UICOM (OOS) vs USUHS

[Macro_Corneaphage]

Illinois (OOS)

Pros

• P/F preclinical
• Chicago (plethora of opportunities, lots to do)
• Easy to get research, I think (affiliated labs)
• Curriculum looks good (incorporates many elements: team-based, spiral)
• Has home residencies for most specialties
• Can hopefully match somewhere I really want to go (would love to match to CO, UT, WA, OR). Or at least freedom to move there eventually.

Cons

• Expensive
• Chicago? (haven’t lived in a city before, less access to parks/outdoors)

USUHS

Pros

• P/F preclinical
• Start clerkship rotations in Jan of 2nd year
• Get to travel, which I would like
• Nicer location (Bethesda)
• Guaranteed residency
• May be easy to get research (including possible NIH)
• Free + Salary

Cons

• Reservations/concerns about military medicine after USU:
• Military officer service (bureaucracy, rigidity/structure)
• May not be able to match top choice (point system for residencies where prior service = more points, which I lack)
• Less freedom to pursue what I want
• Going out on deployment may cause skill atrophy
  • Low case volume = skill atrophy
• May be stuck doing something (or somewhere) I do not want, being a cog in the machine

I am super torn. I can see myself being at either school, and students seem happy at both. My experiences with both schools have also been great. If I was choosing solely for the school, it would be USU. I like the location and shortened preclinical curriculum (with away clerkships) better.

But I have major concerns about military medical, especially after visit the military medicine forums of SDN. If I couldn’t see myself serving I wouldn’t have applied to USU. It’s just they everything I’ve read about military medicine seems so depressing. And I don’t know if I would feel constrained in the military as my goals change.

Right now, I am thinking of pursuing a surgical specialty.

Money is a factor in my decision, mainly the extremely high price of attending UICOM. There is literally a ~150k/year difference. Someone correct me if I’m wrong.

• 80k/year tuition at UIC
• ~70k cumulative compensation from USU

Any input is appreciated!

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[chilly_md]

If you are comfortable serving, USUHS is a great choice. I can’t speak to exactly how military medicine is, but a lot of specific forums on this site can have depressing things to say about various specialities. If you took them for their face value, then you would have no real rewarding options in medicine. The main thing is likely whether you are ok with having a little less freedom in what residency you match. I assume after you come back from deployment, you could also work for the VA and have a better chance at treating more cases.

HPSP could be an option still for you to consider at Illinois

Matthew9Thirtyfive , if you could please provide some insight, that would be a big help.​

 

[catnip12]

Depends on your dedication to service! I would never pay 150k more per year for one school over another.

 

[deomnibusdubitandum]

Depends on your dedication to service! I would never pay 150k more per year for one school over another.

This point is mostly irrelevant here, however. USUHS requires military service where the salary as an attending will be much lower than working as a civilian. In the long run, USUHS will be the more expensive option (in a way).

 

[Mikiras]

Given your reservations, perhaps choose UICOM and then you can apply for HSPS (am probably butchering that acronym) for your subsequent years if you still want to serve.

 

[whodareswins]

Med student / Navy vet here. Do NOT go to USUHS or take the HPSP scholarship if you have ANY reservations about military service. Both of these options are only for people who are fully committed to serving in military, despite the drawbacks (limited choices for residency, deployments far from home, low pay, et al.). Nearly every military doc I served with that did the military solely for the money was extremely miserable and regretted their decision.

From reading your post, I would highly recommend you go to Illinois and take out loans like many of your colleagues will be doing. I know it’s seems scary right now to take on all that debt, but you can pay it all back in a reasonable amount of time as long as you can delay gratification for a bit once you start working (e.g. don’t blow your money on a mansion or a Tesla immediately after residency). If you have any questions about military service, feel free to DM me. I’m not a recruiter, so I will give you my honest, unfiltered opinion about military medicine, both the good and the bad.

 

[chilly_md]

Med student / Navy vet here. Do NOT go to USUHS or take the HPSP scholarship if you have ANY reservations about military service. Both of these options are only for people who are fully committed to serving in military, despite the drawbacks (limited choices for residency, deployments far from home, low pay, et al.). Nearly every military doc I served with that did the military solely for the money was extremely miserable and regretted their decision.

From reading your post, I would highly recommend you go to Illinois and take out loans like many of your colleagues will be doing. I know it’s seems scary right now to take on all that debt, but you can pay it all back in a reasonable amount of time as long as you can delay gratification for a bit once you start working (e.g. don’t blow your money on a mansion or a Tesla immediately after residency). If you have any questions about military service, feel free to DM me. I’m not a recruiter, so I will give you my honest, unfiltered opinion about military medicine, both the good and the bad.

Thank you for your service. OP really needed somebody they could talk to about military service and medicine, and the person I tagged earlier who can speak from experience hasn’t been active on here for a while. So you would be a big help for OP.

 

[Macro_Corneaphage]

Med student / Navy vet here. Do NOT go to USUHS or take the HPSP scholarship if you have ANY reservations about military service. Both of these options are only for people who are fully committed to serving in military, despite the drawbacks (limited choices for residency, deployments far from home, low pay, et al.). Nearly every military doc I served with that did the military solely for the money was extremely miserable and regretted their decision.

From reading your post, I would highly recommend you go to Illinois and take out loans like many of your colleagues will be doing. I know it’s seems scary right now to take on all that debt, but you can pay it all back in a reasonable amount of time as long as you can delay gratification for a bit once you start working (e.g. don’t blow your money on a mansion or a Tesla immediately after residency). If you have any questions about military service, feel free to DM me. I’m not a recruiter, so I will give you my honest, unfiltered opinion about military medicine, both the good and the bad.

Thanks for your input! I am leaning towards Illinois. I’ll probably DM you as well.

 

[MDMechEngr]

Med student / Navy vet here. Do NOT go to USUHS or take the HPSP scholarship if you have ANY reservations about military service. Both of these options are only for people who are fully committed to serving in military, despite the drawbacks (limited choices for residency, deployments far from home, low pay, et al.). Nearly every military doc I served with that did the military solely for the money was extremely miserable and regretted their decision.

I was given the same advise as this. Most USUHS are military lifers because it takes a lot of years to pay back your obligation, and the long-term economic analysis is not in your favor with USUHS.

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