Tons of questions. . .help me out

[juddson]

I'm seriously considering the military scholarship program for med school, but I have tons and tons of questions that I can't seem to find answers to in one place.

If you can answer some of these, that would be great:

1. As I understand it, four years of scholarship equals four years of military obligation. Is this active duty or reserve duty obligation?

2. As I understand it, only the first year of a military residency counts towards the obligation. Is this true? And no part of a civilian residency counts, right?

3. Can you avoid a military residency by simply ranking it very low on your match list, or. . .can the miitary residency "snatch" you up no matter where you rank it, even if a higher rank program has chosen you in the match?

4. Please explain all of the service obligations during medical school. What do the training courses consist of?

5. If we are in the reserves during medical school, can we be called up (in the event of a conflict, for instance) even though we have not completed our medical education for regular reserve duty (ie, can we be snatched out of medical school as a reservist to serve if needed, or will we be guaranteed the right to finish all four years before any service obligation)? Also, can you be snatched out of a residency (civilian, i guess) to serve in the event of a conflict?

6. Assuming a four year obligation after residency, how many times can they make you move for this (not counting a deployment, of course). After residency, how do they determine where to move you? Do they ask what your preference is? Can they move you yearly?

7. Is the four year obligation really only four years, or can a "stop-loss" order or something like that keep you in much longer?

8. Are military residents paid just like civilian residents (ie, about 34k a year) or is it the standard $1200 a month stipend?

9. During a military residency, do you qualify for base housing (or housing allowance) and all the other stuff that goes along with it, or are you on your own outside of whatever salary they pay you?

10. Just how much does a 2nd Ltnt normally get paid?

11. How fit do I have to be? I'm a fatty at the moment (5'7" at 180 pounds) but coming down.


I think that is all for now.

I'm married with a child and another on the way. I'm interested in this not so much for the money aspects (though the scholarship would be VERY nice) but also I'm at that point in my life where I want to serve. It's pretty much one of my biggest regrets.

Judd

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[edmadison]

Originally posted by juddson
I'm seriously considering the military scholarship program for med school, but I have tons and tons of questions that I can't seem to find answers to in one place.

If you can answer some of these, that would be great:

1. As I understand it, four years of scholarship equals four years of military obligation. Is this active duty or reserve duty obligation?

2. As I understand it, only the first year of a military residency counts towards the obligation. Is this true? And no part of a civilian residency counts, right?

3. Can you avoid a military residency by simply ranking it very low on your match list, or. . .can the miitary residency "snatch" you up no matter where you rank it, even if a higher rank program has chosen you in the match?

4. Please explain all of the service obligations during medical school. What do the training courses consist of?

5. If we are in the reserves during medical school, can we be called up (in the event of a conflict, for instance) even though we have not completed our medical education for regular reserve duty (ie, can we be snatched out of medical school as a reservist to serve if needed, or will we be guaranteed the right to finish all four years before any service obligation)? Also, can you be snatched out of a residency (civilian, i guess) to serve in the event of a conflict?

6. Assuming a four year obligation after residency, how many times can they make you move for this (not counting a deployment, of course). After residency, how do they determine where to move you? Do they ask what your preference is? Can they move you yearly?

7. Is the four year obligation really only four years, or can a "stop-loss" order or something like that keep you in much longer?

8. Are military residents paid just like civilian residents (ie, about 34k a year) or is it the standard $1200 a month stipend?

9. During a military residency, do you qualify for base housing (or housing allowance) and all the other stuff that goes along with it, or are you on your own outside of whatever salary they pay you?

10. Just how much does a 2nd Ltnt normally get paid?

11. How fit do I have to be? I'm a fatty at the moment (5'7" at 180 pounds) but coming down.


I think that is all for now.

I'm married with a child and another on the way. I'm interested in this not so much for the money aspects (though the scholarship would be VERY nice) but also I'm at that point in my life where I want to serve. It's pretty much one of my biggest regrets.

