USUHS and military residency

[EricOH]

Hey everyone,

I had some questions regarding USUHS.

-Where are the 7 years of "payback" done? Do you work at an assigned military base? Do you apply for certain hospitals? What are your feelings about the experience/quality?

-Where are the locations of residencies? Are they done at well-known institutions?

-Any info on what it's like to go to USUHS, residency and life afterwards would be much appreciated!

Thank you so very much! You are helping out a ton for the future.

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[edmadison]

Payback will be done at any of your service's posts. Where you go depends on your specialty. If you choose FP or IM, you could go anywhere. If you end up doing neurosurgery, you will end up at one of the big hospitals. You do have some imput into where you go, but as one of the smaller fish in the pond you may not go somewhere you want.

Residency locations also vary depedning on specialty. Many are at large "academic centers" but some are not, you should check with each branch. The Army has a list at:

<a href="http://www.armymedicine.army.mil/medcom/meded/" target="_blank">http://www.armymedicine.army.mil/medcom/meded/</a>

Ed

 

[tman]

Originally posted by EricOH:
[QB]
"-Where are the 7 years of "payback" done? Do you work at an assigned military base? Do you apply for certain hospitals? What are your feelings about the experience/quality?"

Once you matriculate into USU you are active duty in whatever branch of service you are in. After you have completed your internship and/or residency you will be assigned to a military facility. Depending on your specialty, the service you are in and your assignment, you may find yourself working on anything from a ship to a hospital. As far as applying to certain hospitals, each service has it's own way of doing assignments, but basically you select several locations you would like to work at and the person in charge of assignments for your specialty will try to match you with your wishes,keeping in mind that the needs of the military come first. I should also mention that the Public Health Service sponsers one or two people each year.

-Where are the locations of residencies? Are they done at well-known institutions?

This is completely dependent on your service and specialty.

-Any info on what it's like to go to USUHS, residency and life afterwards would be much appreciated!

As a student at USU I can tell you that the comaradery and spirit we share with our classmates is second to none. The school is surprisingly laid back and nothing like going to one of the service academies, or how most people envision the military. In the day to day scheme of things, school here is pretty similar to anyplace else with a few notable exceptions: a) We don't have to worry about what we are going to wear everyday... b)We get a decent paycheck on the 1st and 15th of every month c)All our books and supplies are given to us d)We pay no tuition e) We have to take a few classes that other med students don't (applied military physio, parasitology, and several other military related classes) f) I'm sure there are a few more things but these are the things that immediately come to mind...

If you have any questions feel free to contact me via PM or email and I'll be happy to answer your questions more specifically. Also the website has a ton of info, check it out if you haven't already:
<a href="http://www.usuhs.mil" target="_blank">www.usuhs.mil</a>

 

[johnM]

Does anybody know anything about the pay scale of physicians graduating from USUHS? I know that you get about $35K/year during school, but then what? Is it the same during residency and the 7 years following? I was trying to check out the pay scales and housing allowance charts, but it's pretty confusing...

 

[edmadison]

We discussed this about a week ago:

<a href="http://www.studentdoctor.net/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=007292" target="_blank">http://www.studentdoctor.net/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=007292</a>

 

[EricOH]

Hey all,

Thanks a bunch for all the info! It's helped me out! Take care.

 

[Mutterkuchen]

I had a quick follow-up to this thread. At USUHS does the time you spend in medical school and during residency apply toward your retirement, or is the 7 year payback period the only time that counts?

 

[tman]

Residency counts toward retirement. Your 4 years at USU doesn't count toward retirement, however if you retire you will get credit for those 4 years for pay purposes. For instance say you retire after 20 years (the earliest you can retire), you will recieve retirement pay for 24. Each year you stay in over 20 gives you 2.5% more in retirement, so you will be paid 60% of your base pay for the rest of your life instead of the usual 50 you would get for 20 years.