- Joined
- Sep 18, 2019
- Messages
- 146
- Reaction score
- 41
Hello —
I initially developed an interest in military medicine as a second-year undergrad. I wanted the structure the military provided. I wanted the opportunities to practice medicine with an expanded scope of practice and in austere and challenging environments. And, most importantly, I wanted to serve the mission of the United States military. However, as I approach the start of medical school (I have been accepted to a US MD school for fall 2021 matriculation), I have some concerns:
1) I am not fully decided on which specialty I want to pursue. I am pretty sure I want to do a surgical specialty, but not sure which one. However, I could also see myself going the non-surgical route, in areas such as EM or anesthesiology. My concern is that I will decide firmly come match time in ~4 years, then be prohibited from that passionate decision because of the military's needs.
2) I believe the best way for me to serve the military's mission is to be the best physician I can be. After reading through this forum, I have developed a concern that there is a lack of case variety available to residents and attendings, which may lead to skill atrophy. Thus, I could see a better route for me and, by extension, the military by simply foregoing commitment until after residency training. Then, I could become a reservist and still contribute to the military without having to worry about only being able to practice medicine in the bubble of military medicine.
As stated above, my reservations have nothing to do with the prospects of being deployed — these challenging service opportunities are exactly what I want. I really do envision a career that begins with deployment downrange on a SOST or CCATT mixed with alternative time at a busy military base in the US. I have no problem delaying a dedicated civilian career until after either my 4-year obligation or 20-yr military career.
However, I worry that blind and naive pursuit of these opportunities by selecting a binding commitment through HPSP as a wily pre-med will lead to disillusionment down the road as a physician, especially in these times in which the military is not actively involved in conflict (not that I want there to be extra conflict in the world, or that I want soldiers to be put in harm's way). In fact, I have a worry about not pursuing military medicine from the start of medical school via HPSP: Will delay of involvement in military medicine until after residency decrease my knowledge of the military system / kinship with the soldiers that would ultimately degrade my membership in military medicine?
Based on my thoughts above, could anybody speak to the appropriateness of perhaps foregoing service until after training, and then joining the reserves so that I could become the best physician possible for both civilians and soldiers alike? Or, perhaps others believe my concerns are not well-founded and may be inclined to shed a different light on this career path.
Thank you all for your time.
I initially developed an interest in military medicine as a second-year undergrad. I wanted the structure the military provided. I wanted the opportunities to practice medicine with an expanded scope of practice and in austere and challenging environments. And, most importantly, I wanted to serve the mission of the United States military. However, as I approach the start of medical school (I have been accepted to a US MD school for fall 2021 matriculation), I have some concerns:
1) I am not fully decided on which specialty I want to pursue. I am pretty sure I want to do a surgical specialty, but not sure which one. However, I could also see myself going the non-surgical route, in areas such as EM or anesthesiology. My concern is that I will decide firmly come match time in ~4 years, then be prohibited from that passionate decision because of the military's needs.
2) I believe the best way for me to serve the military's mission is to be the best physician I can be. After reading through this forum, I have developed a concern that there is a lack of case variety available to residents and attendings, which may lead to skill atrophy. Thus, I could see a better route for me and, by extension, the military by simply foregoing commitment until after residency training. Then, I could become a reservist and still contribute to the military without having to worry about only being able to practice medicine in the bubble of military medicine.
As stated above, my reservations have nothing to do with the prospects of being deployed — these challenging service opportunities are exactly what I want. I really do envision a career that begins with deployment downrange on a SOST or CCATT mixed with alternative time at a busy military base in the US. I have no problem delaying a dedicated civilian career until after either my 4-year obligation or 20-yr military career.
However, I worry that blind and naive pursuit of these opportunities by selecting a binding commitment through HPSP as a wily pre-med will lead to disillusionment down the road as a physician, especially in these times in which the military is not actively involved in conflict (not that I want there to be extra conflict in the world, or that I want soldiers to be put in harm's way). In fact, I have a worry about not pursuing military medicine from the start of medical school via HPSP: Will delay of involvement in military medicine until after residency decrease my knowledge of the military system / kinship with the soldiers that would ultimately degrade my membership in military medicine?
Based on my thoughts above, could anybody speak to the appropriateness of perhaps foregoing service until after training, and then joining the reserves so that I could become the best physician possible for both civilians and soldiers alike? Or, perhaps others believe my concerns are not well-founded and may be inclined to shed a different light on this career path.
Thank you all for your time.
Last edited:
