Uniformed services

[SlickNickMD]

Anyone attend or would like to attend USUHS? I have an interview on the 30th, I'm excited and not nervous but I feel as though I should be
It's one of my many top choices

Any of my fellow SDNers interested in Military medicine?

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[ayushman80]

Anyone attend or would like to attend USUHS? I have an interview on the 30th, I'm excited and not nervous but I feel as though I should be
It's one of my many top choices

Any of my fellow SDNers interested in Military medicine?

Have you checked out the military medicine forum?

I was interested in HPSP/USUHS until about 2 months ago. A army national guard recruiter got hold of me and told me about their program. I get to pick my CIVILIAN residency, no deployments during med school/residency, and get a stipend. The only downside is that they dont pay for tuition.

 

[MDean86]

Anyone attend or would like to attend USUHS? I have an interview on the 30th, I'm excited and not nervous but I feel as though I should be
It's one of my many top choices

Any of my fellow SDNers interested in Military medicine?

I'm interviewing the 30th as well. I'm really looking forward to getting up there and checking it out.

SDN has a ton of information about military medicine on the military forum. You will find that a lot of the servicemen who post on this site are not exactly thrilled with their experience in the military. They're very open and honest with their experiences and I think it's important to listen to what they have to say. I think you should also seek out some physicians who have served and speak to them in person. I find the one's who I've spoken with either at interviews or in other places aren't nearly as negative about their experience as the ones on this board.

I've found that people who signed up simply for the financial aid are often the ones who are most unsatisfied with their careers in the military. Realize that, although you will have your med school paid for, you will be making far less as a military physician and you will be asked to sacrifice some things in return. If you're joining simply for the tuition money, I would recommend you just take out the loans and go to a civilian school. You won't come out that far behind (if at all) and you'll probably be much more satisfied. It's hard to put a price on your happiness.

 

[Jolie South]

I'm interviewing the 30th as well. I'm really looking forward to getting up there and checking it out.

SDN has a ton of information about military medicine on the military forum. You will find that a lot of the servicemen who post on this site are not exactly thrilled with their experience in the military. They're very open and honest with their experiences and I think it's important to listen to what they have to say. I think you should also seek out some physicians who have served and speak to them in person. I find the one's who I've spoken with either at interviews or in other places aren't nearly as negative about their experience as the ones on this board.

I've found that people who signed up simply for the financial aid are often the ones who are most unsatisfied with their careers in the military. Realize that, although you will have your med school paid for, you will be making far less as a military physician and you will be asked to sacrifice some things in return. If you're joining simply for the tuition money, I would recommend you just take out the loans and go to a civilian school. You won't come out that far behind (if at all) and you'll probably be much more satisfied. It's hard to put a price on your happiness.

exactly, I'm AF HPSP and I didn't make the decision lightly. for me, service is really important and I had always wanted to be a member of the military.

if you're doing it for the money, you will be very unhappy. get all the info. then, sit down and really think about it.

 

[utahjazz]

Come on over to the USUHS thread in the mil med forum:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=187188&page=19

There's a lot of info there about interview day and the entire USUHS application process. And definitely read all the other threads by people already serving to make sure you know what you are getting into!

 

[bonvoyage]

Have you checked out the military medicine forum?

I was interested in HPSP/USUHS until about 2 months ago. A army national guard recruiter got hold of me and told me about their program. I get to pick my CIVILIAN residency, no deployments during med school/residency, and get a stipend. The only downside is that they dont pay for tuition.

i am also interested in this. it is financially a much better deal.

 

[TheGoose]

i am also interested in this. it is financially a much better deal.

actually, if you poked your head into the military medicine board and read some of the financial analysis threads, you would see that it not a better deal financially speaking.

