if you are in the AIR FORCE?

Question

A recruiter came to my class and gave us a bunch of information, i told my mom these info and she thinks its very beneficial and that at least i dont have to worry about money while i go to college if i join the air force. is that true? i want to become a doctor, what is the process for someone to do that? do i first go into training? or go to school? if you are in the air force tell me what you went through, and your process?
thank you so much.
does the sex of the person play a big roll? do i get to choose my career route?

Answer 1

Doctors are Officers, and as such must have a 4 year degree in hand before being Commissioned. Doctors additionally must have completed their internship before applying for a Commission. Officers do not generally get student Loans paid off. There are programs where you can go to college on the military's dime, including Med school, but they are VERY hard to get into.

You want to make sure you speak to the right kind of recruiter, and whether or not you can attend ROTC with a Medical option.

another option is enlist, do your time, get out and use the GI Billtohelppay for Med School and then go back in. There may even be a program where you can enlist and then be picked up to attend Med School on the AF's dime. I know Navy has something like that, but again, VERY competitive to get into.

Answer 2

Ok, first you need more than a four year degree to become a Doctor. Second, it is a long road that you will take to complete your goal. You can go into the Air Force Reserves, and they will give you SOME money for college per year. I think it is up to $4500. However, you are considered deployable, which means your schooling will be put on hold. You can also use your GI Bill, but that is only worth $42K now I believe. Neither of those amounts is enough to pay off the entire amount of schooling you will need to become a Doctor. If you want to become a Doctor for the Air Force, you will need to complete all your schooling, and then apply to the Direct Commission program. I believe there is also Air Force ROTC, but that may not exist for the Doctor route. The sex and race of the person can play a big role. Unless you really want to serve your country do not join the Military. Joining for monetary funding is never a good idea. Once you sign that contract you will not be able to get out of it unless you want some negative actions on your permanent record. If that happens, good luck being hired by any hospital, or being licensed in any state.

Answer 3

Better, I retired from the USAF, so I will/can tell it to you straight. First off, I would not have stuck around for 20+ years if I didn't enjoy the AF, and defending my country. If your grades are exceptional then apply for the USAF Academy, but your grades, attendance, and extracurricular activities must really stand out. To even be considered you will need the endorsement of one of your states Senate or House Representatives! If you are not the 1 in a million that get in that way, you can go the ROTC path. That is the way most go. You attend classes pretty much like any other student, except you have to attend meeting once a month or so at or near your campus and partake in physical fitness training. You will have to give up a week or two of your summer vacation every year and attend training at an AFB closest to you! This will get you your four year degree and a commission in the USAF. From there you can use other options to progress to your end goal of Doctor. Just a thought, but the USAF has been accepting students into their Physicians Assistant (PA) program. Might want to consider it, as a PA you work directly under a Dr, but you can do everything that a Doctor can do. It might be a good stepping stone to your ultimate goal!

Answer 4

Lot to say and I try to keep short. When you join, you can choose. When you drafted they choose for you. True we not had a draft in a long time. But, it gets brought up now and then. As mentioned above, Officer Training can be good. Also, just a year of college can start you as an E-2 and not E-1. Which means you have one Strip and a little more pay from the start.
If, I had it to do over again. I would try for a year of college in courses that pertain to the career I want, yours being Medical. I would go to the web-site mentioned above and read, read, read. May talk with the recruiter. But, be cautious. His/Her job is to get you to sign a paper.
Heck, you them them you want to be a Doctor and ask what be the best job to choose and they have you sign up for Tank Driver. So, be firm in your career choice.
The other thing I would have done. I would have Retired. 20 years. You 18-19 now get a year of college. So, go in @ 19-20 and Retire when you 39-40. Paycheck every month, Medical care cheap or $0. If, you made a Doctor then you have time in your life for another career. OR, work for the Post Office or Government job. Then when you 60 you have two Retirements and later snag in some Social Security too if it still around. :-p

Answer 5

Hi

AF ROTC does have an MD path and if you are accepted, most of your expenses would be paid. Get with your mom and find the college nearest you with an ROTC program. The university I teach at has a crosstown agreement with 13 universities and colleges with in a hour's drive of our school. I would love to talk to you more about this. You can contact me directly or go to http:www.afrotc.com for more information. Good luck to you.
PS. The last two students I "pushed" into the medical career field were women.

Answer 6

If you go to airforce.com you can check out the officers program you could become a doctor in the air force

Answer 7

Oh, you do still have to worry about money. You also will have a hard time using those great educational benefits while deployed.

MSgt, USAF (Retired)