Hi! I am a fourth year osteopathic medical student that is passionate about balance, health, exercise, spirituality, and military medicine. I believe that I can only take care of my future patients as well as I take care of myself.
I want to show others that although medical school is hard, there is still time to take care of yourself, cultivate your own interests, and make time for what is important to you.
Follow along as I become a better version of myself, share a little bit about my journey, and hopefully inspire others to be their best as well.
Every DO I've ever been to has been excellent. Superior to the MDs I've been to. I'm glad DOs are finally getting the recognition they deserve and I'm looking forward to seeing further growth in this field. Ignore the rude comments. People are so ignorant about medical school and training and what really matters. I know surgeons who are DOs. My obgyn who delivered my children was a DO.
Thank you for your video! I'm about to enter my junior year on my Type 1 scholarship in Air Force ROTC, and you answered so many questions I had as the only pre-dental student at my detachment. However, I may have missed this, but how does the timeline add up in the end? Would HPSP add 4 years to my time in my contract, or would it cover some of my time? I also saw another video from someone who didn't do ROTC, and she said residency counts towards retirement. I'm just a little confused about what my timeline looks like beyond now.
I have thought about the Air Force and Med school for a while now. I decided recently to contact a recruiter and apply for the Air Force and hope to attend med school one day. Thank you for the info and the real expectations of academics and life outside of class as well. Best of luck to you in your journey and career . I am going to begin studying for the MCAT soon. Good job on your videos. Aim high
Not true and it doesn't matter. At the end of the day, they are all doctors. I know surgeons who are DOs. My obgyn who delivered my babies was a DO. All doctors. Same education and training as MDs. All provided excellent care. The ER doctor who take care of my daughter last month was a DO. Your comment is stupid and ignorant. You probably couldn't even get into DO school much less Med school. You can't even write a lucid sentence.
Hey! I had a question, im looking into going into HPSP for neurosurgery but I know it is very competitive, with there only being 2 slots in the entire military. You mentioned you have to apply for Civ and Military residency match, since the military match day is before the Civ one, if you don't get your first pick in the military one, will they let you wait for the Civ one and see if you got into any? Or will they force you into your second pick in the military match. Also how hard is it to get Civ Deferred for Air Force? Thank you!
So 2 years later, and hopefully, you've graduated, or are about to graduate. The ortho who put me back together after a gnarly motorcycle accident in '89 was a DO. I didn't give a rat's ass. All I knew was that he and his team spent 7 and a half hours putting my wrists back together and performing an open reduction on my right femur. Other than subluxation in both my wrist, and some inflexibility in the same, I really have nothing I can't do, other than pushups on my palms. The one thing he did that impressed me greatly in the aftercare was to agree with my desire to have acupuncture done on my left leg. It was functionally immobile, so I went to the school of Chinese medicine as a subject, and if I'm lying, I'm dying; after ONE treatment, I had regained about 30% of my mobility in the knee, and the hip. After the 2nd treatment, I was near pre-accident levels as far as flexibility. Disclaimer: acupuncture has not always had such a dramatic affect. My point is this: I have a feeling that my orthopedist MAY have not been as open to alternative medicine as an MD. There's a lot more open-mindedness today, but 30+ years ago, not so much.
So much earlier to get admitted into a DO school an a MD school. The end point is both degrees are doctor treating patients and care for patients equally.
You mentioned headaches and abdominal pain multiple times in this video.. I have my first appointment with a DO tomorrow and my 2 main issues is headaches and GI issues so it felt good to know that I am making the right decision.. Thank you..
I'd second the opinion that 'don't do it for money' doesn't necessarily apply to prior service. I applied for the program, having ten years in the Army. If I had received the program, I'd be able to retire from the military at 40 as a Captain (barring a major screw-up), which would give me plenty of time to still benefit from private practice. I was rejected, but that financial incentive is absolutely massive for many prior service. For a ten year commitment, it lets you enter private practice with experience, no debt and with a steady paycheck to fall back on or for fun money. Also, from my experience, if anyone is apply like me after a background in high-risk security and private military work, then definitely do NOT disclose that to background. I'm pretty sure that's what got my disqualified. They'll do all the "failure to disclose information will lead to all these penalties and jail time", but the reality is that I've never heard of the Feds pursuing a case like that unless you did something illegal once you were in the service. Think about it, once you serving as a doctor or nurse, is it really going to matter that six years ago you worked a nine month contract for some government in Eastern Europe or the Middle East? Nope. Does not apply to USG contracting, that will be fine. It's the contracts done for third-party governments that will get you hemmed up.
