Richard Montgomery  |  Senior Marketing Consultant
(877) 456-2867 x4242  |  rmontgomery@deltalocums.com

We have a lot of physicians who work for the military and, during their vacation time, work locum assignments to help supplement their income.  Here is a piece of an article from The New England Journal of Medicine that explains how the military programs work.

How Military Programs Work

There are two primary routes to pursuing medical education and training through the military: the reserves and the Armed Forces Health Professionals Scholarship Program (HPSP). Medical students and physicians in residency must formally apply to enter either the HPSP or the reserves. The HPSP provides up to $175,000 for four years of medical training at an accredited medical school, plus a monthly stipend of about $1,100. A separate Financial Assistance Program provides an additional payment of about $22,000, plus the monthly stipend for physicians in certain specialties, including family practice, orthopedic surgery, internal medicine, and general surgery. Whether students attend the USUHS or a “mainstream” medical school, the curriculum has to include components that ensure physicians are prepared to practice in nontraditional settings such as war zones.

In the reserves, physicians or residents receive a salary or education-loan paybacks or both, and resident compensation is often slightly higher than in the civilian sector. In some programs, up to $50,000 in loan repayment is available. Nearly 65 percent of the Army’s medical forces are in the reserve component, where commitments and opportunities for service range from full-time positions to very part-time gigs — two days a month and two weeks during the summer.

For medical students or medical school applicants, requirements for HPSP are much the same as they are for nonmilitary scholarship programs — a solid GPA and good scores on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), along with recommendations from faculty and others. In addition, students or physicians entering military training programs or service must pass a required physical fitness exam and undergo security clearance. For some specialties, physicians may be required to be board-certified rather than simply board-eligible. Though paperwork-intensive, the application process usually takes no more than three months from start to finish.

[ Read the full article at NEJM.com ]