All Branch Topic (ABT) GAO Study: Military Physician Compensation

[militaryPHYS]

Defense Health Care: DOD Should Collect and Use Key Information to Make Decisions about Incentives for Physicians and Dentists

DOD spends hundreds of millions of dollars annually to recruit, educate, train, and retain military physicians and dentists. Despite this, DOD has had...

www.gao.gov

This PDF is an excellent resource for high-yield information on standard pathways (HPSP and USUHS) while also showing typical compensation, comparison compensation to civilian sectors, etc. It also reports on recent surveys of persons already in the program and their retention decisions.

Very useful to provide to those interested for a quick rundown on the numbers.

Of note, all number comparisons are cash value comparisons (pay + bonuses) and does not include non-cash benefits (tuition, GI bill, healthcare, etc.) nor delayed benefits (pension). These are obviously the tough areas to quantify for each person. Not even gao wanted to take a stab at it so they left it out of the equation. Interesting though that it is reported that 51% of military compensation is cash. The other 49% are these non-cash and delayed benefits. I never saw that quantified before.

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[militaryPHYS]

I'll tell you what. If we can keep getting more and more studies showing that we need more civilian practice exposure and more compensation, those of us who remain (by choice or obligation) may have something to look forward to! Or we will be deployed all the time, nothing changes OR the whole thing will disintegrate entirely. Can't wait to see where we all fall out!

For PREMEDS: If you don't want to risk having to wait and see what happens it is best to stick to the civilian pathway and join later when us guinea pigs have real results to report on. In milmed it is best to prepare for the worst while hoping for the best.

 

[DrMetal]

I'll tell you what.

Are you replying to your own initial post? I feel ya, it's a lonely existence.

 

[absolutdokta]

Are you replying to your own initial post? I feel ya, it's a lonely existence.

I needed this laugh

 

[TheGoose]

Absolute madlad