<p>What many posters such as newmassdad and outerbanks have said are correct. However, 12 years is not a standard payback time. Outerbanks, did the military fund your civilian residency? That might account for the long payback time.</p>
<p>As Erin’s Dad pointed out, military physicians do get specialty pay. However, it is not without strings. For example, if you are overweight by military standards, you might not get your bonus. Fail your physical fitness test, (say for example, that you are required to do 50 pushups and you do 48), you may not get your bonus. The bonuses are also structured to get physicians to stay in their jobs in a way that is convenient to the military. For example, many medical jobs start in July since that’s when internships/residencies start. Let’s say a military physician has a job offer that starts July 1. The military bonus structure will say that he/she cannot get the specialty bonus of $30,000 (or whatever amount) unless he/she stays in the military till October. It’s possible the job may not be available in October. So, many physicians may decline the bonus, at least if they are considering leaving the military, because they need some flexibility in when they can leave.</p>
<p>To the OP, as many have pointed out, your daughter will give up a lot of control of her life and her career decisions by joining the military. Does she want children? Will she be willing to leave behind a 7 week old infant if the army deploys her? It will not be a choice- she will have to leave her children behind if deployed. Will she be willing to leave her entire family behind if she is stationed in an area where families are not allowed? Is she physically fit and within army height/weight standards? If she is not, there could be potential problems ahead. She should only join the military if she truly wants the military lifestyle, not just for the money. Is she willing to be deployed to a war zone? It doesn’t matter if she wants to do a specialty such as pediatrics. To the military, a doctor is a doctor. Every specialty is deployable. She needs to really understand the time commitment and that she will give up control of many aspects of her life.</p>