Uniformed Services University vs Regular Medical School

[shaealli]

So I am thinking of where I should go for medical school. I am currently in the army and asked my provider for some advice and he told me not to go to uniformed services university and told me to check this forum. What are the pros and cons of attending this school and would it be better for me to go to a public medical school and just use my gi bill? Or is the 7 year commitment worth it?

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[militaryPHYS]

I agree with your provider. Check the forum. There are tons of discussions on HPSP, HSCP, USUHS or NONE.

Only you can decide if the 7 year commitment is worth it. Quick 30k foot view: Most people who end up enjoying the USUHS experience/life are those who had prior service and planned to stick it out for a 20 year active duty pension anyway. If you are sick of the military or questionable at all about staying in for a very long time then it is best to go civilian route.

 

[Gastrapathy]

The real choice isn’t USUHS vs civilian med school, it’s military medicine vs civilian medicine for your career. Recommend B.

 

[pgg]

So I am thinking of where I should go for medical school. I am currently in the army and asked my provider for some advice and he told me not to go to uniformed services university and told me to check this forum. What are the pros and cons of attending this school and would it be better for me to go to a public medical school and just use my gi bill? Or is the 7 year commitment worth it?

What's your "provider" ... is this a physician? Is this person qualified to speak to this question?

Are you done with the prereqs and are you applying for a 2022 start? 2023? When will the Army allow you to go (or leave)?

How many years do you have in the Army? USUHS can make great financial sense to someone who'd be eligible to retire when the USUHS payback is up. Especially people who aren't under the new blended retirement scheme.

USUHS is an excellent medical school. The risk you're taking by going there is that nobody really knows what inservice GME (residency) training will be like in 10-15 years. Things are changing and there is much more uncertainty these days than there was 10 or 20 years ago. And if you go to USUHS, you're committing yourself to whatever inservice GME looks like a decade from now. At least HPSP'ers have the option of GMO time for a few years and then exiting the system.

 

[shaealli]

Yes my provider is an army physician. He went to USUHS so yes I would say he is qualified.

I am finishing up my prerequisites. It’ll take 2 years to get finished. My current contract ends in 4 years.

I am currently under the new blended retirement system, and no I’d be 3 years short of being eligible to retire when the USUHS payback is up.

how is the GME changing and it sounds as if it is moving in a not so great direction.

 

[Mace1370]

Yes my provider is an army physician. He went to USUHS so yes I would say he is qualified.

I am finishing up my prerequisites. It’ll take 2 years to get finished. My current contract ends in 4 years.

I am currently under the new blended retirement system, and no I’d be 3 years short of being eligible to retire when the USUHS payback is up.

how is the GME changing and it sounds as if it is moving in a not so great direction.

I went to USUHS. It's a good school. There's lots of good medical schools out there. Your real decision is whether you want to stay in the military or get out. If you know for sure that military life is for you and that you are shooting for a 20 year career, then USUHS is a great option. There are other options out there as well, like HPSP and FAP. If you do not want a life in the military then a civilian school is the way to go. Whichever route you choose, don't make that decision for financial reasons alone. Again, the real decision is if you want to serve in the military and have a military career.

Yes my provider is an army physician. He went to USUHS so yes I would say he is qualified.

I am finishing up my prerequisites. It’ll take 2 years to get finished. My current contract ends in 4 years.

I am currently under the new blended retirement system, and no I’d be 3 years short of being eligible to retire when the USUHS payback is up.

how is the GME changing and it sounds as if it is moving in a not so great direction.

We ultimately do not know how GME is changing. This is one of the downsides to the military, it changes (sometimes often and usually unpredictably). There was big push to cut everything, but now that's on hold and it seems fairly stable. No one can say what will happen in 5-10 years, however. When you sign up for a commitment like USUHS, you are inherently signing up for uncertainty.