What factors are most important to you as a resident when considering joining the military while maintaining your civilian residency position?

[dr_MAD]

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Hello, community!

Trying to get some insight on what matters most to resident physicians when considering joining the military. There are scholarships available for residents already in their civilian programs, and these come with extra financial benefits (while letting you keep your current pay). After finishing residency, we’d commit to a few years of active duty—usually about four—and then we’d get full active-duty benefits like Tricare, housing and food allowances, tax breaks, etc.

The one I am currently looking at offers $45K annual grant (in addition to civilian residency pay) and a $2,870 monthly stipend. I believe there are extra perks on travel reimbursement too.

Some other things that are important to me are:

1. Guaranteed location of preference upon graduation
2. Healthcare benefits (Tricare eligibility) while in Residency
3. Monthly stipend amount / additional bonuses that are actually adjusted for cost-of-living or location of civilian residency.

Curious what would make you agree to a scholarship and commitment like that? I added a poll below 🙂 BUT please leave a comment with anything extra you want to add!

I know everyone is busy and I SUPER appreciate your time and help with my efforts to make my life better too hehe 🙂

Looking forward to the discussion!

Much obliged,
dr_MAD

 

[smq123]

Moving to the military forum.

 

[comp1]

That looks like an ad and a kind of AI generated one at that. Why are you looking for this? Are you a recruiter or a resident or both?

 

[dr_MAD]

That looks like an ad and a kind of AI generated one at that. Why are you looking for this? Are you a recruiter or a resident or both?

OK, that's a fair comment.. but in my defense, I tried really hard to say all of it as precise as possible & with the least words I could haha

But I am HPSP and I didn't know about the options to supplement income if I chose a civilian residency program. I'm just not super impressed with the current offer tbh - maybe because I have a family? Idk.. feel like there is room to argue for better benefits (at least tricare) but when I did bring it up to "a" recruiter, they said there is (at the time) room for discussion but that just me bringing that up wont do much.

So anyway, hoping to get some polled opinions - good or bad, yes or no, whatever.

Maybe I'll change my mind about it too! 🙂

Thank you for replying nonetheless!

 

[armytrainingsir]

What an odd post.
You probably should get back to your schoolwork.

 

[dr_MAD]

What an odd post.
You probably should get back to your schoolwork.

I understand that it may seem like an odd post to you, but getting input on this will help me out - and I really don't have a good avenue anywhere else to ask. Is this not a place where I can get help with stuff I don't know? If not, then I must've grossly misunderstood the whole community aspect of it.

I also did not intend for this to make it to the Military side of the threads as it was mostly intended for the civilian side, but the powers that be moved it.

 

[usma05]

Guaranteed post of preference upon graduation is unlikely. Unless you want Cavazos. The people handing out scholarships don't have any say or sway in that.

 

[SirGecko]

Its really hard to understand what you are even asking. Trying to get a poll of what other people think would be important is a super weird thing to do unless you are a recruiter trying to gather information as a recruiter or something.

If you are already a HPSP student its kind of a moot point anyway, you already signed up. Are you just interested in what you could have signed up for if you had done the fee assistance program instead?

 

[dr_MAD]

Its really hard to understand what you are even asking. Trying to get a poll of what other people think would be important is a super weird thing to do unless you are a recruiter trying to gather information as a recruiter or something.

If you are already a HPSP student its kind of a moot point anyway, you already signed up. Are you just interested in what you could have signed up for if you had done the fee assistance program instead?

I didn't know this until recently but HPSP students can also use the residents scholarship, if they go with the civilian and not military match. Wich might be a better option for me, which is why I am exploring the topic.

The poll is hopefully going to help me bring up my point to at least argue for Tricare - yes, I know it's a massive black hole talking to the people in charge of these scholarships, but it is my understanding "they" are looking at making these better somehow (idk, probably need more people at that level of training? that's my only guess..).

...also, if I could moonlight as a recruiter, maybe I'd get a ribbon for my bare chest but alas, I have to focus on the schoolwork (as mentioned above 🙂 )

 

[dr_MAD]

Guaranteed post of preference upon graduation is unlikely. Unless you want Cavazos. The people handing out scholarships don't have any say or sway in that.

