"To me, the danger aspect of working in Afghanistan ... if it wasn't something I was willing to accept then I would not have signed up."

In exchange for enlisting, the students guarantee four years service to the military which begins as soon as they finish their training.

For Steven Joseph, who had seen a bit more of life before he signed up, the decision to join the military wasn't as easy as it was for Duong.

Originally from Lethbridge, Alta., the 29-year-old first-year medical student already had a career and a marriage under his belt before he ever thought about medicine - or the military.

He was an economics lecturer at the University of Lethbridge, but became restless in what he was doing with his life.

"I liked teaching enough," said Joseph. "But I found I wasn't challenged enough every day."

So after setting his sights on something new, he was accepted to the University of Calgary for the fall of 2006 - and somehow, by the start of his next semester, he'd up and joined the army.

"Most people are a little tentative," said Joseph, who is the only person in his class of 140 to sign up for the military.

"Once you make (the decision)," he said, "you know what you're doing for the next few years."

Lt.-Col. Randy Russell, who helps recruit doctors for the Canadian Forces, said that when students look at their bank accounts and their choices, they think to themselves that they can "make this work."

And with the Forces now expanding recruitment due to staffing needs in Afghanistan and recently opening up eligibility to first-year med students for the first time, the combination of a debt-free education and a guaranteed salary is becoming more attractive.

"We've made medical school significantly more accessible for Canadians," said Russell.

The military has had some difficulty in attracting physicians over the years, in part because doctors are better compensated if they go into private practice.

Now, it has boosted salaries, tripled its hiring through 2009, and it will refund medical students for any tuition they have paid before having signed up in a given year.

Up until last April, the military had about two-thirds of what it needed in family physicians - only 100 doing the work of 150. With these new recruitment strategies in place, it's hoping to change that.

"We're recruiting full-speed ahead," Russell said, noting that even with a small target of 24-25 family physician recruits nationwide this year, those interested are unlikely to be turned away.

"If in fact, a person wished to join tomorrow who approached me from a medical school and they are in good standing at their medical school and they are medically fit and physically fit, they could be enrolled in two or three weeks," he said.

Joseph said the challenges and benefits that come with going into army medicine are what drew him to the job.

"The military kind of offers a nice variety," said Joseph, who admits looking forward to both his duties in the office and in the field. "You get to help out a lot of different cultures and people."

Like Duong's relatives, some of Joseph's family and friends had reservations. His father liked the idea, while his mother was proud of him but didn't want to see him hurt.

"I didn't make the decision on my own," he said. "I discussed it at length with my wife."

But once he had decided, he signed up for duty and he is now committed to the military until 2015. And for him, it is not a problem.

"A lot of people leave after their (four-year) commitment," he said.

"I'm planning to stay here long term."

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