 

[bonvoyage]

actually, if you poked your head into the military medicine board and read some of the financial analysis threads, you would see that it not a better deal financially speaking.

bull****. i havent read that forum recently because im busy with my applications. and one of the things they say is that you need to get admitted to med school first and hpsp and national guard will still be waiting for you. but from what i remember:
hpsp or usuhs is only good if you're going into primary care. even if you take the most expensive school, you would make more money in 4yrs as a specialist than any tuition expenses that hpsp would provide.

in national guard you get paid for 3 yrs as much as a usuhs student. and you can still take out loans(while hpsp students cannot). so while in med school, you actually get more financial assistance. hpsp students just make a bit more during residency(because you have to give away a part of your paycheck to pay off 30yr loans).

still i would consider doing active duty just because im interested in the military. they do have some nice bases overseas and even in usa, working in the military might be fun. not all the posts on the military forum are negative... btw if you do national guard, you could finish your residency and then go active duty for a few years on condition that they assign you the base of your choice(and they will because you lose financially).

 

[chewsnuffles]

bull****. i havent read that forum recently because im busy with my applications. and one of the things they say is that you need to get admitted to med school first and hpsp and national guard will still be waiting for you. but from what i remember:
hpsp or usuhs is only good if you're going into primary care. even if you take the most expensive school, you would make more money in 4yrs as a specialist than any tuition expenses that hpsp would provide.

in national guard you get paid for 3 yrs as much as a usuhs student. and you can still take out loans(while hpsp students cannot). so while in med school, you actually get more financial assistance. hpsp students just make a bit more during residency(because you have to give away a part of your paycheck to pay off 30yr loans).

still i would consider doing active duty just because im interested in the military. they do have some nice bases overseas and even in usa, working in the military might be fun. not all the posts on the military forum are negative... btw if you do national guard, you could finish your residency and then go active duty for a few years on condition that they assign you the base of your choice(and they will because you lose financially).

This post is utterly incoherent... could we please clarify some of these thoughts??? In the mean time, I hope no one makes their decisions to go military based off of this.

Oh, and the financial analysis has been done for HPSP/USUHS many times by experienced medical students/doctors, and it always comes out in favor of going civilian medicine. The Army National Guard program may be different, as could some other programs, but speaking purely of HPSP/USUHS, you should NOT be going into these for financial reasons.

Finally, no need to attack others in these forums.

 

[bonvoyage]

This post is utterly incoherent... could we please clarify some of these thoughts??? In the mean time, I hope no one makes their decisions to go military based off of this.

Oh, and the financial analysis has been done for HPSP/USUHS many times by experienced medical students/doctors, and it always comes out in favor of going civilian medicine. The Army National Guard program may be different, as could some other programs, but speaking purely of HPSP/USUHS, you should NOT be going into these for financial reasons.

Finally, no need to attack others in these forums.

i was comparing national guard against hpsp/usuhs. i now see that the person to whom i replied wanted me to compare hpsp to no scholarship whatsoever. well national guard is like a civilian program except you get paid handsomely. also i chose to compare the various military options, because i am personally interested in the military. i did not attack or insult anybody. you called me incoherent and your whole tone is very pedantic. again once you're accepted into med school, you can do your own research. i for one would like to go to europe and shadow a military dr there if i stop by a base. but i need to get into med school first.

 

[slicknick5k]

Money is not a motivation for the military of medicine.

My main concern-

How difficult is it to specialize? Considering Ortho, Pathology, Rads, Surgery etc

 

[TheGoose]

i was comparing national guard against hpsp/usuhs. i now see that the person to whom i replied wanted me to compare hpsp to no scholarship whatsoever. well national guard is like a civilian program except you get paid handsomely. also i chose to compare the various military options, because i am personally interested in the military. i did not attack or insult anybody. you called me incoherent and your whole tone is very pedantic. again once you're accepted into med school, you can do your own research. i for one would like to go to europe and shadow a military dr there if i stop by a base. but i need to get into med school first.

you pretty much did "attack" my post - but lets let bygones be bygones. I was specifically comparing HPSP/USUHS to civilian medicine because that is what was offered - not the nat. guard. I agree that the national guard is an entirely different bag of worms. And just for the sake of posterity - to show that i am NOT biased against the military but an objective observer - my top choice is USU and i should find out if im going navy in about a week

 

[TheGoose]

Money is not a motivation for the military of medicine.