I had to look at where this is... oh, my.. 🫠

 

[smq123]

That looks like an ad and a kind of AI generated one at that. Why are you looking for this? Are you a recruiter or a resident or both?

To be fair, the same thought occurred to me when I saw it, but the user profile checks out, if that helps.

 

[pgg]

I'd think twice about stacking on some additional years of obligated service to the years you'll already owe for HPSP, for a measly $80K/year (pretax) while a resident.

You're going to get paid as a resident. Not a ton, but you can live on it. And you won't have student loans accruing interest in the background.


What's the FAP service obligation these days? Is it still one for one with a minimum of two? So if you do a 4 year residency you'd show up to your first duty station owing 8 years? That's a big leap.

 

[afteranesthesia]

I had to look at where this is... oh, my.. 🫠

Not a damn soul can give you what you are thinking you can negotiate for. They may lie to you, but the government doesn't negotiate with this kind of thing. Please don't do FAP and HPSP together. You sound so incredibly naive it actually makes me feel a bit afraid for you. The military is going to chew you up and spit you out. My poor sweet summer child - you are thinking you can negotiate for bennies for during your training? Civilian training may be better for you? All the things you think you can pick....sigh.

 

[comp1]

So, so many ways to get your loans repaid after residency really quick. Definitely recommend against getting yourself in any deeper with service commitments.

 

[dr_MAD]

Not a damn soul can give you what you are thinking you can negotiate for. They may lie to you, but the government doesn't negotiate with this kind of thing. Please don't do FAP and HPSP together. You sound so incredibly naive it actually makes me feel a bit afraid for you. The military is going to chew you up and spit you out. My poor sweet summer child - you are thinking you can negotiate for bennies for during your training? Civilian training may be better for you? All the things you think you can pick....sigh.

This kind of real talk is totally welcome, tbh... thank you.
You are right, maybe I am naive - but I figured I could at least give negotiations (<-im using this loosely) a shot while I still have time to work on it, right? Definitely not my first choice to go civilian, but it just may be the better option (with other things considered, which are too much to share and clog up the conversation with). I would much rather do military match and call it a day - there's just a lot of other things at play and so I have to explore the civilian route too. Even if it just to learn more about it, hate it and totally scratch that off the list!

 

[afteranesthesia]

This kind of real talk is totally welcome, tbh... thank you.
You are right, maybe I am naive - but I figured I could at least give negotiations (<-im using this loosely) a shot while I still have time to work on it, right? Definitely not my first choice to go civilian, but it just may be the better option (with other things considered, which are too much to share and clog up the conversation with). I would much rather do military match and call it a day - there's just a lot of other things at play and so I have to explore the civilian route too. Even if it just to learn more about it, hate it and totally scratch that off the list!

You misunderstand...you act like you have a choice. You get what you get. You may think you have a choice bc your board scores are sky high, but the military will do whatever they want. You may be forced to train military or forced to train civilian - you have no idea, and it's laughable to think you can pick. You cannot negotiate with the military for benefits during training. No one is ever going to pay you a childcare stipend. You signed for HPSP - you get a stipend during medical school, and you will serve after those allotted years. If you train civilian, you get the residency program benefits. If you train military, you get the military benefits anyway who is active gets. That's it, my friend. The "things at play" are things at play in your mind. The military doesn't really care what you think. They definitely don't care which you want. They put your warm body into wherever they need a warm body, and your wants and desires are at the bottom of their list. If this is distasteful to you, I bet you can still get out of HPSP somehow - look at the fine print in your contract.

 

[Just Call Me Doc]

This kind of real talk is totally welcome, tbh... thank you.
You are right, maybe I am naive - but I figured I could at least give negotiations (<-im using this loosely) a shot while I still have time to work on it, right? Definitely not my first choice to go civilian, but it just may be the better option (with other things considered, which are too much to share and clog up the conversation with). I would much rather do military match and call it a day - there's just a lot of other things at play and so I have to explore the civilian route too. Even if it just to learn more about it, hate it and totally scratch that off the list!