Judd

Originally posted by juddson
I'm seriously considering the military scholarship program for med school, but I have tons and tons of questions that I can't seem to find answers to in one place.

If you can answer some of these, that would be great:

1. As I understand it, four years of scholarship equals four years of military obligation. Is this active duty or reserve duty obligation?

2. As I understand it, only the first year of a military residency counts towards the obligation. Is this true? And no part of a civilian residency counts, right?

3. Can you avoid a military residency by simply ranking it very low on your match list, or. . .can the miitary residency "snatch" you up no matter where you rank it, even if a higher rank program has chosen you in the match?

4. Please explain all of the service obligations during medical school. What do the training courses consist of?

5. If we are in the reserves during medical school, can we be called up (in the event of a conflict, for instance) even though we have not completed our medical education for regular reserve duty (ie, can we be snatched out of medical school as a reservist to serve if needed, or will we be guaranteed the right to finish all four years before any service obligation)? Also, can you be snatched out of a residency (civilian, i guess) to serve in the event of a conflict?

6. Assuming a four year obligation after residency, how many times can they make you move for this (not counting a deployment, of course). After residency, how do they determine where to move you? Do they ask what your preference is? Can they move you yearly?

7. Is the four year obligation really only four years, or can a "stop-loss" order or something like that keep you in much longer?

8. Are military residents paid just like civilian residents (ie, about 34k a year) or is it the standard $1200 a month stipend?

9. During a military residency, do you qualify for base housing (or housing allowance) and all the other stuff that goes along with it, or are you on your own outside of whatever salary they pay you?

10. Just how much does a 2nd Ltnt normally get paid?

11. How fit do I have to be? I'm a fatty at the moment (5'7" at 180 pounds) but coming down.


I think that is all for now.

I'm married with a child and another on the way. I'm interested in this not so much for the money aspects (though the scholarship would be VERY nice) but also I'm at that point in my life where I want to serve. It's pretty much one of my biggest regrets.

Judd

I'll answer you questions individually, but I'm in Army HPSP so my answers may be a bit clouded that way.

1) HPSP obligation is paid back on active duty. You also serve and additional term in the reserves 3-4 years, but this may be done IRR= no drilling, no summer camp, no pay.
2) No part of residency counts for payback -- civilian or otherwise. In fact, military residency can incur additional time if long enough.
3) The military has its own separate match. You rank in October and find out in December. If there are fewer applicants in you specialty than slots you will match. There are some opportunities for deferrals to the regular match, but these vary from branch to branch. They are quite rare in the Army.
4) You'll go to officer basic school (no big deal) and do two rotations at military hospitals -- essentially the same as at a civilian hospitial but you get paid and wear your uniform. No reserve stuff like drilling.
5) Of course if we have an all out war with China you could get called up, but you are extremely unlikely to get called. Until you've completed your first year of residency, you are useless to the military -- you are not trained to do any specific job. Once you finish internship, you could theoretically get called to be a General Medical Officer (like a general practitioner). My residency contract says I go straight through to completion of residency, but the government could hose me I guess.
6) You could do your internship in one location, a GMO tour in a second, residency in a third, and payback in one or two more (most likely one). You do get to list preferences for billets after residency, but the lower rank people end up with the less desireable programs. There's a reason that Madigan is staffed primarily by O-5s and O-6s. Fort Polk here I come.
7) You can be stop-lossed and you can get called out of the reserves. I have no idea whether any physicians were called out of IRR for the Iraqi or Afghan conflict.
8) You make a bunch more than a civilian resident. If you factor in your housing allowance its the equivalent of about 55K gross (before taxes) income.
9) You qualify for housing or allowance. By and large your allowance will get you much more than you be offered on post. Plus, most posts have a waiting list.
10) A 2LT made 2183/month in 2003. You will get this during ADT and for your active duty rotations. Once you graduate and become an MD, you get recommisioned as a CPT. Captains made 2911/month last year. You will also get allowances, amount depending on location.
11) You do have to make weight both at your indocrination physical and periodically there after. My residency contract says that I can be forced to do a weight controll program if I don't make it. I can't imagine leaving the ward to do PT, though. You also have to pass the PT test in order to get promoted above CPT.

