Commissioning to ANG as PA, Applying to Med School Next Year

[PAinMotion]

Hi folks,

I am a currently practicing emergency medicine PA who is in the initial stages of commissioning into the ANG. I go to MEPS next week. I am interested in the civic duty aspect of the ANG, and the opportunity to do something different from my daily work in the ER. I come from an EMS/ wildland fire background and am excited to get back to working in the field with the "fellas". I have no loans.

The contracts I have been looking at are a six year commitment with 2 IRR. I am planning on applying to medical school next application cycle and I am wondering if I sign a six year contract as a PA, will I be unable to get into one of the medical student spots if I do get into medical school?

I will do what is required, but I was wondering if I should ask for a provision in my contract to this point?

I understand that the medical student slots within the guard are set up in such a way that makes it easier to focus on school and still fulfill your commitment. I imagine that if I am employed as a PA with the guard I will probably have more of a time commitment required than as an MS. Ultimately, I am fine with this and understand that a deployment could prolong school, but I just want to know what I am getting into.

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[TheEarDoc]

Hi folks,

I am a currently practicing emergency medicine PA who is in the initial stages of commissioning into the ANG. I go to MEPS next week. I am interested in the civic duty aspect of the ANG, and the opportunity to do something different from my daily work in the ER. I come from an EMS/ wildland fire background and am excited to get back to working in the field with the "fellas". I have no loans.

The contracts I have been looking at are a six year commitment with 2 IRR. I am planning on applying to medical school next application cycle and I am wondering if I sign a six year contract as a PA, will I be unable to get into one of the medical student spots if I do get into medical school?

I will do what is required, but I was wondering if I should ask for a provision in my contract to this point?

I understand that the medical student slots within the guard are set up in such a way that makes it easier to focus on school and still fulfill your commitment. I imagine that if I am employed as a PA with the guard I will probably have more of a time commitment required than as an MS. Ultimately, I am fine with this and understand that a deployment could prolong school, but I just want to know what I am getting into.

You would be held to your PA contract with the ANG meaning if your unit deployed you would go and they wouldn't care about what happens with medical school. Have classes and your unit is conducting a 2 week field exercise? Your commander is going to want you in the field. Have exams to study for and the unit has drill? You will be expected to be at drill unless your commander is very lenient or you can work out something else.

Someone else will chime in I am sure, but basically if you aren't under a contract as a medical student then you are deployable if you have another contract. A unit is not going to let someone be in a slot that another person could fill if that person cannot deploy and be mission ready.

My advice would be if you want to serve and go to medical school either take the medical student route in the military or go to med school on your own and then join after you finish med school.

 

[PAinMotion]

You would be held to your PA contract with the ANG meaning if your unit deployed you would go and they wouldn't care about what happens with medical school. Have classes and your unit is conducting a 2 week field exercise? Your commander is going to want you in the field. Have exams to study for and the unit has drill? You will be expected to be at drill unless your commander is very lenient or you can work out something else.

Someone else will chime in I am sure, but basically if you aren't under a contract as a medical student then you are deployable if you have another contract. A unit is not going to let someone be in a slot that another person could fill if that person cannot deploy and be mission ready.

My advice would be if you want to serve and go to medical school either take the medical student route in the military or go to med school on your own and then join after you finish med school.

Thank you for the good information. It sounds like the best course of action is to wait until I am accepted into school and get a med student contract.

I guess I need to evaluate my priorities. I wouldn't be starting med school for pretty much two years and was looking forward to getting involved during that time. Also, if I didn't get into med school then it would be all the better to have two years of experience in the guard at that time.

Being in the guard as a PA would be a difficult way to do med school, and I would expect my grades would suffer. I also would expect to deploy which probably means I would have to repeat at least a year.

A part of me wants to take the chance. I don't know if this is ill advised or just completely foolish.

In my state there are openings in an infantry unit and a headquarters unit. I don't know if you can provide any insight as to what unit might give me better opportunities to strike that balance between school and the guard. I really would like to work in the infantry unit, but if HQ might allow me to work in school better that may be the move.

 

[TheEarDoc]

Thank you for the good information. It sounds like the best course of action is to wait until I am accepted into school and get a med student contract.

I guess I need to evaluate my priorities. I wouldn't be starting med school for pretty much two years and was looking forward to getting involved during that time. Also, if I didn't get into med school then it would be all the better to have two years of experience in the guard at that time.

Being in the guard as a PA would be a difficult way to do med school, and I would expect my grades would suffer. I also would expect to deploy which probably means I would have to repeat at least a year.

A part of me wants to take the chance. I don't know if this is ill advised or just completely foolish.

In my state there are openings in an infantry unit and a headquarters unit. I don't know if you can provide any insight as to what unit might give me better opportunities to strike that balance between school and the guard. I really would like to work in the infantry unit, but if HQ might allow me to work in school better that may be the move.

Infantry unit would mean you would be the unit doc for all intensive purposes, most likely a role 1 battalion aid station or combat aid station meaning if the unit was deployed you would definitely be going. Also you would be the doc for the unit every weekend drill so you would not be excused from battle assembly most likely (I have several friends who are PA's in these types of units). Headquarters posting might be a little different as I know a lot of those can offer flexible drill options. One of my friends is a PA for the headquarters level and he does 2 weeks of straight drill a couple times a year for his drill points. He usually completes soldier readiness processing (SRP) events for the units under that headquarter's command at one site. This is the exception and note the rule though when it comes to being a PA in the guard/reserves. I wouldn't hang my hat on getting such a sweet gig.

I also wouldn't hang my hat on signing a PA contract (you would have to sign with no incentives) for 6 years active guard with 2 years IRR and then if you go accepted into medical school switching over to the HPSP program as the guard you would have be first released by the commander from your unit, then released by the state and then also released by the federal level (more hoops in the guard than the reserves). Yes these things happen, but like I've said they are the exception and not the rule.

 

[notdeadyet]

Keep in mind that the medical student "slots" are because medical students have no MOS/AOC. THAT is why they are non-deployable. They can't be slotted in anywhere on a roster and have no applicable duties they can fulfill.

If you come in as a PA and go to medical school, I would be extremely surprised if they changed your AOC from a working (and vital) AOC to medical student. You'd likely fulfill your PA duties and work (and deploy) as a PA. And your'e right that it would be disruptive to school. In peacetime, less so, but we've already gotten into the rhythm of having a low threshold for breaking the glass to activate Guard and Reserve and I don't see that going away anytime soon.