Active Military officers here? I could use your help/assistance/advice

[seurto]

So here's my issue..

My daughter, who aspires to become a medical doctor, would also like to join the service. I have no issue with this, I would only like to see her obtain her bachelor's degree before commiting, so as to enter as an officer.

She is a senior in HS, (in Louisiana), in gifted, and basically will have a free education to her bachelor's degree (and so, joining the service for the benefits of college assistance is not a necessity).

We've talked to my cousin (who was an officer in the air force, and joined ROTC while attending college) and he gave us the impression that once in, she will not have the "personal option" to further her education as she wishes, only as the military deems necessary.

Previously, the ROTC route was the preferred method to achieve her goals, except for the lack of option to continue her education towards a medical degree part..

Now, she has met with an army recruiter who has attempted to steer her into joining the Army Reserves before and while attending college, emphasizing that there is a slim probability that she will have to go into active duty (or deployment) while in college, and therefore, could complete her initial bachelors degree..

My concerns are;
1) the possibility of her collegiate persuit being interrupted due to deployment status of the reserves or her status being switched to active(and therefore, possibly, her never finishing her initial bachelor's degree)

2) her ability continue further with her education to become a practicing medical physician, of which, she insists is what she aspires to do as a career during or after the military.

My questions are;
1) does anyone know a practicing military physician that we could possibly talk to, concerning how they went about obtaining thier physician career, within or while conducting a military career..

2) would someone be available (whom might know with certainty) to sit down and speak to us and assist her in planning the best route to achieve her goals of a military and medical career.. Without having an agenda, like say, recruiting quotas..

I know its a tall order..

I would greatly appreciate any assistance anyone may be able to offer..
thanks

 

[SMS]

Now, she has met with an army recruiter who has attempted to steer her into joining the Army Reserves before and while attending college, emphasizing that there is a slim probability that she will have to go into active duty (or deployment) while in college, and therefore, could complete her initial bachelors degree..

Not an officer, just a retired Senior NCO...but the above part requires comment.

I would run far away from any recruiter who promises this B.S. The Reserves and National Guard are carrying a big chunk of the load these days. It is far more likely that she will get deployed than not. In fact anyone who joins needs to go in with the mindset that deployment is a certainty and make life arrangements accordingly...Hoping to not get deployed is not an intelligent course of action.

Good luck, and give her our thanks for even thinking about serving.

 

[Mos Eisley]

Oh those silly recruiters. I was fed the same line of B.S. and was forever getting deployed and therefore never once got a chance to take a class.

 

[Talacker]

Not doubting, but the truth is many minds are changed about becoming an MD after a couple of semesters of biology and advanced chemistry. Just something to consider.

 

[tRidiot]

Let's see... We have 3 active war zones going on and a terrible budget deficit.... Which means trying to eke as much work out of what we've got as possible, while soldiers beg their families to send them body armor overseas...

You think there's much chance of getting deployed???? Hmmmm... A recruiter who paints a rosy picture during WARTIME... what a novel concept.

I finally got those bloodsuckers off my back after I got tired of their ********.

Tell her to run fast and hard away from them. If/when she gets into med school, she can write her own ticket.

 

[cowzrul]

I am a retired Marine Corps Officer and my last assignment was as the Marine Officer Instructor at a large Naval ROTC Unit. Here is my advice...

Competition is very stiff so if she truly wants this apply to every commissioning program you feel comfortable with. Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, Naval ROTC, Air Force ROTC, and I truly am not familiar with what the Navy calls their stuff. I know it sounds absurd but I can even count how many stellar individuals I counseled that DIDN'T get selected for a program. My standards are high too. I was enlisted infantry for nine years before I switched to the dark side. Some of these "stellar" individuals wanted to be officers so bad the joined ROTC without any financial assistance. I am not sure if the Air Force or Army has it but NROTC does. So if your saying she doesn't initially need financial assistance this would be a good back-up plan to walk in off the street to the ROTC Unit (read NOT recruiter). No offense to any who may be on this board but an Enlisted Recruiter has ONE job! Fill quotas that can ship to boot camp and succeed. In the story you wrote above she needs to stay as far away from a recruiting office as possible. PERIOD!

 

[Koshinn]

So here's my issue..

My daughter, who aspires to become a medical doctor, would also like to join the service. I have no issue with this, I would only like to see her obtain her bachelor's degree before commiting, so as to enter as an officer.

She is a senior in HS, (in Louisiana), in gifted, and basically will have a free education to her bachelor's degree (and so, joining the service for the benefits of college assistance is not a necessity).

We've talked to my cousin (who was an officer in the air force, and joined ROTC while attending college) and he gave us the impression that once in, she will not have the "personal option" to further her education as she wishes, only as the military deems necessary.

