Army OBC and life

[DD214_DOC]

Any fun information on doing Army HPSP? I have all my paperwork and am scheduled for my phys the first week of January. However, I have not completely decided what to do yet. I'm probably 60/40 on doing/not doing. I realize my staffords will cover tuition and my Wife, RN can cover cost of living, but I still am interested for some reason. Trying to see if that changes.

Hit me with everything you have.

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[Mirror Form]

Any fun information on doing Army HPSP? I have all my paperwork and am scheduled for my phys the first week of January. However, I have not completely decided what to do yet. I'm probably 60/40 on doing/not doing. I realize my staffords will cover tuition and my Wife, RN can cover cost of living, but I still am interested for some reason. Trying to see if that changes.

Hit me with everything you have.

A lot of stuff has been said over and over on this forum . . . It would be a good idea to try searching for milMD's (and there are plenty others with similiar perspectives) posts to read about the cons, and there are also posts about the pro's as well.

One thing though, I'd recommend at least considering FAP if you want to be a military physician. I retrospect, I think that's a better path then doing hpsp or rotc.

 

[DD214_DOC]

A lot of stuff has been said over and over on this forum . . . It would be a good idea to try searching for milMD's (and there are plenty others with similiar perspectives) posts to read about the cons, and there are also posts about the pro's as well.

I've read most of MilMD's posts, but if I remember correctly he was Navy, not Army. There may or may not be a difference, but I would prefer any info be from the horse's mouth, so to say.

 

[dpill]

A lot of stuff has been said over and over on this forum . . . It would be a good idea to try searching for milMD's (and there are plenty others with similiar perspectives) posts to read about the cons, and there are also posts about the pro's as well.

One thing though, I'd recommend at least considering FAP if you want to be a military physician. I retrospect, I think that's a better path then doing hpsp or rotc.

The downside to FAP is that it is taxable- so the money you receive to pay back your loans may not come close to your actual debt. (It certainly doesn't cover the ridiculous cost of my school). HPSP covers all of your tuition. The pros of not being committed while you are still in med school may make FAP a better option for some- but in the end, both incur commitment and you definitely get more money through HPSP. Just something to consider.

 

[Mirror Form]

The downside to FAP is that it is taxable- so the money you receive to pay back your loans may not come close to your actual debt. (It certainly doesn't cover the ridiculous cost of my school). HPSP covers all of your tuition. The pros of not being committed while you are still in med school may make FAP a better option for some- but in the end, both incur commitment and you definitely get more money through HPSP. Just something to consider.

I think it's well worth maintaining control over your residency training though. In my mind, the lack of control over GME is definitely the biggest downside to HPSP right now.

 

[grayce79]

I think it's well worth maintaining control over your residency training though. In my mind, the lack of control over GME is definitely the biggest downside to HPSP right now.

I completely agree. (GME = residency training). I know of at least 3 of my hpsp friends who did not match in the specialalty that they wanted to match in. (And the fields they were going into are not typically super-competitive.) So much for my recruiter's "98% of people get the specialty they choose". I'm sorry, but that is bull. I don't know where they get that statistic, but it is wrong! That is why you should wait until you are already in a residency in the specialty of your choice to join the military.

 

[threepeas]

Any fun information on doing Army HPSP? I have all my paperwork and am scheduled for my phys the first week of January. However, I have not completely decided what to do yet. I'm probably 60/40 on doing/not doing. I realize my staffords will cover tuition and my Wife, RN can cover cost of living, but I still am interested for some reason. Trying to see if that changes.

Hit me with everything you have.

this is a big topic obviously.
what got you interested in the scholarship?

i am not worried about residency stuff. it's nice having a reasonable idea of where i am going (re: location). i have 4 kids in medschool and love the stipend/tuition deal. in the end you will come out even whether you do HPSP or civilian. the two important differences are (1) you get to serve in the military which for an abbreviated time periold is awesome, (2) financially things are more "even keeled" during school and residency.

i did OBC this summer and absolutely loved it. loved wearing the uniform, meeting new peeps, and getting physically challenged. i made some great friends down there and look forward to seeing them again on rotations, etc. the best though was meeting soldiers at BAMC who came back from IRAQ. it gives me chills thinking about it. i cant think of a greater group of patients in the world to take care of. that's what finally did it for me when making the decision. taking care of the men and women and their families who put it on the line for our country is what gets me excited about military medicine.

good luck in your decision. ask some more specific questions. BTW, where are you going to school?

