Direct commissioning as an Army PA

[NC30]

I recently contacted an Army medical recruiter about direct commissioning as a PA after (civilian) school. I thought I'd share what they told me for those who are curious :

 

...

 

Requirements include:

*Bachelor's degree, plus completion of an accredited physician assistant program acceptable to the Army Surgeon General
*Certification by the National Commission for Certified Physician Assistants (NCCPA)
*Eligibility for board certification
*Must be between 21 and 42 years of age (may request a waiver)
*Students graduating within six months, with a qualifying degree from a U.S.-accredited school, may apply for Active Army service

The Army does not have any educational assistance programs while attending a PA program. The Army instead offers these incentives for PAs after commissioning into the Army:

Health Professions Loan Repayment Program (HPLRP):

This program will repay up to $40,000 of qualified loans annually for a maximum of $120,000 for Physician Assistants. Active duty obligation is one year for each year receiving loan repayment with a minimum period of three years on active duty.

Special Pay (HPO):

All qualified Physician Assistants (PA) who do not currently hold a commission as a PA in any service may be eligible to receive $12,500 a year for a three year obligation and $15,000 a year for a four year obligation. This incentive cannot be combined with any other incentive.

Yes, you may still direct commission, once you have met the requirements above, as a 65D.

 

I'm interested in hearing from anyone that direct commissioned (active duty Army), or is in the process of. Thanks!

[ONE40pt6]

Thanks for sharing. More incentive for me to get my waist size down and my push up numbers up!

[NC30]

Haha you and me both! I'm not 100% sure yet but it's definitely on my radar. Are you a PA/student? I start PA school this fall so I have plenty of time to think about this...

[ONE40pt6]

I start next month. This has been on my radar for a while, but I haven't gotten too far with planning yet.

[narcan]

I direct commissioned. Feel free to ask any questions.

[NC30]

Thank you @narcan, I have plenty of questions! Sending a PM.

[MythicalBearNole]

For most questions feel free to post questions in the thread and avoid PMs.  For a lot of us we don't have specific questions but still look for info that might apply to us in the threads.

[NC30]

Some questions for anyone :

 

If you were a new grad, how long between graduation and BOLC? What kind of unit did you end up in, and did you have a say in it? What was your day to day like at your unit? Thanks.

[fflores98]

I direct commissioned. Feel free to ask any questions.

Narcan- How long was the process for commissioning? Is there a wait period at all since they also have the IPAP program? Where you prior service?

[narcan]

I graduated in 2012, so my experience with the process and BOLC is a few years old. PA's are overstrength on active duty, so I don't know how aggressively they're still recruiting outside of IPAP, but when I went I was offered $120K loan repayment for 3 years AD. Keep in mind this is taxed as income. I would say from start to finish, it took me about 6 months to get all of the commissioning stuff done. Below are some more comments I sent to someone who had questions. Feel free to ask specific follow-up questions.

 

I started the commissioning process the fall of my 2nd year, ended up signing the contract that Christmas I think. I originally was working with a recruiter who was a nurse and knew his shit. He got me through MEPS and walked me through the contract, background, medical records, etc. He then moved and I was stuck with an E-7 who, while competent, did not understand the process well and it really slowed things down and kind of made things more difficult. But she was kind and supportive, and that counted for something. It was certainly painful, but you'll find that anything that involves paperwork in the Army is painful, so it is what it is. My advice on that part would be to find a recruiter you like and relatively trust and who seems to know what's up.

 

I took the oath of office at our graduation, which was cool because it was in front of the whole class, and won't lie it felt pretty badass. One nice thing about DC is that you technically have a lot of control over when you actually go on to active duty. I had planned on taking six months off and had a job lined up at the hospital where I used to work as a paramedic helping out as a hospitalist. My branch manager (that's the person who oversees assignments for all PA's) then called me and asked me to go to BOLC in June (2 weeks) so I could immediately go to Fort Campbell, KY and deploy. This was a lot to think about, and I asked what assignments were going to be available that winter when I had originally planned on going AD. She said, "Oh, well Fort Polk will be available". DO NOT GO TO FORT POLK. I thought to myself, "I see how this game is played", and said, "I'll see you in two weeks".

 

I ended up not deploying with that brigade but deploying the following spring with another brigade. Deployment wasn't bad but definitely saw my share of trauma and death, although if you're going into the Army, hopefully you've already decided you're okay with this. Ending up at Fort Campbell was definitely the right choice. Your first duty station can make or break your time in the Army. You do get to rank your duty stations, but there's no guarantee you'll get what you want. One phrase you'll learn is, "the needs of the Army", which means they can do whatever they want, but most people I know get their top 3 or top 5 pick. I can certainly give you some feedback on duty stations, and where you may want to go may depend on what your goals are.

[tigerlily]

On 5/16/2016 at 8:41 AM, narcan said:

I would say from start to finish, it took me about 6 months to get all of the commissioning stuff done.

Hi, know it's a long shot...but do you recall how long it took between the time your packet was sent off, to when you found out about the board results? Thanks in advance!

[narcan]

I don't offhand. I would estimate 4-12 weeks, but don't quote me on that.