I'm an AF Officer and I'm currently working on a masters degree. I know many officers who, in their spare time, attend law school night classes (not in Altus though, nearest law school is OKC). In fact, for the USAF, there are 3 major categories in both performance reports and quarterly/annual awards: Job Performance (on the job duties that were outstanding), Self Improvement (furthering education, etc), and Base/Community Involvement (community service, extracurricular non-self improvement). I don't know about the other services, but the USAF highly encourages furthering your own education, and will give you the money to assist you in that. Education while in uniform in the USAF is extremely important, but I'm a little off-topic...

Previously, the ROTC route was the preferred method to achieve her goals, except for the lack of option to continue her education towards a medical degree part..

Not entirely true. She can join ROTC in undergrad then apply to med school and push off her commissioning date until after she graduates, although that process can be competitive. The better way would be to talk to an ROTC admissions officer about doing ROTC while in med school. It shouldn't be too difficult to accomplish. She could also direct commission, which is also a selective process, but not quite as much as the DoD doesn't have to invest in her until after she already proves that she can be an MD. She can get a direct commission as a Capt (or maybe higher, depending on specialty) and just attend a stripped-down version of basic where they teach you the basics of military life, but she'd already be an officer, so they can't give her THAT much crap. From what I hear, they even have room service to make their beds!

I went to law school (didn't have time to finish when I PCS'd to Altus) but I commissioned through ROTC in undergrad. It's not as hard core as med school, but it's a similarish process, and I've randomly talked to a lot of law school recruiters even though I was already commissioned.

Now, she has met with an army recruiter who has attempted to steer her into joining the Army Reserves before and while attending college, emphasizing that there is a slim probability that she will have to go into active duty (or deployment) while in college, and therefore, could complete her initial bachelors degree..

It would be a good idea if we weren't in a budget shortfall and fighting wars all over the place. If she's pursuing an MD and financial needs are already met, there's absolutely no need. Do the ROTC or direct commission route. I'd recommend the latter rather than the former. More time to focus on school work.

I'm not a doctor and I don't know too many personally, but I know a few that have gone to med school after undergrad ROTC. And I know the direct commissioning program is awesome. Everyone else in the military will probably give your daughter crap for direct commissioning because their "basic" is even less of a "basic" than what ROTC cadets get. Especially the combat arms MOSs/AFSCs, but ignore that. She's joining to be a doctor and serve her country.

I'm also not a recruiting officer and haven't served in an ROTC unit as an officer, but PM me if you want more on the USAF side and I can give you my ph#.

 

[angsniper]

USAF Officer here. PM sent.

 

[BobBarker]

There is no need to join until after she gets accepted to medical school. I think most people who join at the beginning of med school are captains shortly after graduating. Even with the "free" education most people who join military medicine regret it. The free tuition is a small stipend for the years of diminished income, the possibility of being forced into a residency you have little interest in, and the multiple forced moves and potential deployments. Go tohttp://www.studentdoctor.net and peruse the military medicine forum. Also, everything the recruiter tells you isa lie unless you have it in writing.

 

[seurto]

Not an officer, just a retired Senior NCO...but the above part requires comment.
I would run far away from any recruiter who promises this B.S. The Reserves and National Guard are carrying a big chunk of the load these days. It is far more likely that she will get deployed than not. In fact anyone who joins needs to go in with the mindset that deployment is a certainty and make life arrangements accordingly...Hoping to not get deployed is not an intelligent course of action.
Good luck, and give her our thanks for even thinking about serving.

Yea, exactly was my comment/expressed concern..

Not doubting, but the truth is many minds are changed about becoming an MD after a couple of semesters of biology and advanced chemistry. Just something to consider.

Like I said, she's in gifted in HS, she's already taken college level biology, and is taking advanced chemistry this year (as a college credit).. She's wanted to be a doctor of some sort since she was 10 (started as a veterenarian), she was given a Grey's Anatomy book for xmas at 14 or so, and read it.. She's also been around and helped skin/field dress/slaughtered deer/duck/rabbit/etc, etc.. since she was little.. Point is, she's not a gurly girl, whose squemish around such things, and fairly determined that's what she wants to do.. Her fallback position is to either become a psychiatrist or attorney..

I am a retired Marine Corps Officer and my last assignment was as the Marine Officer Instructor at a large Naval ROTC Unit. Here is my advice...

