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What do doctors do in the military?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Q
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Q

Q

Lifer
A friend of mine is very determined to get into med school, and has recently taken up the notion of using the service as a way to pay for expenses. I believe he is thinking either Air Force or Navy. Anyway, this idea is very off the wall for him, and I'm concerned he is not thinking this through fully/isn't doing enough research and I don't want him to make a naive decision.

So I am curious, what exactly do military physicians do in the service? Basic training, then stay on base, work in a hospital overseas, private practice, what? If you could provide any examples of what he would have to do after his degree I'd appreciate it. (Note that it seems they go through med school then perform their duty afterwards, of course)

Note: Friend is NOT a doctor. Graduated from college last year.
 
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Military doctors could be stationed in the base hospital/clinics, or they could be sent to a field hospital...it all depends on the needs of the service. Our troops NEED good doctors. Why would you try to talk your friend out of such service?
 
BoomerD said:
Military doctors could be stationed in the base hospital/clinics, or they could be sent to a field hospital...it all depends on the needs of the service. Our troops NEED good doctors. Why would you try to talk your friend out of such service?
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His friend isn't a doctor... he's trying to pay his way into med school is what I got from it. I don't know how that's going to work either.
 
BoomerD said:
Military doctors could be stationed in the base hospital/clinics, or they could be sent to a field hospital...it all depends on the needs of the service. Our troops NEED good doctors. Why would you try to talk your friend out of such service?
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Agreed. It's not as though he's going to be out there getting shot at.
 
BoomerD said:
Military doctors could be stationed in the base hospital/clinics, or they could be sent to a field hospital...it all depends on the needs of the service. Our troops NEED good doctors. Why would you try to talk your friend out of such service?
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I don't know where I said I was talking him out of it... he makes his own decisions, I just want him to make a clear decision and not one off of a whim. I think it is a very good way to have all the expenses made, serve the country, etc, but I also care about him and want him to have all the details needed to make his choice.
 
Quintox said:
stay on base, work in a hospital overseas, private practice, what?
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When they're actually MDs, yes. If he enlists in to active service before he has his MD, he's obviously not going to be practicing as a physician.

http://www.careersinthemilitary.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main.careerdetail&mc_id=118


completely free ride, with notable strings:

Military—If you're officer material, the military will pay your tuition and living expenses through four years of medical school whether you're in the Army, Navy, or Air Force.

Fine Print: Doctors generally serve one year of active duty for every year of scholarship they receive, but they must serve a minimum of two years.
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link

edit: another link
 
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Wait so is he or is he not a doctor? I'm confused.

I assume he's not since he's trying to get into med school but you act as if he already is.
 
JulesMaximus said:
Agreed. It's not as though he's going to be out there getting shot at.
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My cousin's father in law in one of the heads of the doctors in the Navy. He's working front line combat casualties and gets shot at and mortared daily.

It ain't all just sitting around on a base. Includes trying to piece back together kids and soldiers while under fire.
 
dfuze said:
He could be, don't they deploy them with troops in the field in case someone gets injured? Or do they just have basic first aid trainees for things like that?
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Corpsmen, at least not the fine men and women who are Navy Corpsmen, are NOT "basic first aid trainees." Many are doctors or nurses, and IME, most of the ones who aren't "professional medical providers" could meet or exceed the standards for paramedic/EMT.

As I said earlier, the "friend" could easily end up in a field hospital putting the troops back together...and as such, could come under fire.

Anyone ever seen M.A.S.H.? 😛
 
BoomerD said:
Military doctors could be stationed in the base hospital/clinics, or they could be sent to a field hospital...it all depends on the needs of the service. Our troops NEED good doctors. Why would you try to talk your friend out of such service?
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Having someone join soak up money being trained and then fail miserably because it isn't for them is bad for the military?
 
dfuze said:
He could be, don't they deploy them with troops in the field in case someone gets injured? Or do they just have basic first aid trainees for things like that?
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I think you're thinking medic/corpsman. From a civilian standpoint, their training, experience and responsibility is probably more in line with that of paramedics than EMTs.
 
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AyashiKaibutsu said:
Having someone join soak up money being trained and then fail miserably because it isn't for them is bad for the military?
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Of course it is...just like ANY job in the military...if you suck at it, Uncle Sam's wasted our money training you...BUT, at least at the enlisted level, if you flunk out of an advanced school...well, there's always a need for infantry personnel.
 
Check out the SDN (Student Doctor Network) forums, especially the parts about military medicine. They'll provide way more useful answers.
 
BrunoPuntzJones said:
My cousin's father in law in one of the heads of the doctors in the Navy. He's working front line combat casualties and gets shot at and mortared daily.

It ain't all just sitting around on a base. Includes trying to piece back together kids and soldiers while under fire.
Click to expand...

dfuze said:
He could be, don't they deploy them with troops in the field in case someone gets injured? Or do they just have basic first aid trainees for things like that?
Click to expand...

Gooberlx2 said:
I think you're thinking medic/corpsman. From a civilian standpoint, their training, experience and responsibility is probably more in line with that of paramedics than EMTs.
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Exactly, medics are on the front lines. That being said, an army doctor could very well be in a field hostpital in a war zone and shit happens.
 
thepd7 said:
Exactly, medics are on the front lines. That being said, an army doctor could very well be in a field hostpital in a war zone and shit happens.
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From Dr. Atul Gawande's very interesting article about US military medical care in Iraq:

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp048317

One surgeon deserves particular recognition. Dr. Mark Taylor began his Army service in 2001, to fulfill the terms of his military scholarship to attend medical school several years before. He, like many, was deployed twice to Iraq — first from February through May 2003 and then from August 2003 through the following winter. On March 20, 2004, outside Fallujah, four days from returning home to Stockton, California, the 41-year-old surgeon was hit in a rocket-propelled–grenade attack while making a telephone call outside his barracks. Despite his team's efforts, he could not be revived.

None among us have paid a greater price.
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ppatin said:
Check out the SDN (Student Doctor Network) forums, especially the parts about military medicine. They'll provide way more useful answers.
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Probably the best answer. The SDN has tons of info and personal experiences regarding military service for physicians. I thought about it for quite some time, but decided not to for my own reasons. The main issue that gets pointed out quite frequently is DO NOT take the military scholarship for medical school if you DO NOT want to be in the military - ie DON'T DO IT FOR THE MONEY. Depending on what specialty a non-military physician goes in to he may easily come out further ahead financially than his military counterpart who took the scholarship. It really depends. However, if you have a desire to serve AND want to be a physician, then it's a fantastic deal. Regardless, have your friend speak with PEOPLE who have done it, and NOT with recruiters.
 
BoomerD said:
Of course it is...just like ANY job in the military...if you suck at it, Uncle Sam's wasted our money training you...BUT, at least at the enlisted level, if you flunk out of an advanced school...well, there's always a need for infantry personnel.
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In the air force atleast you can just flunk out of sf or im if you really don't want to be in or if you have some brains you can usually find some way to get out even after training. Then again I like being in so I never tried might be wrong in this regard.
 
TheVrolok said:
Nope. He could essentially specialize in just about anything (obviously the military has final say - and could order him to specialize in whatever they need - most likely the equivalent of a GP).
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And a note on final say. I have a friend who went in under the Dr. program but she excelled so well on certain tests that the military moved her into language.

They have final say on where they think you will benefit them the most.
 
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