All Branch Topic (ABT) Differences between the Branches?

[csx]

sorry if this is a really really easy question to dig up (I feel ike it is..) but I couldn't really find too much in the search function.

For HPSP scholarships, what is the difference between the branches? I mean, how do I know which one to choose and which one offers me what? Any resources or information you can provide would be greatly appreciated. I found some information that was useful but I really needed more as the thread was focused on a different question.

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[HighPriest]

What is it that is important to you? Location? Number of available residency spots? Having access to all the seamen you can handle? Obviously, all of these things are important, but while the nuts and bolts of the contract are the same, the differences are in the details.

The Army has the most residency positions and training hospitals, at least for now. Aside from having a lot of family in the Army, that was a big deal for me because I thought I wanted to do a surgical subspecialty, and more spots is a good thing.

The Army has some good stations after residency, but it also has a lot of really terrible ones.

GMO slots do happen, but are more infrequent than the Navy.

The Navy dress uniforms look good, but the blue digital cammo not only looks silly, but is designed to make you impossible to find if you fall overboard - even by satellite.

I hear the Air Force has lots of fancy tea parties, and that their bodily functions smell like roses.

 

[Gastrapathy]

I chose Navy. If you aren't an FP, you should end up in a real city. I like cities.


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[Cooperd0g]

You could also apply to all 3 and see who offers you a scholarship. If you only get one then that narrows down the choice some. All of them have good and bad bases. Army has more GME spots, but also has more people so I'm not sure if the ratio ends up any different. Personally I think you might want to look at why you are joining the military. If you have a specific reason (besides the "they pay for school") then you should have a branch in mind that favors your goals. If you have no reason other than to help pay for school then I suggest you look elsewhere, apply to your state school, suck up your loans and stay away from the military.

Tell us why you want to join; list specific goals and we might be able to help answer your question better than a generic "what are the differences ...?" For example, maybe your goal is to train straight through and be as close to a regular civilian doc as possible. Maybe your goal is to be a flight doc for a while, maybe you want to deploy with a small unit, maybe you want to try and live overseas. You really should have specific goals in order to know how to obtain them, not just aimlessly wondering what their next step should be.

 

[KinesStudent]

What is it that is important to you? Location? Number of available residency spots? Having access to all the seamen you can handle? Obviously, all of these things are important, but while the nuts and bolts of the contract are the same, the differences are in the details.

The Army has the most residency positions and training hospitals, at least for now. Aside from having a lot of family in the Army, that was a big deal for me because I thought I wanted to do a surgical subspecialty, and more spots is a good thing.

The Army has some good stations after residency, but it also has a lot of really terrible ones.

GMO slots do happen, but are more infrequent than the Navy.

The Navy dress uniforms look good, but the blue digital cammo not only looks silly, but is designed to make you impossible to find if you fall overboard - even by satellite.

I hear the Air Force has lots of fancy tea parties, and that their bodily functions smell like roses.

lol'd

 

[csx]

You could also apply to all 3 and see who offers you a scholarship. If you only get one then that narrows down the choice some. All of them have good and bad bases. Army has more GME spots, but also has more people so I'm not sure if the ratio ends up any different. Personally I think you might want to look at why you are joining the military. If you have a specific reason (besides the "they pay for school") then you should have a branch in mind that favors your goals. If you have no reason other than to help pay for school then I suggest you look elsewhere, apply to your state school, suck up your loans and stay away from the military.

Tell us why you want to join; list specific goals and we might be able to help answer your question better than a generic "what are the differences ...?" For example, maybe your goal is to train straight through and be as close to a regular civilian doc as possible. Maybe your goal is to be a flight doc for a while, maybe you want to deploy with a small unit, maybe you want to try and live overseas. You really should have specific goals in order to know how to obtain them, not just aimlessly wondering what their next step should be.

I have "open" goals. I'm a pretty adaptable person. However, I'd like to know the differences in what each of the branches offers. I'm confident I can live with whatever any of them offers, however, I'd still prefer one over another based on what they can provide me. That is the information I seek.

 

[HighPriest]

The Army has nothing to offer you. Take it or leave it, that's not how the deal works from my perspective. That's why it's "serving your country," and not "being serviced by your country."

They'll give you a fancy green uniform (that you buy), and a free ticket to some armpit of the world, but other than that I'm not sure what they would give you besides what's in he HPSP contract.

 

[HighPriest]

Army housing is often considered unfit for human occupation by the Air Force. Maybe that will help you decide. Not that you'll spend a lot of time in post housing, but it's the idea that counts.

 

[csx]

Army housing is often considered unfit for human occupation by the Air Force. Maybe that will help you decide. Not that you'll spend a lot of time in post housing, but it's the idea that counts.

any resources that can help me distinguist differences between the branches. You seem to really not like army med...You make me wanna lean AF/Navy but I'd need more info before I can decide/consider my options.

 

[idq1i]

any resources that can help me distinguist differences between the branches. You seem to really not like army med...You make me wanna lean AF/Navy but I'd need more info before I can decide/consider my options.

What stage of education are you at? What are you looking to get out your milmed experience (any branch)? What made you look into milmed?

So far you have asked questions that are too vague, and haven't provided any info.

 

[Qurmish]

You seem to really not like army med...You make me wanna lean AF/Navy but I'd need more info before I can decide/consider my options.

I don't think that is a fair assessment. HighPriest has many humorous and informative posts about army medicine that run the gamut. The point is that no one branch is categorically better than other branches in all circumstances for all people.