Wait, do I have to be in the military already to apply to HPSP? Or can I be a civilian that got into medical school and then wants to apply to HPSP? Because I know you have to be in officer and stuff
no, you don't have to already be in the military to do hpsp. you're correct - you can be a civilian, get into med school/in the process of interviewing for medical schools, apply to hpsp, then officially commission and join the military thru hpsp. this is the more common route for hpsp its more uncommon to already be in rotc/active duty then do hpsp!
Thank you for stressing the importance of not just doing it for the money. Military doctors can be subjected to court marital and receive reprimand in their service record for failure to fulfill their duties. I was involved in a mass casualty incident in Iraq in 2006 where our air strip was attacked by mortar fire and 19 of us in all were injured. It was very chaotic for the 3 doctors who were assigned to the airfield who were accustomed to doing routine flight physicals and were now handling severe trauma cases with burns and shrapnel. The attack included around 30 artillery shells striking living quarters where troops were sleeping and air field hangers and missed the aviation fuel storage tanks by about 20 feet. It lasted for 20 minutes so as you had a few people come in another round would hit and then another and next thing you know you had people being placed on the floor, on top of tables, anywhere they could fit them. We were two hours from the nearest hospital and the medevac helicopters had come in from surrounding camps after they got the report there was 19 of us altogether. But the hardest part I thing was triage because you'd have some with flesh wounds and then the 11th guy comes in and he's in a coma with shrapnel to the brain. So they had to run back and forth like crazy. Not far off from the pearl harbor movie hospital scene. The clinic was literally under fire on the airfield for 20 minutes while the had to deal with all this. My last thing to say is my records went without time and date but were signed off. The military had to go back and establish that I was being treated on that day so the doctor had to sign a sworn statement to attach to the medical record so purple hearts could be awarded. The Dr explained the circumstances were to chaotic to take any real time with record keeping because there were so many of us and they had to coordinate medevac and notify the receiving hospital. These doctors came under scrutiny for their inability to keep complete records but given the circumstances the military did not find it necessary to reprimand them and the doctors actually received a meritorious citation. The first year resident failed to identify a spinal injury in my arm that has left my arm partially paralyzed from the attack but she wrote down the symptoms I had so it was enough to get service connected. I think she did great as a first year resident handling something like that and still taking directions from the O5 who was in charge. I mean 3 doctors and 19 trauma patients while under artillery fire is quite admirable yet it goes to show you have to be SURE about the military. My son wants to be a doctor in the air force through hpsp and work for the VA after. I guess all the war stories got him wanting to get in that area.
Hello! I am 32 years old, I’m a firefighter paramedic. I got an associates degree. Do you believe it’s too late for me? I did 3 years active duty NAVY and got honorable discharge.
no, i dont think so! I would talk with a recruiter to check on age limits for when you can start hpsp. I'm not sure what the AF/navy one is but i believe the army's is the highest, at 40-42. so as long as you get going on your premed classes, clinical experience, and all that soon, you should be able to start med school/hpsp in the next few years!
Great video and great information! Just an advice, it would be very helpful if you could speak a little slower. Specially for those like me who English is their second language 😊. You explained DO very well and I would love to become a Dermatologist DO.
@@momto2 to be honest, got to agree with @Sr68720. Most people who go into DO are ones who can't make it into MD. Also, as a medical student in an MD program, most of the reasons that DO students say they went to DO programs like it being more focused on the patient, holistic, etc is pretty much nonsense. MD programs obviously have the same tenant of treating patients holistically. I also know some DO physicians who rarely use OMT, and they even say that the evidence behind it is questionable. You can even do a literature search about it. However, if it works for a patient, then great, but it's really not all that it's cracked up to be. Lastly, are the students that applied to DO that you know competitive in their metrics? She even admitted to having a subpar MCAT of 500, which would still get you secondaries and maybe from some interviews from lower tier MD programs. If you want to do something like internal medicine or primary, DO does not matter. However, if you want to specialize then going to an MD school, which usually have more resources/funding/committed clinical sites, is the better option if you can get in.
@@momto2 some do like the DO philosophy of being more "holistic" but that's more of a coping tagline than anything since MDs also do a holistic approach (in an MD program and have lots of friends in several other MD programs around the country with same experience), most do so bc they know their odds in getting into MD is slim to none based on their metrics, experiences, etc
@@pseudoname5936 You can think what you want. At the end of the day, MDs and DOs do the same residencies and have identical privileges at a hospital. I'm a RN who has worked for and has been treated by DOs. My daughter is about to graduate from DO med school and will be doing a specialty residency with three MDs at one of the best medical centers/teaching hospitals in the country.
