Applying for Fulbright and PHd programs simultaneously?

[mayanway]

I'm planning to pursue a PHd in the next few years. I'm a veterinarian who figured out in vet school (too late for a dual program, alas) that my interests fell more in the realm of population level wildlife/zoonotic disease research than standard cat and dog medicine. However, a really intriguing opportunity has come up through one of my contacts. It would involve a year abroad (2014-2015) conducting disease ecology research in wildlife populations and working as the vet for some other wildlife capture projects. The few other people that have done this before me were funded by Fulbright scholarships and some had additional grants. Two have stayed on to get their PHds through the associated university.

I'm trying to decide whether my best strategy would be to focus solely on finding funding for this opportunity, or to apply for US grad schools at the same time. It is really a dream position, but would only be for one year and I would still need to pursue further training to make this my career. Of course, the competitiveness of Fulbright (and the similar region-specific grant I'd also apply for) makes this far from a sure thing. Staying in my current job for another year if I were rejected without having pursued anything else is a really unappealing thought. On the other hand, if I were accepted to a PHd program in addition to getting funded for this research year, I'd have some tough decisions to make. Is it possible to defer PHd admission (and funding?!) for something like this? Has anyone else gone through the same dilemma, and what did you do?