Who does the army, and why?

[HK42]

I started thinking about whether or not to do an army scholarship. I don't actually need the money, so I can not have that sway me as much.

First off, literally no one from top notch schools tend to do the army scholarship, and it's a lot of DOs. Is there a class element to it?

I'm wondering if I did it, would it make my chances of entering into the civilian workforce harder or easier. Please tone down the it's about who you are and not about where you're coming from responses. Does it only make sense for people who want to specialize or who really need the money?

And what's with Walter Reed hospital? Is it awesome or a **** hole? If I did IM, I think there'd be a good amount of decent exposure. Is this right? What about if I'm considering psychiatry?

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[DogFaceMedic]

I started thinking about whether or not to do an army scholarship. I don't actually need the money, so I can not have that sway me as much.

First off, literally no one from top notch schools tend to do the army scholarship, and it's a lot of DOs. Is there a class element to it?

I'm wondering if I did it, would it make my chances of entering into the civilian workforce harder or easier. Please tone down the it's about who you are and not about where you're coming from responses. Does it only make sense for people who want to specialize or who really need the money?

And what's with Walter Reed hospital? Is it awesome or a **** hole? If I did IM, I think there'd be a good amount of decent exposure. Is this right? What about if I'm considering psychiatry?

This forum has some advantages but some severe deficiencies for advice. There are a lot of myths and elitist generalizations. I find complaints about having to deploy a little odd, considering what's in the news.

I recommend talk directly to MDs who were prior-service who have experience in the areas you are interested. To find them you just have to ask around. They usually have no agenda.

 

[Perrotfish]

First off, literally no one from top notch schools tend to do the army scholarship, and it's a lot of DOs. Is there a class element to it?

I think its more of a monetary issue. The payout from the scholarship is a constant, the opportunity cost depends on your residency. The military pays everyone, even Neurosurgeons, about the same as a civilian internernist. If you happen to go into primary care anyway the scholarship is a good deal (at least finacially, there are lots of other issues): give you about 320K in tuition, bonuses, and stipends, you make 80K in residency vs. the usual 40K, and by the time you're an attending you're 500K up on your civilian colleagues and making as much as you would have anyway. On the other hand, if you're a neurosurgeon, you lose an average of 400K for each year you're a military attending. DOs send 70% of their class to primary care so it's a good deal for them. Top schools send most of their class into higher paying residencies so it's a terrible deal for them.

I'm wondering if I did it, would it make my chances of entering into the civilian workforce harder or easier. Please tone down the it's about who you are and not about where you're coming from responses. Does it only make sense for people who want to specialize or who really need the money?

There's two problems with military medicine that might affect your civilian career:

1) the military may make your residency harder to get than it would be in civillian match. You have to apply to military residencies and don't necessarily get a civilian deferment. The extreme case is Peds, which is uber competive in the military and almost a guarenteed match in the civilian world. It's even possible not to get a residency at all: make sure you understand the concept of a GMO tour.

2) If you're surgicial, where they credential by procedure, the volume and variety of cases you see may be significantly less than your civilian colleagues, especially as an attending. When you get out of your obligation after 4 years as an attending you may hospitals giving you offers that they would normally give to attending that are only two years out of residency.

Other than that military attendings do very well in the civilian job market. Military residencies are mostly very respected residency programs.

 

[RugbyJC]

And what's with Walter Reed hospital? Is it awesome or a **** hole? If I did IM, I think there'd be a good amount of decent exposure. Is this right? What about if I'm considering psychiatry?

I can speak a little for psychiatry in the Navy--probably similar to the Army? I have done two rotations at Naval hospitals and spent a day at a third interviewing. Although this was only a total of two months on the wards, I can tell you that the training was excellent. Yes, you do see more in the way of PTSD, "wants out of the Navy", aka, fake suicide attempts, adjustment disorders, alcohol abuse, depression and other disorders that seem to be more prevelant in the service, but you do get exposure to other areas--like child psych, through dependents. In addition, recruits and those who have served for a few years are the prime age where you start to see a lot of psychotic and personality disorders begin to emerge.

I know a few former Navy psychiatrists who have switched over to the civilian sector and all have adapted well. There are three on staff at my med school, in addition to a former flight surgeon who switched over to psych.

Agree with the above that you should ask physicians outside of this forum--not pre-meds in this forum who think they know everything.

 

[colbgw02]

I started thinking about whether or not to do an army scholarship. I don't actually need the money, so I can not have that sway me as much.

