe financially, but there is something that you will owe.

This.

Another question someone thinking about this path should consider is whether or not the military branch they're planning on joining will need your particular specialty choice. They always need IM, FM, ER but there's only a limited number of the more competitive specialties. Remember that doing HPSP means they expect you to match into military residencies first with exceptions made to match into civilian residencies.

Exactly. When I was an MS4, the Army sent an e-mail saying they projected being short on interns and instructing us to not even bother asking for civilian deferments. The Army required that MS4's rank six residency spots but only had two anesthesiology residencies, so I ranked those and then had to rank four other choices (I chose four non-categorical transitional year internship spots). Additionally, the military can approve or reject your request to do a fellowship based on its needs, which can vary depending on politics, funding, and whether certain specialists are expected to retire in the next few years.

It's also worth mentioning that one should only join if truly interested in serving in the military. Never do it for money.

Never ever. In my case, I took a two-year HPSP scholarship, did three years of post-residency payback, and left half a million dollars on the table -- after accounting for the cost of tuition the Army paid! Debt-free, indeed.

Remember: if you join the military, your primary occupation is not "Physician", it's "Soldier/Sailor/Airman". The military will use you in the capacity of a physician because that's what you're trained to do, but that doesn't change the fact that you belong to Uncle Sam. Serve because you want to; but if you decide to serve, make sure you get paid as much as possible for it.