My main concern-

How difficult is it to specialize? Considering Ortho, Pathology, Rads, Surgery etc

to go back to the original intention of this post - ill do the best i can to answer your question from the info i have gathered through the years...

it is considerably more difficult to specialize in certain fields in military medicine. this is not up for debate. However, this can vary depending on the branch of the military you are going to enter. Navy, for instance, you may be almost guaranteed to do a GMO tour (look in milmed forums for an answer if you dont know what this is) prior to getting a residency slot in a field like ortho or rads. Also, compared to the civilian world, a not-so-competitive specialty like EM is VERY competitive in the military.

(i feel guilty....if you dont know what a GMO tour is - its an operational job, where you act as a general practitioner after internship and before residency....in the current situation almost a definitive deployment)

from a numbers perspective, this is a website that shows the amount of residency slots per specialty in the services: www.militarygme.org

 

[SlickNickMD]

Stupid question.......depending on what branch of the military you get into for UHUHS, you can only select from residency positions available for that branch?

If that's the case

Army>>Airforce>>Navy

 

[Davnport]

Stupid question.......depending on what branch of the military you get into for UHUHS, you can only select from residency positions available for that branch?

If that's the case

Army>>Airforce>>Navy

That's about right, for the time being (I believe the military is ,moving to merge the branches training abilities for the different branches, a tri-branch collaborative if you will). It has to deal with the amount of slots made available to the different branches. The army is much larger than the navy and air force, so there are more residency slots... on the whole though, one would be competing against more people in the army for those extra slots... so I don't know if calling one branch more competitive than the other is fair, statistically speaking.

Also, something to remember, and this isn't for any one poster in particular, just a broad statement - residencies in the civilian world aren't a cake walk either. The military uses a similar matching process, except if you don't meet up with your match, you typically do a GMO (a tour of duty as a gen practitioner before your residency... which is why there are some doc's that don't like GMO's - you will most likely be faced with medical scenarios that you are NOT trained properly/fully for). The GMO could be fun, could be boring, could be horrifying, but in the end it gets you more points on your matching application list for when you re-apply to a residency.

My point is, when applying for civilian residencies, one might not always get into his/her residency of choice, just like in milmed.

Also, USUHS and HSPS shouldn't be lumped together. They are different, and for anyone that wants to know more, PM me or go read around the milmed threads. Just make sure that you know what you are getting into before you apply for either - you are an officer first, and a doctor second. That means you answer to your superiors at all times and might have to take command as a superior officer at any point. You will be placed in scenarios that no civilian doc would ever face... This could be great for some, not so hot for others.

That being said, I am waiting for a decision from USUHS, and I would be honored to attend that university.

Good luck all!

 

[bonvoyage]

Davnport, could you tell me anything you know about the base at Rota,Spain? If you go to USUHS, could you get to spend most of your career there (for people who decide to make a career of it)?

And regarding the difference between the curriculum of USUHS and the other schools: do you get summer off after M1 at usuhs? how about after M4? during school, can you cut classes and just listen to video recordings?

If you're a civilian doctor, can u sign like a 3yr contract with the military on condition that they let u serve on the base of your choice(whether thats Crete or Rota, Spain not sure)
thanks

 

[SlickNickMD]

IMPORTANT QUESTION:

After USUHS CAN I PURSUE CIVILIAN RESIDENCIES???????

 

[ayushman80]

IMPORTANT QUESTION:

After USUHS CAN I PURSUE CIVILIAN RESIDENCIES???????

Civilian deferment is a possibility. HOwever, being a USU graduate the odds of that happening are UNLIKELY. Right now I believe it is difficult for even HPSP people to get deferred. This has been discussed extensively on the mil med thread.

