Academy Grad and Medicine

[Bluefalcon1]

Hello,
I happened to stumble upon this forum today and realized that it is a perfect place for me to get information on what my future may hold. I'm currently a 4-degree (freshman) at the Air Force Academy. I came here wanting to become a doctor, and so far that interest has held up. However, I have started looking into my career in the Air Force and I have some questions about how it will work. In terms of life after med school, will I have to pursue a military residency or will I be free to do my residency wherever I choose? For commitment, I know I will have my 5 years from the academy, but what else will I owe for my graduate education? Also, are there any specialties that the military probably won't let me pursue? I have been looking at MD/MBA programs, as well...are those pretty much impossible to get them to let you do? Lastly, in the long run, would it probably be in my best interest to leave the academy before I have to commit (so before classes start my junior year), and just do medicine in the civilian world? I don't know if in the end it would be worth it to give up a real college to stay here, especially if I am going to hate my career once I'm in the real Air Force. I could always do OTS if I wanted to get back in, I guess, but I'd have to look at that at a later time. Thank you very much for any input you have...I really appreciate it.

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[RichL025]

You don't accrue any commitment until you're a junior?????

Either way, you should be warned that you should ONLY commit to the military if you have a desire to serve, do not simply look at this as an easy way to pay for medical school. Academy grads who go to medical school (USUHS or HPSP) have insanely long commitments, if you're just looking for a free ride those years will pass _slowly_.

Basically you have two options for medical school - HPSP and USUHS. Read the sticky threads and use the forum search function to read more about those.

FAP is a program for board certified physicians to enter the military - analagous to one of the situations you described above.

And if you're only a freshamn, and ALREADY thinking you will hate the Air Force, I suggest you get out now. And I say this as one of the military's greatest boosters, by the way.

 

[BOHICA-FIGMO]

Hello,
I happened to stumble upon this forum today and realized that it is a perfect place for me to get information on what my future may hold. I'm currently a 4-degree (freshman) at the Air Force Academy. I came here wanting to become a doctor, and so far that interest has held up. However, I have started looking into my career in the Air Force and I have some questions about how it will work. In terms of life after med school, will I have to pursue a military residency or will I be free to do my residency wherever I choose? For commitment, I know I will have my 5 years from the academy, but what else will I owe for my graduate education? Also, are there any specialties that the military probably won't let me pursue? I have been looking at MD/MBA programs, as well...are those pretty much impossible to get them to let you do? Lastly, in the long run, would it probably be in my best interest to leave the academy before I have to commit (so before classes start my junior year), and just do medicine in the civilian world? I don't know if in the end it would be worth it to give up a real college to stay here, especially if I am going to hate my career once I'm in the real Air Force. I could always do OTS if I wanted to get back in, I guess, but I'd have to look at that at a later time. Thank you very much for any input you have...I really appreciate it.

As a '94 grad (you know...the class that didn't get "recognized"), my advice would be to focus on academics and do just enough military to get by (NOTE: no one, and I mean NO ONE, at any level in the Air Force, in any other armed service, at any medical school, or anywhere else in the civilian world will give a flying flip about your MPA--GPA rules supreme!). Get good grades then brown-nose all the profs and O-5, O-6 types who will decide which of you gets to go to medical school. If you get accepted to USUHS, I think you have to go there. Otherwise, there is nothing (other than the assinine USAF system) to keep you from attending any any school that accepts you. Just keep in mind that your six year commitment (or whatever it is up to now) will still be in effect when you graduate med school. Sooo, you are looking at a minimum 10 year commitment to the USAF if you go the med school route. Good luck! And remember that it is true what they say (or at least they used to), the REAL USAF is absolutely, positively NOTHING like the Academy. Cheers!

 

[Bluefalcon1]

Oh yeah, you guys were ascended or something, weren't you? On a side note, they're about to bring back recognition for our class, so we don't know what to think about it, but I'm definitely not looking forward to it. The MPA-GPA thing is good to hear since, even though I did a lot within my squadron last semester, I still only got a 2.8 MPA. I don't know why that happened, but I do know that it has definitely hurt my class rank. GPA-wise I'm fine and don't see any problems in the near future since my classes have been very easy thus far. I'm just concerned looking into the future about whether or not I can go into whatever specialty I want and if I'll even be allowed to apply to med school since my MPA is so low. I'd rather not have to wait a few years after graduating from here to go on to grad school, so that's why I'm looking at transferring. As a grad, I'd like your opinion on whether or not it's worth putting up with this BS for 3 more years or if I should just go to a real college and do OTS later on if I still want to be in the AF. Thanks.