In your other post you mentioned something about matching into residency via milmed as a DO. The branches do differ significantly when it comes to residency availability and likelihood of being put on a utilization tour as a GMO/FS after your intern year. As other posters have indicated, there are way too many variables to consider before anyone can give you any meaningful advice.

 

[Cooperd0g]

With your stated "open" goals there is plenty of info on this forum already for you to understand the general differences between the branches. Hence why I was curious about any specific goals so we could provide specific information about how the services are different.

 

[pgg]

My perception (and I readily admit this is personal, anecdote-quality data), is that once you get past the GMO tour there is less BS in the Navy than the Army and especially the AF.

 

[HighPriest]

That's probably true. I just had my 7th UA in 8 months. They missed me in Dec because I was TDY. Suckers.

 

[Snowdon48]

My perception (and I readily admit this is personal, anecdote-quality data), is that once you get past the GMO tour there is less BS in the Navy than the Army and especially the AF.

What do you mean by BS?

 

[pgg]

What do you mean by BS?

Off the top of my head -

Never done command-required group PT.

Never had leave held up by online training.

I once had a nurse dept head, but no RN has ever dictated any part of my practice.

When deployed it's always (always) the Army dictating gym shoe specifications and glo-belt colors or putting authorized-hours signs on showers.

Never been UA'd outside normal business hours (and perhaps 8x total in the last 5 years).

If I want to take leave, I tell the scheduler and if no one else has already booked those days, done.

My personal web mail (gmail etc) isn't blocked at work.

We got rid 2 bad contractors a couple weeks ago (via complaint to contract company). Seems like the Army/AF guys are cursed with legions of incompetent unfirable civilians. (GS?)

I read through the 40-reasons-and-counting thread and sometimes wonder if I'm in some kind of alternate universe, because so many of the things people gripe about just haven't happened to me ... 12 years since finishing med school, 4 duty stations, 3 deployments. And some of it is just whining, to be honest.

Don't get me wrong, it hasn't all been awesome. My ISP has been late more often than it's been on time. My immediate and command leadership hasn't always been great. I still have to do the don't-rape-people online training. At times I've resented the hoops I've had to jump through for the privilege of moonlighting to stay current.

But at least I'm not in the Air Force.

 

[HighPriest]

Yeah, if all that is true, join the Navy for sure.

 

[Snowdon48]

It seems as though the Army and Navy are far more represented on this board. All I really hear about the AF is that they have lots of fancy tea parties and golf a lot. Which is why I joined of course

 

[HighPriest]

An

It seems as though the Army and Navy are far more represented on this board. All I really hear about the AF is that they have lots of fancy tea parties and golf a lot. Which is why I joined of course

don't forget about the manservants.

 

[idq1i]

I read through the 40-reasons-and-counting thread and sometimes wonder if I'm in some kind of alternate universe, because so many of the things people gripe about just haven't happened to me ... 12 years since finishing med school, 4 duty stations, 3 deployments. And some of it is just whining, to be honest.

Most of the non-abstract things that I have posted in my list I have experienced either personally, or I witnessed happened to those near me. Maybe the navy is an alternate universe. After all, most of the mid-senior navy people that I have met are quite happy in their environment. Heck, if I was stationed in san diego for 7 years while being allowed to practice as a physician (I have met at least 4 people like this recently), I too would wonder about all the bitching and moaning that goes on amongst the rest of us.

We got all these podunk places where the command is removed from supervision, removed from the real world, and is allowed to play soldier with their staff. This is why we have death by SHARP training, APEQS, nursing-hosted grand rounds, 5 am PT, 4:30am weekly UAs, 17 approval signatures leave forms, and this is why we are forced to hold on to patients that we can't safely care for

 

[Kilgoretrout 65]

The worst part of my Air Force career so far has been working at an Army hospital, amplified by sequester and budget cuts no doubt. Nothing makes an Army civilian grumpier than having to spend money on patient care. I have had forced supervised PT in the past but it was during work hours and someone figured out that was costing a lot of money. Late in your career in the Air Force, if you make rank, you
are more likely to be tasked to command and other undesirable desk jobs instead of seeing patients. That's fine for some folks but most docs still want to be docs. Seems easier to stay a doc in the Army( except for that 2 yr stint as brigade surgeon), not sure about Navy.

 

[BigNavyPedsGuy]

Off the top of my head -

Never done command-required group PT.

Never had leave held up by online training.

I once had a nurse dept head, but no RN has ever dictated any part of my practice.

When deployed it's always (always) the Army dictating gym shoe specifications and glo-belt colors or putting authorized-hours signs on showers.

Never been UA'd outside normal business hours (and perhaps 8x total in the last 5 years).

If I want to take leave, I tell the scheduler and if no one else has already booked those days, done.

My personal web mail (gmail etc) isn't blocked at work.

We got rid 2 bad contractors a couple weeks ago (via complaint to contract company). Seems like the Army/AF guys are cursed with legions of incompetent unfirable civilians. (GS?)

I read through the 40-reasons-and-counting thread and sometimes wonder if I'm in some kind of alternate universe, because so many of the things people gripe about just haven't happened to me ... 12 years since finishing med school, 4 duty stations, 3 deployments. And some of it is just whining, to be honest.

Don't get me wrong, it hasn't all been awesome. My ISP has been late more often than it's been on time. My immediate and command leadership hasn't always been great. I still have to do the don't-rape-people online training. At times I've resented the hoops I've had to jump through for the privilege of moonlighting to stay current.

But at least I'm not in the Air Force.

Unfortunately I've either had or seen all of these things happen in my time in the Navy. (except the UA'd outside business hours). I think a lot of it is command specific.