Comparing USU/HPSP and national guard on monetary compensation alone isn't a good idea. It is every apparent that HPSP/USU give out more money than national guard. However, with that money comes a SIGNIFICANT amount of restriction and payback. I guess it depends on what your threshold for money/payback ratio is. For me, the possibility of having my choices restricted was just something that wasn't something I wanted to deal with. I may not able to get that "top residency" due to scores; I would rather have my choice restricted by my ability rather than an external agency.

 

[Perrotfish]

Stupid question.......depending on what branch of the military you get into for UHUHS, you can only select from residency positions available for that branch?

If that's the case

Army>>Airforce>>Navy

Where in the world did you get the impression that Airforce has more residency position available than Navy? If you're talking about GMO that's a whole different thing, but if you're talking about quantity and quality of residency training that just isn't what I've heard at all.

 

[Kaya12]

Anyone attend or would like to attend USUHS? I have an interview on the 30th, I'm excited and not nervous but I feel as though I should be
It's one of my many top choices

Any of my fellow SDNers interested in Military medicine?

I applied VERY late last year, and got an interview here. They are very very nice, their facilities are amazing (four students to a cadaver or something like that) and their library is awesome! (elevated study cubbies, you will love them and spending most of your time there studying!). The two individuals that interviewed me were both very nice and down to earth people (a fourth year med student and an alum). I decided that military medicine was not for me, so did not attend. If you are interested in serving for a select amount of time, or if you want to make military medicine your career, there are amazing opportunities to be had! Good luck, and be glad you are not interviewing in February (it gets COLD up in Bethesda!)

 

[Kaya12]

IMPORTANT QUESTION:

After USUHS CAN I PURSUE CIVILIAN RESIDENCIES???????

I believe that you can do a civilian residency (only in the area that they NEED you in though, no dermatology etc.) but, after which, you must enlist. I think this is correct, not positive though.....

The person that interviewed me was doing a residency in surgery but was ultimately interested in practicing dermatology after he was done with his obligation of service....

 

[TheGoose]

Davnport, could you tell me anything you know about the base at Rota,Spain? If you go to USUHS, could you get to spend most of your career there (for people who decide to make a career of it)?
so unlikely that you should look at it like an absolute NO

And regarding the difference between the curriculum of USUHS and the other schools: do you get summer off after M1 at usuhs? how about after M4? during school, can you cut classes and just listen to video recordings?
M1 summer and M4 summer you go to Pennsylvania and do military field operations called Operation Kerkesner and Operation Bushmaster respectively, so no, you do not get the summer off. AND, if you want to go on a random vacation during the year - unlike civie world - you need to request leave

If you're a civilian doctor, can u sign like a 3yr contract with the military on condition that they let u serve on the base of your choice(whether thats Crete or Rota, Spain not sure)
the best bet for this to ever happen would be to do civilian med school and civilian residency. Then, negotiate with the military to be a civilian contractor or a direct accession with those specific conditions.
thanks

see bold

 

[TheGoose]

IMPORTANT QUESTION:

After USUHS CAN I PURSUE CIVILIAN RESIDENCIES???????

VERY very very unlikely! (much better chance of civilian deferment with HPSP (and this chance is super slim as well))

 

[Sarg's kid]

Anyone attend or would like to attend USUHS? I have an interview on the 30th, I'm excited and not nervous but I feel as though I should be
It's one of my many top choices

Any of my fellow SDNers interested in Military medicine?

Interviewed on the 18 of September. I loved USUHS! The sim center tour is really cool, so be sure and go on it.

I was impressed by the students/staff. Everyone was very friendly (more so than any other school I've been at.)

Milmed is my dream career, so I'm USUHS or HPSP either way. I'm actually anxiously awaiting news from USUHS, so hopefully they can call me and put me out of my misery.

good luck. You should read the admissions catalog and check out the milmed forum. This will answer lots of your questions so that you don't look like an idiot. There were people that I interviewed with who were asking things like, "so, will I have to deploy if I go here?" Duh.

Anyway, rambling... good luck.