<p>Can anyone give any further information about the life of military physician? I have heard that the armed forces do a good job repaying medical school debt and for this reason may be a good way to get out of debt post-med school. How are military physicians treated while serving? Also do they go into the field while serving or do they primarily reside at forts only? Honestly, I have no idea of the topic and would really like some enlightening. Thanks.</p>
<p>The SDN MilMed forum is a good place to find out about it:</p>
<p>Military</a> Medicine - Student Doctor Network Forums</p>
<p>^ definitely check out those forums - there are lots of military docs and med students there to help you with questions.</p>
<p>The basic idea, however, is that there are several ways to join the military as a doctor.</p>
<p>1) You can go to the military medical school (Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences - USUHS) - you apply via AMCAS just like any other medical school. You choose a service to join (Army, Navy, or Air Force - no option to join the Marines because they get their docs from the Navy), and if accepted, all four years of med school are free and you are commissioned as a second lieutenant (or equivalent) and receive pay commensurate with that rank (somewhere around $40,000 I think). Once you graduate, you are promoted to Captain (or equivalent). You are required to enter the military match for residency but also have a possibility to get a civilian residency. After Residency, you have a set commitment for active duty time, as well as reserve or inactive ready reserve time. (IIRC, 8 years or something close)</p>
<p>2) The Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) - this is where you are accepted to a civilian medical school (MD or DO, doesn't matter), and decide to join the military. Again, you choose your service and are commissioned as a 2LT with full pay. The military pays your full cost of medical school (tuition, books, etc.). You are again promoted upon graduation, and also must join the military match (IIRC), and again have a service commitment post-residency. Basically the same as USUHS, but you're at a civilian medical school.</p>
<p>3) You complete a civilian medical school and civilian residency, then join the military branch of your choice. You are direct commissioned as a captain (or equivalent) and put on immediate deployable active duty (unless you join the reserves or national guard, obviously). (in the previous two situations, you are on non-deployable status during med school and residency). The military pays a sizeable chuck of cash for loan payback (spread out over a few years) in addition to your captain's salary.</p>
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How are military physicians treated while serving? Also do they go into the field while serving or do they primarily reside at forts only?
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<p>To continue with these questions - military physicians are officers and are treated as such. Not sure if this is what you meant, but yeah - you'd be an officer with all the privileges and responsibilities that entails. </p>
<p>And yes, military physicians definitely are deployed to the sandbox just like any other unit. There are lots of Combat Surgical Hospitals as well as other medical facilities that need full staffing by docs, nurses, etc. in theatre. You may be deployed overseas, or you may be assigned to any other military hospital. Definitely make sure military life is for you before you join and don't use it just as an easy way to pay off loans - it most certainly isn't 'easy', and would be a disservice to our soldiers if you weren't commited to it. Like I said - you are a military officer, which means the military controls your life. You are like any other officer under the UCMJ. They say you're going to Iraq for a year, thats what you're doing.</p>
<p>Oh, and one of the big controversies you'll hear about on SDN is the practice of making military med school graduates do a GMO (general medical officer) tour. This means they'll pull you straight from a year of internship and deploy you somewhere as a general doctor (Air Force = you'll be a Flight Surgeon, etc.), without having completed a residency. This practice is apparently becoming less common (and is mostly done by the Air Force), but you have to be aware of it - again, the military is an entirely different beast from civilian life, and they own you. If they need doctors that badly, they'll just make you a GMO for a while, delaying your residency training.</p>