Competition is very stiff so if she truly wants this apply to every commissioning program you feel comfortable with. Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, Naval ROTC, Air Force ROTC, and I truly am not familiar with what the Navy calls their stuff. I know it sounds absurd but I can even count how many stellar individuals I counseled that DIDN'T get selected for a program. My standards are high too. I was enlisted infantry for nine years before I switched to the dark side. Some of these "stellar" individuals wanted to be officers so bad the joined ROTC without any financial assistance. I am not sure if the Air Force or Army has it but NROTC does. So if your saying she doesn't initially need financial assistance this would be a good back-up plan to walk in off the street to the ROTC Unit (read NOT recruiter). No offense to any who may be on this board but an Enlisted Recruiter has ONE job! Fill quotas that can ship to boot camp and succeed. In the story you wrote above she needs to stay as far away from a recruiting office as possible. PERIOD!

Yep.. Originally she wanted to go into the Marines, as, they disqualified me from service due to knee injuries recieved in football in HS.. It took me and a couple of ex-marine buddies a couple of YEARS to talk her down to the Navy (enlisted guys, and, we were looking at her "as a woman" in the marines, and it being a contradictory concept, to grunts.. And how our baby gurl would just be a peice of meat in the core) Although, my wife (who just FINALLY finished her engineering degree after returning to school while raising the kids) has a gurlfriend who went straight commission into the Marines when she graduated, and she says she loves it.. I dont see how, cuz she was a manhater with daddy issues, but I digress..

I'm an AF Officer and I'm currently working on a masters degree. I know many officers who, in their spare time, attend law school night classes (not in Altus though, nearest law school is OKC). In fact, for the USAF, there are 3 major categories in both performance reports and quarterly/annual awards: Job Performance (on the job duties that were outstanding), Self Improvement (furthering education, etc), and Base/Community Involvement (community service, extracurricular non-self improvement). I don't know about the other services, but the USAF highly encourages furthering your own education, and will give you the money to assist you in that. Education while in uniform in the USAF is extremely important, but I'm a little off-topic...


Not entirely true. She can join ROTC in undergrad then apply to med school and push off her commissioning date until after she graduates, although that process can be competitive. The better way would be to talk to an ROTC admissions officer about doing ROTC while in med school. It shouldn't be too difficult to accomplish. She could also direct commission, which is also a selective process, but not quite as much as the DoD doesn't have to invest in her until after she already proves that she can be an MD. She can get a direct commission as a Capt (or maybe higher, depending on specialty) and just attend a stripped-down version of basic where they teach you the basics of military life, but she'd already be an officer, so they can't give her THAT much crap. From what I hear, they even have room service to make their beds!

I went to law school (didn't have time to finish when I PCS'd to Altus) but I commissioned through ROTC in undergrad. It's not as hard core as med school, but it's a similarish process, and I've randomly talked to a lot of law school recruiters even though I was already commissioned.


It would be a good idea if we weren't in a budget shortfall and fighting wars all over the place. If she's pursuing an MD and financial needs are already met, there's absolutely no need. Do the ROTC or direct commission route. I'd recommend the latter rather than the former. More time to focus on school work.

I'm not a doctor and I don't know too many personally, but I know a few that have gone to med school after undergrad ROTC. And I know the direct commissioning program is awesome. Everyone else in the military will probably give your daughter crap for direct commissioning because their "basic" is even less of a "basic" than what ROTC cadets get. Especially the combat arms MOSs/AFSCs, but ignore that. She's joining to be a doctor and serve her country.

I'm also not a recruiting officer and haven't served in an ROTC unit as an officer, but PM me if you want more on the USAF side and I can give you my ph#.

Great info man, greatly appreciate it.. For some reason, she's TOTALLY against being in the USAF, other than the remote possibility of going to AF Academy in Colorado (we went camping/jeeping in colorado this summer and she loved it and now wants to move there) something to do with being on the ground helping the grunts and not standing around a water cooler watching a video game.. Her words, not mine. lol
My dad is retired USAF, and looks like he's got my brother looking into it as well..

USAF Officer here. PM sent.

Appreciate the PM and I'll be acting on the info you sent me..

Greatly appreciate the feedback guys.. I forwarded this thread to her, and hopefully, she will see that its not just dad a grandpa being overly cautious and worried about her deployment or not finishing college.. Her arguement for joining, was that she would be that much further along in her military career, while obtaining her degree..

She lives with my mom and dad in LA, and he was there with her when the recruiter came to visit. He's ex USAF staff sargeant, vietnam era, attended college AFTER he got out the service.. He and I voiced many of the same concerns you guys have expressed here. He said he recalled many officers who were pissed off all the time, as, they werent doing what they wanted to be doing..

We come from a pretty patriotic lineage, have had extensive family fight and die in every conflict or war since the inception of america.. One grandfather in WW2 in the navy (atomic war veteran), the other was in the marines for Korea and Vietnam.. So, it was pretty much a given, that she would be joining the service.. She already knows how to handle a gun, and has been doing so since she was little.. I was just hoping that she could get some "professional" command and leadership training in the service, something that few in our family have accomplished in recent history.