 

[orbitsurgMD]

Oh yeah, you guys were ascended or something, weren't you? On a side note, they're about to bring back recognition for our class, so we don't know what to think about it, but I'm definitely not looking forward to it. The MPA-GPA thing is good to hear since, even though I did a lot within my squadron last semester, I still only got a 2.8 MPA. I don't know why that happened, but I do know that it has definitely hurt my class rank. GPA-wise I'm fine and don't see any problems in the near future since my classes have been very easy thus far. I'm just concerned looking into the future about whether or not I can go into whatever specialty I want and if I'll even be allowed to apply to med school since my MPA is so low. I'd rather not have to wait a few years after graduating from here to go on to grad school, so that's why I'm looking at transferring. As a grad, I'd like your opinion on whether or not it's worth putting up with this BS for 3 more years or if I should just go to a real college and do OTS later on if I still want to be in the AF. Thanks.

It sounds as if you would really like to go to medical school right after college. Granted, the USAFA appointment is nice, but it doesn't seem like the ideal fit for your future plans. That is not a good thing or likely to give you much contentment. I suggest you punch out now.

 

[MoosePilot]

Doesn't Bluefalcon have a specific meaning?

 

[dtn3t]

Doesn't Bluefalcon have a specific meaning?

That's the first thing I thought of too...

 

[Bluefalcon1]

Doesn't Bluefalcon have a specific meaning?

If it does, I am unaware of it...it's just a name I picked a year or two ago.

 

[MoosePilot]

If it does, I am unaware of it...it's just a name I picked a year or two ago.

It means to backstab your buddy or screw him over.

 

[Bluefalcon1]

It means to backstab your buddy or screw him over.

Ah, ok, thanks for clarifying.

 

[RichL025]

Ah, ok, thanks for clarifying.

Blue Falcon is a more polite moniker for Buddy F@#$-er....

 

[Bluefalcon1]

Blue Falcon is a more polite moniker for Buddy F@#$-er....

Wow, I guess I need to start researching my screennames before I pick them. Funny thing is, though, I've never heard about any of this stuff before.

 

[Heeed!]

Hello,
I happened to stumble upon this forum today and realized that it is a perfect place for me to get information on what my future may hold. I'm currently a 4-degree (freshman) at the Air Force Academy. I came here wanting to become a doctor, and so far that interest has held up. However, I have started looking into my career in the Air Force and I have some questions about how it will work. In terms of life after med school, will I have to pursue a military residency or will I be free to do my residency wherever I choose? For commitment, I know I will have my 5 years from the academy, but what else will I owe for my graduate education? Also, are there any specialties that the military probably won't let me pursue? I have been looking at MD/MBA programs, as well...are those pretty much impossible to get them to let you do? Lastly, in the long run, would it probably be in my best interest to leave the academy before I have to commit (so before classes start my junior year), and just do medicine in the civilian world? I don't know if in the end it would be worth it to give up a real college to stay here, especially if I am going to hate my career once I'm in the real Air Force. I could always do OTS if I wanted to get back in, I guess, but I'd have to look at that at a later time. Thank you very much for any input you have...I really appreciate it.

As a USAFA grad, I'm glad to be FROM there instead of AT there. It's not much fun but it is a GREAT quarter-of-a-million-dollar education rammed up your rear a nickel at a time. I recommend you stay at the Academy NLT day 1 of Junior year because that's when you incur commitment. Use the next 1.5 years to figure out what you want. It sounds like you'd rather get started with grad school sooner rather than later. If that's true, I recommend punching because there are NO GUARANTEES in the Air Force. You'll be at the mercy of the service once you sign that commitment paperwork and your life won't totally be your own.

Fast, neat, average...

 

[Bluefalcon1]

...friendly, good, good. At least that's one tradition that has stayed here, although now they bold those so that we know which ones to check, so it's pretty stupid.

As for being from USAFA, that is definitely what I have heard. My worry is, though, if I stay for 3-degree year, I'll end up with a lot of pointless engineering courses that won't transfer. I'm done with most all of my fuzzy classes that will transfer after this semester, so the only thing I'd get done by staying is Orgo...and maybe Econ, I can't remember when they scheduled me for that. Otherwise, classwise I'd gain nothing by staying.