Not true and it doesn't matter. At the end of the day, they are all doctors. I know surgeons who are DOs. My obgyn who delivered my babies was a DO. All doctors. Same education and training as MDs. All provided excellent care. Your comment is stupid and ignorant.
yes, you can ask for permission from the military branch you're in to not go to an active duty residency and then compete in the civilian match. ive seen it done more commonly with navy hpsp students, less so army and AF but still possible
Hi, Rachel! I am a high school student who wants to be a dentist in the Army. And, I have some questions for you:) 1. Being in the ROTC can potentially enhance my acceptance into the HPSP? 2. Will I have enough time to engage in shadowing or volunteer activities while being part of the ROTC? Will the ROTC schedule be really busy? (Some people told me that taking ROTC is a bad plan because it would disrupt your focus on GPA and other activities in college. But, I want to hear your thoughts about this since you were the one who experienced this pathway.) 3. Can I receive assistance from the military in finding volunteering or shadowing opportunities to prepare for dental school instead of finding them outside?
1. it could, cause it shows commitment to the military and you gain a service obligation with it ,so they know you will be in for a while 2. it does make it harder. ROTC takes up A LOT of time, especially when you're already a busy premed. i do think i would have had a higher gpa honestly if i didnt do rotc (it was still good and good enough to get me into med school tho a 3.73) but it did make it harder to focus on classes sometimes. i was just so busy in general because of it. it takes SERIOUS time management, organizational, + multitasking. at the same time, the letter of rec i got from my rotc commander was amazing im pretty sure, i had incredible leadership opportunities from it that i wouldnt have had, and i met so many amazing ppl and mentors out of it + got to travel more in undergrad bc of it. 3. no they will not help with that unfortunately, its all your own networking and what you plan for yourself
take the required premed classes, plan to take the mcat in the fall/spring semester of junior year so the score is ready to submit by june of your junior year, talk with your advisors about a prehealth slot instead of a nonrated/ rated slot ... in rotc we have a prehealth board, idk if this is different at the academy. this gives you "permission" from the military to not go active duty and instead take an educational delay to go to medical school. start looking at schools. consider USUHS, although this adds an additional 7 years on to your service time, civilian med school adds 4 years. make sure you get some sort of clinical experience during a summer maybe or if you can be an emt/scribe while at the academy if possible. focus on leadership stuff although that shouldnt be too difficutl for you. basically tell your superiors your plan and make sure they know whats going on and can help you. find a mentor that has done it that can help guide you!
Hey Rachel, Just wondering if you knew anything about the Pilot Physician Program within the USAF? That’s my primary interest, but I haven’t been able to get much info out of my recruiter.
i dont know much about it, i do know it is a real thing and it is very competitive bc you need to qualify for and finish both med school and training .. i believe ppl typically do the pilot training then the med school but i could be wrong. i would ask your recruiter to get you in contact with someone else bc most hpsp recruiters arent experts/trained in that bc its such a rare thing
This largely depends on where you are for medical school & if you want to live alone. I believe it’s ~$2600 before taxes now. If you live in NYC, your rent will be vastly different than someone who lives in Utah or Mississippi, for example, so that’s something to take into account. Also, roommates really help with saving money, which is what i did for all 3 years of my med school. I lived with roommates for all 3 years so far but also had my electric/wifi, car payment, car insurance, & groceries to take care of along with “fun” money for going out to eat, some travel, some shopping, & I’ve been able to make it work without taking out extra loans. I do like to think I’m more on the frugal side & I’ve tried to educate myself about finances. Worst case, you take out $10-30k in loans to supplement the stipend if you live in a more expensive area & it is nothing compared to what most other med students take out. All in all if you are smart & aware of your money, i believe yes it is!
as an advanced pre-hospital provider. I wholly agree on the whole rather than the disease. I believe that DO are far more intuitive than the MD philosophy, sort of more like Oriental medicine. I whole-heartedly agree with you! I''ll go to a DO before any MD physician! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for your service to patients & thank you for your support for DOs! 😄we take the same classes as MDs along with our OMM classes, we are both equally qualified but I believe the tenets of osteopathic medicine - that focus on the self healing body, biomechanics, & focusing on the body, mind & spirit - that are emphasized throughout our education & training makes a difference! :)
Well, that's not true. People only apply for DO schools when they failed to get into MD schools due to low GPA and MCAT. No they are not better than MDs.
@@weilin2418 This is completely false. The ER doctors who take care of me was a DO. I know surgeons who are DOs. Why would any hospital hire a DO if they aren't top notch. You have NO clue what you're talking about. You are just ignorant.