The term you need to become familiar with is "needs of the military". I sometimes have a strong suspicion that the military purposely picks your LAST choice out of spite. To reiterate what @afteranesthesia said, there is an issue when you think you actually have any real choice in the military. Not just for benefits but for almost anything in your life during your time in service. What I tell people that if your primary goal is to serve your country in the military, and are comfortable having your life controlled 100% during your time in (and the downstream effects in can have on your future career), then you should go for it. But if your primary reason to join is for the bennies then run far away. There is a small chance that you get lucky and get some dream duty station or assignments but you often have little choice in that and may end up in some small clinic in Idaho. And trying to negotiate for benefits is like trying to move a mountain by pushing on it. No one is special in the military (no matter what a rockstar you are) and you are treated like a relatively expendable commodity. Don't get us wrong. The military can be an amazing experience with opportunities for growth and personal benefits that you can get nowhere else but if you go in with the wrong expectations and mindset you may be hating life during you service.

 

[armytrainingsir]

“Negotiate”

lol

 

[MHYDE]

I did the FAP, but the only benefit I remember getting is money during residency. The payback was pretty straightforward at the time: one for one plus one. So I got about 2.5 years in the program and owed 3.5 years on active duty. Guaranteed location of first assignment is definitely not a thing and if a recruiter even hints at something like that he is lying. I also didn't have Tricare during my residency but I don't know if that's a thing you get with HPSP. I also didn't know people did both HPSP and FAP, or that that was an option. Good luck either way

 

[Onefellswoop87]

I did the FAP, but the only benefit I remember getting is money during residency. The payback was pretty straightforward at the time: one for one plus one. So I got about 2.5 years in the program and owed 3.5 years on active duty. Guaranteed location of first assignment is definitely not a thing and if a recruiter even hints at something like that he is lying. I also didn't have Tricare during my residency but I don't know if that's a thing you get with HPSP. I also didn't know people did both HPSP and FAP, or that that was an option. Good luck either way

That’s because TriCare with HPSP isn’t a thing. It is with HSCP but that’s because the student is active duty.
During HPSP, my med school required I have health insurance (this was pre-ACA) so HPSP reimbursed me for whichever terrible insurance plan my school offered, but it only covered me, not my wife or son, because the school only required the student was covered.

 

[marsh_mallow]

I did the FAP, but the only benefit I remember getting is money during residency. The payback was pretty straightforward at the time: one for one plus one. So I got about 2.5 years in the program and owed 3.5 years on active duty. Guaranteed location of first assignment is definitely not a thing and if a recruiter even hints at something like that he is lying. I also didn't have Tricare during my residency but I don't know if that's a thing you get with HPSP. I also didn't know people did both HPSP and FAP, or that that was an option. Good luck either way

Did your time in residency count towards promotion? For example, if you joined right when you began your 3 year residency, did you become in zone for O4 after 2-3 years of active duty?

 

[MHYDE]

Did your time in residency count towards promotion? For example, if you joined right when you began your 3 year residency, did you become in zone for O4 after 2-3 years of active duty?

I'm gonna say... yes? This was a while ago so I may have some of my dates fuzzy, but I was commissioned in May 2011 as an O-3 while I was a resident, entered active duty July 2013, promoted to O-4 in May 2017.

 

[armytrainingsir]

Did your time in residency count towards promotion? For example, if you joined right when you began your 3 year residency, did you become in zone for O4 after 2-3 years of active duty?

For AD residents, your time counts for pay, promotion, and retirement. Almost everyone pins 04 at Year 6, not 2-3. Year 5 is the earliest and those folks are few and far between. The lazy pin at year 7 because they didn’t fix their board file. The unlucky also pin at year 7 because even though they tried, their board file was messed up or they made an enemy

 

[pgg]

For AD residents, your time counts for pay, promotion, and retirement. Almost everyone pins 04 at Year 6, not 2-3. Year 5 is the earliest and those folks are few and far between. The lazy pin at year 7 because they didn’t fix their board file. The unlucky also pin at year 7 because even though they tried, their board file was messed up or they made an enemy

Even the lazy pin O4 on time, for the most part.

Unless they're out of weight standards - probably the #1 cause of nonpromotion amongst medical corps O4-hopefuls.

 

[armytrainingsir]

Even the lazy pin O4 on time, for the most part.

Unless they're out of weight standards - probably the #1 cause of nonpromotion amongst medical corps O4-hopefuls.

While I agree, I’ve seen one whose board file was nearly blank. He said he had no idea he needed to review anything. How did you miss the 8 million emails from HRC? 🤣