Finally, with respect to your final comment. I have heard that the military is extremely family friendly: good facilities, support, spouse groups, drop in child care.

Good luck -- if you have any further questions, post them here or feel to PM me.

Ed

 

[texdrake]

Wow, the ther guy said it well, but I will add in some additions.

1. 4 years equals 4 active years. Residency does not count. If you do anything longer than a 5 year residency (military) including fellowships you incur a year for each additional. If you want to be a pediatric cadio throacic surgeon...you would have 4 years plus about another 3 years for the added residency/fellowship time. Most don't incur excess time.

5. Under no way can you be pulled out of school or your 1st year of residency (the internship), if we were at war and it was a big one, you could be pulled out after that and before you finish residency. This WAS NOT done during the war in Iraq. It would have to be a pretty big one.

6. You usually don't have to move more than 3 times.

7. A stop-loss order in a time of war could keep you in. This is how it works. In the military everyone signs an 8 year contract. If you enlist it is 6 active, 2 inactive reserves. Those that think their time is up actually just get held in for periods of their inactive. Likewise you would actually sign a 4 year active, 4 your inactive reserve (or you can do active reserves if you really want). So if we were at war they could keep you in for up to the four extra years (I believe you are compensated at a higher rate for that, but not sure).

8. Oh, no, no my friend. A military resident can expect to get paid a good 20-25K more per year. I posted this in a differnt link, but here it is again.

I have figured out for myself about my future pay. I plan to practice in FP or Internal so I will use those numbers. I also took a three year scholarship so I will figure that as well.

Loan $ Saved x 3 years: $115,500 + 35,000 (interest @ 5% over 10 years) = $150,500

Total Stipend Pay x 3 years: $48,000

Total Pay + Loan / commitment = $66K (value of scholarship/year)

Pay: 46K (Captain)*
BAH: 10k (housing allowance)*
BAS: 2K (food allowance)*
VSP: 5K (specialty pay based on years)
BCP: 2.5K (board certification pay)**
MASP: 15K (flat pay given to all doctors)
ISP: 13.5K (independent specialty pay based on specialty)

TOTAL: 94K

AVG Malpractice Saving for FP & IM = 12K

Total = $172K annually for 3 year commitment (66+94+12)

Drops to around 105-110K if I stay in longer as loose loan advantage

Average starting salary for FP / IM - Malpractice = $125K - 12K = 113K.

Average salary in private sector after 3 years (when my commitment is up), minus malpractice = $128K

* = Intern pay (46+10+2= 58K)
** = added once resident (PG2 and beyond)


11. Their are some calculators online but I don't know where right now. You are a little heavy. at 5'10" I had to be under somewhere between 178-182 I believe. If you don't make the scale, then they measure you by neck and waist circumfrence and calculate body fat from it. This is not usually good unless you have a big neck or narrow hips. Still weight loss can be done I shaved 35 pounds last year (down to 175 ) and unfortunately am now at 182, but I start a new diet and exercise program on tuesday and intend to get down to 168 (I graduated high school at that).

At 5'7" you probably have to be down to around 160. Good thing is the army tends to be nice (mostly guys) so they tend to give you a half inch or so.... I am a little over 5'9" and always measure to 5'10". Still at 5'8" you would likely have to around 165ish...

 

[KCOM2005]

Here is one of the best resources out there (useful even if you aren't AF):
http://lukeballard.tripod.com/HPSP.html

 

[texdrake]

I agree, the Luke Ballard site helped me make my decision and I am army. It is very good.