Members

1. Why did you join? My husband was already in the Air Force and I had a chance to see what life was like in the military. I heard about the HPSP program and thought it would be a great opportunity to serve a community of individuals devoted to defending and serving both their own country and countries abroad.

2. Why Air Force? My husband had a great experience with the Air Force and, since he hoped to stay in, it wasn't difficult to choose a branch. Even if it hadn't been for my husband, the experience I had with the recruiting staff was amazing. I never felt pressured and they were able to answer all my questions, even after officer school.

3. What was officer training like? Despite what I heard others had experienced, I had a great time at training. It was a lot of hard work but it was also a nice change of pace from med school. I enjoyed getting to exercise every day and made friends with many members of my Flight. My flight Commander was great and made the whole experience better. Honestly, I'd do it all again!

4. Any advice for those thinking about the military? It's a great opportunity not only to serve but also to receive great benefits in return. The best advice I can give is to contact an HPSP recruiter and ask them about the program. Again, they're not there to pressure anyone but rather to help.

5. Are you happy with your decision so far? I'm thrilled. So far this has been a completely positive process. I look forward to serving in the near future.

When you accept a military health professions scholarship you are making a commitment to the people, the government, and the armed forces of the United States. This is not something to take lightly because it can and probably will change the way you live your life. From the day you sign your papers and take the oath you are committing yourself to the best interests of our country. The military is first and foremost a profession of arms, and if the situation arises you may be called to sacrifice your life for our country. You are an officer first; everything else in your life follows your duty to our country as a military officer. As a military physician your role will be to provide healthcare to all US military members, their families, and potentially wounded enemies in a deployed situation; your goals here are no different than your goals in a civilian healthcare setting. The training opportunities available to you are similar to what you would have in the civilian world; the difference is military residencies and fellowships are dependent upon the needs of the US military and change every year. If you match into a military residency you will be paid significantly more for your training than your civilian counterparts while likely spending much less time at the hospital. Military residency programs provide excellent training, especially in emergency medicine and surgical specialties. There are additional training opportunities (aerospace medicine) available to you that are not available to civilians. The range of operations of the US military also provides a variety of healthcare experiences that no civilian will have the opportunity to enjoy. For example, you could be on a critical care air team that basically functions as an emergency room in mid-air, or be on a team that parachutes into the field and sets up field hospitals. You may even be assigned to a fighter squadron and required to fly in the jets on a regular basis. Of course, you don't have to worry about malpractice insurance, the military provides outstanding healthcare insurance (TriCare), 30 days of leave per year, and fantastic retirement benefits. If you get promoted to Colonel you'll be among the top 1% of the military, and will be a distinguished guest at military functions. There are many benefits to this program, but it requires a great commitment.

1. Why did you join? For the money

2. Why Air Force? It was the nicest to its doctors and treated its serviceman better than the other branches.

3. What was officer training like? I enjoyed it. It was me and another girl sharing a room and our own bathroom. There was maid service. The day started at around 4:30 with PT and then you would go back to your room, shower, changed into the uniform of the day, breakfast and then lectures and classroom stuff until the afternoon. The 1st week involves a fair amount of getting yelled at but it gets exponentially better.

4. Any advice for those thinking about the military? Talk to people in it and make sure your are willing to make certain sacrifices. I will not be able to do the residency I want because the military said they had no need. So it is a very real possibility.

5. Are you happy with your decision so far? Absolutely. The military has offered me experiences I wouldn't have gotten elsewhere and I am much more financially stable than many other students.

Tyler Stratton, Second Lieutenant, US Army

Make sure you want to serve soldiers, money is not a complete reason. But soldiers are the most deserving population. It is a good decision. I would not join if thinking of anesthesia, because of the macrocosm of the match there.