Thanks, ActiveDutyMD. I did search before posting, but did not find that gem amidst the rhinestones. Signal in the noise. What have you.
So I asked my questions (and some from the above link) and while the Air Force recruiter didn't have all the answers (in terms of hard numbers on percentages and # of residency spots, etc) he did offer to look up what he didn't know. Here's the interesting things he
did say in answer to my questions. I asked mostly about the HPSP.
- Average AD deployment is 4 months ... max is 12 months. "Most are 4 months though".
- "The Air Force has no GMO ... closest thing is flight surgeon." But you have to apply specially for that.
- Residency in the civilian sector is possible (no #s) if there is no match in your stated specialty within the AF. Otherwise, off to TX, FL or CA with you.
- Commissioned Officer Training (COT) is the AF's OIC, and it lasts for 6 weeks (but you're usually done in 4 weeks). It's done on your first "available" summer and can be pushed back if you have an internship or summat.
- On the "officer first, doctor second" mentality: in the AF it's more of a "dual hat".
- "There is no chance you will deployed until your residency is completed." COT is the only "interruption" of your studies. Chance you will complete straight-through training is 100%.
- You can cross-deploy to other branches as an MD, but not as a GMO -- you will always be within your specialty. It may be part of a JTF or you can volunteer if you want to go into the suck.
- HPSP covers basic tuition, books, lab fees, a $1992 monthly stipend, and health insurance. #s 2, 3, and 5 are done via reimbursement.
- Upon residency completion, you earn Captain's salary, around $4k per month. That's it. No more until you make major. You can sign on for a rather large per-specialty bonus, but that can tack a year onto your MSO!
- He is providing me with contact info for AD and NAD MD "champions" who have done the program, but have no way to put me in touch with folks who have done it and separated after their obligation is complete.
- He is emailing me a copy of the service agreement.
- Yes, EM docs can feel their skills atrophy, unless they choose to deploy to Iraq.
- The slots for the HPSP have been filling up quickly, and are 1C1S. So better get movin' on the paperwork for next year.
- There is a minimum MSO of 8 years for the HPSP. The residency does NOT count, though time spent on externships (weeks at a time) does. The AD does, and once AD is complete (one-to-one for years covered under HPSP) you switch to Non-Active Duty. No one is called up from NAD, except for pilots (to his knowledge).
Feel free to chime in if he was misleading. Thanks! I'm not currently offering any "I believe what he's saying" or "I think he's feeding me the Kool-Aid" commentary at this point, just reporting.
Now I'm off to other threads (for now) to see how everyone else has interpreted this, supported it, or argued against it.
1) False. The average medical deployemnts have been moved up to 6 months with the exception of certain specialties that require a certain caseload that would not be met on deployments (i.e. CT Surgeons). In their case, they would deploy for a shorter time, but more frequently. I am still deciding which is worse, especilly when you have kids
2) False again. The Flight Surgeon is a GMO and you don't apply to become one. If you don't match into a residency, you will become a Flight Surgeon automatically unless you are medically disqualified from flying. in this case you would become a GMO. This has been discussed ad nausem.
3) False again. Wow this recuriter definitely knows their ****. As in how to trick the naive, unsuspected pre-med. If the AF does not approve for a specialty you can apply for it. As an example, lets say you are applying to radiology, but there are only 10 approved positions that the AF is granted. Now, lets say all 10 positions are to be tarined at Wilford Hall and David Grant. if you don't match into one of these 10, you will be a GMO. they will not let you apply for a civilian position because they don't need civilian trained radiologists (This is just an example, so I hope you get the point).
4) True.
5) False. It may be dual hat, but you are always Officer first, Doctor second. However, I really can't think of any ways that this has prohibited the care I have given to my patients. Maybe others have anecdotal stories to the contrary, but I don't.
6) True and False. While you won't be deployed during residency, what exactly does your recruiter mean straight through? It they mean meverybody gets a residency out of med school, this is false. There is a roughly 25% chance that your training will be interuppted after your internship year and you will have to serve a minimum 2 year GMO tour.
7) Generally true, but you may find this harder than you think.
8) Don't know. Have been out the HPSP program for 4 years now.
9) False (depending on what you are doing). As an O-3 GMO/FS, I also get ASP (15K/year), VSP (5K/year), and flight pay (150/month). If you are in residency, you get the VSP if you are done your internship year, otherwise no other bonuses. Specialty pays happen after you finish residency.
10) That is pretty much bull****. They just want to make sure they are not getting you in touch with anybody that will bad-mouth the program.
11) EM docs can get skill atrophy, even in Iraq. Most need to moonlight to keep up skills that I heard, unless you are stationed at a MEDCEN (and even then it is questionable)
12) False. Externships (Med school rotations???) do not count towards your MSO. Military residencies can be applied to your MSO, but not your ADSC. As an example, if you are a 4 year HPSP and do a 4 year military residency and then serve 4 years as an Attending, you are done with your MSO. If you didn't match out of med school and just decided to serve your 4 year ADSC as a flight surgeon, you then owe 4 years of Guard/reserve/IRR to complete your 8 year MSO. While no docs have been called up from IRR, this always remains a possibility. Is this clear?
You can believe whoever you want to believe. Nobody is twisting your arm here and I have nothing to gain or lose from you accepting or declining the "scholarship", unlike the recruiter.