 

[DoctorDoom]

Don't worry about OBC, it is but a tiny moment in your life as an Army doctor. What you need to ask yourself is why do you want to be in the Army?

 

[DD214_DOC]

Went to MEPS today. Interesting experience. I "passed" the physical itself but they won't qualify me until I provide more info on a surgery I had 15 years ago.

 

[Dsessi1]

I wouldn't join the HPSP program for purely financial reasons. I go to a very cheap med school, but i wanted to join anyway. As a second year student, I'm already in touch with the directors of the residencies I want to match in. The general consensus seems to be that if you do a 4th year clerkship at the hospital you want, in the specialty you want, you are auditioning for that residency position; this is not that different from what a civilian would do.

 

[DD214_DOC]

I'm not really doing it for financial reasons. Serving in this capacity is something I have always wanted to do. *shrug*

Interesingly, from what my wife has told me from working at a hospital and from what I have seen with my own two eyes, pretty much all of the military medicine complaints I have seen on here, I have also heard from the civilian sector; many of the problems expressed by MilMD are also present in civvy medicine.

Of course, civ docs still make a lot more.

 

[MoosePilot]

Went to MEPS today. Interesting experience. I "passed" the physical itself but they won't qualify me until I provide more info on a surgery I had 15 years ago.

That's often the case. It's more commonly your medical history that provides problems rather than the actual physical exam.

 

[ironman05]

Does anyone know the dates for the Army OBC class this summer?

 

[DD214_DOC]

That's often the case. It's more commonly your medical history that provides problems rather than the actual physical exam.

I had to get a form 40-2 for my famiyl doc to fill out. The surgery wasn't really anything, so I presume it won't be a disqualifier.

On another note, there were a few people who had trouble with the infamous, "duck walk". That entire station seemed a bit silly to me.

And of course there were the few guys who couldn't muster a urine stream while under observation.

 

[MoosePilot]

I had to get a form 40-2 for my famiyl doc to fill out. The surgery wasn't really anything, so I presume it won't be a disqualifier.

On another note, there were a few people who had trouble with the infamous, "duck walk". That entire station seemed a bit silly to me.

And of course there were the few guys who couldn't muster a urine stream while under observation.

Well, I had a problem that wasn't really anything. It took approximately a minute to waive in order to stay on flying status, but I sincerely worried about it for USUHS. Took several months in that context...

 

[DD214_DOC]

Well, I had a problem that wasn't really anything. I took approximately a minute to waive in order to stay on flying status, but I sincerely worried about it for USUHS. Took several months in that context...

It was a branchial cleft fistula and cyst that I had repaired and removed in an outpatient operation when I was six. My family doc noted it was no longer a concern and I am fine for training, but who knows what the Army will think -- they apparently operate on different though processes.

 

[st0rmin]

Shouldn't be a big deal. I had bilateral maxillary sinusotomy surgery with cyst removal for chronic sinus problems and they didn't blink at that. Just make sure you turn everything they ask for as soon as you can.

 

[UMass07]

If you have a problem, but really want to get in, sometimes you can get them to bring it in front of a review board.

 

[UMass07]

You'll be fine. I have an ACL tear with two arthroscopies and no definitive repair... and they haven't kicked me out. The fact is, if you are a medical student, you are valuable, and they will find a way to hold on to you.

 

[DD214_DOC]

My phys was finally cleared and my packet is whereever it needs to be for the board to review. Now I have to sit and wait to see if I'm selected.

 

[Galo]

I'm not really doing it for financial reasons. Serving in this capacity is something I have always wanted to do. *shrug*

Interesingly, from what my wife has told me from working at a hospital and from what I have seen with my own two eyes, pretty much all of the military medicine complaints I have seen on here, I have also heard from the civilian sector; many of the problems expressed by MilMD are also present in civvy medicine.

Its good that you have such a high enthusiasm. Unfortunately I think its with such high expectations that you fall the hardest. Certainly if you have read the pro/con stickies you are able to make a more informed decision. But let me tell you, the problems in the military are not the same ones in the civ world. In the civilian world your biggest headache is money, and insurance, stuff you will never deal with in the military, but the trade off is much worse. Specially for highly technical fields like surgery, the support is just not there, and it will frustrate you beyond belief. Its always an option to come in and choose were and what you want to do, after you've gotten your training. Another issue you may have difficulty with in the military.

All this stuff if there for your review. As long as you have information, if you choose the military, and know its shortcomings, you will not be let down like many of us, and you may enjoy your time.

Good luck