First off, literally no one from top notch schools tend to do the army scholarship, and it's a lot of DOs. Is there a class element to it?

I'm wondering if I did it, would it make my chances of entering into the civilian workforce harder or easier. Please tone down the it's about who you are and not about where you're coming from responses. Does it only make sense for people who want to specialize or who really need the money?

And what's with Walter Reed hospital? Is it awesome or a **** hole? If I did IM, I think there'd be a good amount of decent exposure. Is this right? What about if I'm considering psychiatry?

1) My advice is to only join military medicine if you would be willing to join the military if you weren't a physician (or soon to be one).

2) Class element? I don't know. It's probably only an issue inasmuch as the current military population is already reflective of the current climate between the classes. I, for one, made my decision to join the Army long before I knew I wanted to be a physician. So, I think it would be a mistake to think that all military physicians wear the uniform simply because they couldn't afford not to. DO schools tend to be private, so they also tend to be more expensive. That probably explains why there are more of them in military medicine more than anything else.

3) IMHO, there isn't any reason to think that spending time in military medicine makes you less competitive vis-a-vis civilian jobs. If anything, it probably makes you slightly more attractive. In terms of "making sense", it really does depend on what your priorities are. If you really want to serve your country or if the idea of being in debt makes you nauseated, then I suppose the military is a good option.

 

[SF49ers Fan]

1) My advice is to only join military medicine if you would be willing to join the military if you weren't a physician (or soon to be one).

I agree, the military has it's own way of doing business. If you are on the fence with whether or not you should take the military scholorship, you should NOT take it until you are absolutely sure. It is a big commitment with no guarantees, especially if you are interested in certain fields.

 

[IlDestriero]

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[acbyrd]

Why do people join the Army? The same reason they do anything! Why do people live in New York City or North Dakota? Why do people become social workers? Why do people get a PhD in plant physiology? They do it because different people like different things!

From your tone, it's obvious to you and me that the military is not for you.

As far as the class issue goes, Doctors aren't at the top of the food chain either, if you ask me. Where I come from, NONE of the wealthiest people are doctors. They are all industrialists or real estate investors. Or maybe they just inheretd a lot from their relatives who made it big during the depression.

DOs? I served in the regular Army for 5 years and now I'm in a medical unit in the National Guard. I haven't met one DO yet. I'm not sure where you got that.

I personally joined the military because I like the toys that they have. I joined because I liked that tank that has 1500 horsepower and weighs 65 tons. Now that I'm a medical student, I'm attracted to the military because of their reputation for medical innovation (much of what we know about trauma surgery, orthopedic surgery, prosthetics, and psychiatry comes from war-time military doctors).

 

[DogFaceMedic]

Why do people join the Army? The same reason they do anything! Why do people live in New York City or North Dakota? Why do people become social workers? Why do people get a PhD in plant physiology? They do it because different people like different things!

From your tone, it's obvious to you and me that the military is not for you.

As far as the class issue goes, Doctors aren't at the top of the food chain either, if you ask me. Where I come from, NONE of the wealthiest people are doctors. They are all industrialists or real estate investors. Or maybe they just inheretd a lot from their relatives who made it big during the depression.

DOs? I served in the regular Army for 5 years and now I'm in a medical unit in the National Guard. I haven't met one DO yet. I'm not sure where you got that.

I personally joined the military because I like the toys that they have. I joined because I liked that tank that has 1500 horsepower and weighs 65 tons. Now that I'm a medical student, I'm attracted to the military because of their reputation for medical innovation (much of what we know about trauma surgery, orthopedic surgery, prosthetics, and psychiatry comes from war-time military doctors).

I like green canvas, dirt and long strolls in the woods with my friends.
Actually, I think the American soldier is at the high end of human civilization.

 

[alpha62]

My original plan was to get stationed in Korea, learn the ropes and the business. Then, become best buddies with the Mayor of Uijongbu, establish a foothold and take over the blackmarket PX toilet paper and whiskey rackets.

After Korea, get re-up for Honduras, diversify into gun-running and set myself up as a war-lord in my own private jungle compound.

If I did really well, and after a establish my jungle harem, I'd open a non-profit STD/TB clinic, because hey, you know, you wanna give something back to the little people that helped you on the way up.

 

[73BARMYPgsp]

1) My advice is to only join military medicine if you would be willing to join the military if you weren't a physician (or soon to be one).

^^^The only advice that really matters on this topic. I'll be the third in the forum to agree with this one.