UF vs. USUHS

[UMiami]

USUHS
Pros

• No debt, and would be making $65,000 a year
• Travel opportunities
• Massive amounts of military benefits
• Get to serve my country
• Very easy to take a year off and get cool experiences before residency
• Shorter pre-clinical time
• Camaraderie/amazing staff and students
• Clerkships all around the country – face time with residencies

Cons

• Make significantly less than a civilian doctor
• PT test every 6 months
• Training might not be as good
• Specialties and number of people in each specialty are being cut
• Very cold weather
• No control over where I will be living after residency (not something I care about too much though)
• Only 30 days off a year
• Larger class sizes

UF
Pros

• Higher ranked/great reputation especially in FL
• Closer to home
• Has always been the dream
• Higher step scores
• Loved interview day and everyone I met
• Integrated PBL
• Shands hospital
• Very cool new med building

Cons

• $200,000 in debt
• Might be harder to be at the top of the class/competitive
• Very hot weather
• Required research (could end up being cool and a great opportunity)

Summary: I don't have anyone in my family with prior military service experience, but I do think it is an amazing opportunity and an honor to serve in this way. I have to decide between two completely different lifestyles and I would love any advice or insight anyone has. I change my mind weekly and am having a very difficult time picking one over the other.

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[BunsenBeaker]

A few thoughts, as I am WL at USUHS, have mil experience, and am also accepted at a few civilian schools making my decision too...

- it’s not that cold in Bethesda, really. Just make sure you have the right cold weather gear and a good brush/scraper for your car once in a while if you aren’t metro’ing to school
- not all base locations are awesome, but some are insanely awesome
- some folks will tell you mil benefits aren’t that great/worth it, but to me they have been life-changing and key to my path to medicine
- I’m personally only interested in “operational” specialties, so I’m not as concerned about cuts, but maybe I should be. Either way, if I decide to attend USUHS, I’m ok with whatever specialty I match to.
- definitely consider proximity to family, a support network is important

Feel free to ask any questions about military lifestyle.

 

[areyoudoctayet]

If you’re accepted to UF and its your dream school, then thats your answer right there. You can still serve in the military by doing the HPSP Scholarship to still serve your country.

 

[lalalallala]

LOL as a lifetime Maryland resident it crack me up when people say it's so cold. But maybe you're from Florida so I'll let that one go. But ya really it's not cold

My main point in commenting is that I am concerned about you choosing the military when you don't seem set on it. It is a huge commitment (commitment during medical school, military residency, and then years of service after residency) and you don't seem to be fully into it. So I would recommend not doing it (I come from a military family - I am a big fan of serving - I just don't think it is something you should do if you are not fully into it). If you want to serve then you can always decide that later.

I think being near your home in Florida and having support would be great. That 200k - I think it will even itself out with the military route - in the military route you will likely get paid more during residency but then you will get paid much less as an attending. If it's just about the money then I don't think the military route is worth it for you.

I would pick UF and then keep thinking about the military and learn more about it. If you really decided the military was for you then you can join later

 

[UMiami]

LOL as a lifetime Maryland resident it crack me up when people say it's so cold. But maybe you're from Florida so I'll let that one go. But ya really it's not cold

My main point in commenting is that I am concerned about you choosing the military when you don't seem set on it. It is a huge commitment (commitment during medical school, military residency, and then years of service after residency) and you don't seem to be fully into it. So I would recommend not doing it (I come from a military family - I am a big fan of serving - I just don't think it is something you should do if you are not fully into it). If you want to serve then you can always decide that later.

I think being near your home in Florida and having support would be great. That 200k - I think it will even itself out with the military route - in the military route you will likely get paid more during residency but then you will get paid much less as an attending. If it's just about the money then I don't think the military route is worth it for you.

I would pick UF and then keep thinking about the military and learn more about it. If you really decided the military was for you then you can join later

Thank you, it definitely is a huge commitment and the reason it’s so hard for me to decide is because no one in my family is military so I’m just not familiar with that lifestyle. I really would love to serve and go to school there, but the unknown about what military med life is actually like has been making the decision very difficult.

 

[lalalallala]

Thank you, it definitely is a huge commitment and the reason it’s so hard for me to decide is because no one in my family is military so I’m just not familiar with that lifestyle. I really would love to serve and go to school there, but the unknown about what military med life is actually like has been making the decision very difficult.

Very understandable. You could see if you can shadow at a VA hospital and reach out to military physicians via that route. I would say do NOT trust what the recruiters have to say. People who went the military route will have biases and people who went the civilian route will have biases, but the recruiters often say what needs to be said to get people to sign up.

Some thoughts to consider:

are you okay with not knowing where you will be living (the military can move you around whenever once you are a military physician) - for people with kids or a SO this may be a serious negative

what kind of speciality might you like to go into? there is often only 1-2 spots for all military medical students for neurosurgery residencies. so if you wanted to be a neurosurgeon it would be a bad idea to do the military route because if you didn't get those 1-2 spots then you would be out of luck. you may not get to do the fellowship you want in some specialities. as a military physician I met once said to me: "If you choose orthopedic surgery but you want to specialize in hand surgery but the military doesn't need that - then guess what? you're not specializing in hands." if you choose the military route then it would be preferable if your specialities of interest were things that the military needed

do you think your personality is fit for the military (how would you do spending a summer learning how to be an officer - will you be okay with the chain of command)

is it about the money? if you sum up med school, residency, attending costs/salary for the two paths you should hopefully get a reasonable idea if it is worth it

you can always join the military later or serve in the reserves

best of luck!

 

[Gastrapathy]

You aren’t choosing between UF and USU. You are choosing whether or not to join the military. Spend some time reading the milmed forum and if you still decide to take the oath, then so be it.

 

[lalalallala]

You aren’t choosing between UF and USU. You are choosing whether or not to join the military. Spend some time reading the milmed forum and if you still decide to take the oath, then so be it.

True except OP could be in the military at UF. They just can’t be a civilian at USU