How to convince my parents that the HPSP/Military route is fine

[hs2013]

For me I want to do HPSP and do my 4 year commitment as a dentist and then leave the military. My parents literally keep bringing up the argument that if you are deployed to Afghanistan, there are cases where the Taliban or whatever will attack the bases and kill the soldiers and people at the bases. And they keep telling me of prisoner of war cases and all that stuff, well does that stuff happen to the doctors there? Well are the doctors and dentists deployed to Afghanistan in harms way? Are the places you are stationed in Afghanistan dangerous for the dentists, or are you working in a big US base which wouldn't be attacked?

I feel like the stories my parents are telling me of are of the soldiers out there on ground. Or are there dentists and doctors going out of the bases and with the soldiers and in harms way?

I guess could you explain what it is like for a dentist being deployed to Afghanistan and where they live and if they go to places which get attacked?

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[yappy]

When you're deployed to a war zone no one can give you a personal guarantee of safety. Think about it - you'll be a member of a uniformed army supporting & being apart of warfare. As a dentist in the military you must be ready to perform dental, or possibly even combat, duties to the standard of an officer. Indeed, I've read where some deployed dentists regularly traveled to forward operating bases to do emergent dental care for soldiers.

The most important thing is that it's your decision and you accept the risks.

 

[del Sol DOHC]

You are going to be a dentist, so you won't be out on patrol kicking down doors. That being said, it is the military, and you may be deployed to a war zone where you might be placed in harm's way. When you take the oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic," there is no clause excluding dentists from any military hazards. Military dentists have been killed in combat in the past. There have even been three military dental officers who have been awarded the Medal of Honor:

LTJG Weedon E. Osborne, DC, USN (posthumously awarded for actions in WWI)
LCDR Alexander G. Lyle, DC, USN (awarded for actions in WWI)
CPT Benjamin L. Salomon, DC, USA (posthumously awarded for actions in WWII)

Here is an account of combat in Vietnam by Jon E. Schiff, who was a Navy dental officer attached to the Marine Corps:
My War - Navy Dentist Jon E. Schiff

No dental officers have been killed in recent conflicts, though I am aware of one or two that were injured. The point is, although you are likely to be safe as a deployed dentist, it is not guaranteed. If you can accept that risk, then join. You're a big boy (or girl), and you don't need your parents' permission.

 

[Hedgy]

I'll put it this way. You are more likely to be killed in you car on the way to dental school, work, or home than you are to be killed or injured while on deployment.

 

[LFA20]

I agree.. The military is not going to invest hundred of thousands of dollars and put you in danger..

 

[AirborneDentist]

Millions have deployed (through all the rotations)...thousands have been killed. Your chances of harm are worse in the US in many big cities or driving late at night...or texting and driving...etc...

 

[WIinNC]

It's your life. Make your decision and stick with it. You are going to have to become more of a type A personality or you'll get walked all over in the military (doesn't mean you have to be an ass). Your parents will get over it and be proud of you. I dropped my plans to apply to dental school in 2009 and told my parents I enlisted in the Marine Corps after getting my bachelors. My mom was in tears at the time. Lo and behold, four years later and they couldn't be more proud. It ended up being a better financial decision than I could ever have imagined. Now, I don't have to worry about a half a million in debt when I graduate. Also, there is no chance you'll see combat as a dentist unless WWIII breaks out.

 

[Bis-GMA111]

my parents were pretty uncomfortable about the situation, but i did A LOT of research and i presented them with the info, and i told them that it was my decision--not theirs. realize that you're applying to professional school to be a doctor. you're not a kid anymore. honestly, if push comes to shove, try selling the whole 'tuition is going to be paid for' aspect. and regarding the deployment issue--deployments, from what i understand, are winding down. what really sealed the deal for me, was when i visited a few army dental clinics and spoke to the officers about their experience there. many dentists requested to be deployed and as of 2 years ago they were STILL on a waiting list to go. it's getting tougher to deploy, apparently.

sometimes in life, you have to take risks. do your homework and you'll see that this risk has a great deal of upside. good luck with everything.

 

[wodehouse]

You leave school with virtually no debt and get to have an adventure for 4+ years. I love the army stuff, it's a great break from the monotony of endless fillings.