specializing through the military

[woody2]

Does anyone know the commitment issues (years active, inactive years, pay, chances of getting in if military,...) of trying to specialize via the military? I am trying to gather info before talking to a recruiter.

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[koobpheej]

Does anyone know the commitment issues (years active, inactive years, pay, chances of getting in if military,...) of trying to specialize via the military? I am trying to gather info before talking to a recruiter.

usually the pay back is year for year +1 (ie ortho is 2 year program, so the committment to pay back would be 3 years). the best thing about specializing in the military is that after completing your initial time, you can get out of the military with 3 good years of experience, thus highly competitive for most specialties. as far as getting in straight from school, depends on the specialty. some they require you to do at least one year before you are eligible to apply (endo, ortho). others, if your stats are super, you can get in right out of school (oral surgery, perio, pros). above all, being in the military, you are subject to the needs of the service. if they don't need any oral surgeons the year you apply, it doesn't matter how good your stats are. I do understand that sometimes, in these instances, they may grant a differed admission, and let you in the following year. i have also heard that it is not uncommon to be offered a spot in a residency program (militayr of course) near the end of your committment, and your are getting ready to get out (incentive to keep you in).
do military for the experience, not the money. especially if you don't know what you are going to do after school, it is a pretty good way to get out and do some different things you may not be exposed to elsewhere.