Naval Doctor

flyfishpj

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5-Year Member
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Feb 16, 2007
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How do you go about becoming a doctor in the Navy through ROTC? Are you given the option to apply to med-school during your senior year? How does that happen? The guy on the Bachelor (don't even ask how I know this) went to Duke for NROTC and was given the option to go to med-school and then became a Navy Doctor. How does one go about becoming one through ROTC? Thanks guys!
 
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Your senior year of college you select what you'd like to do for a career. If becoming a physician interests you there are multiple programs available through the military. You have USUHS (Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences) and HPSP (Health Professionals Scholarship Program). You can not apply for these proigrams until your senior year of college.
 
Andy Baldwin, The Bachelor, went to Duke on an NROTC scholarship. According to my friend (who is now a doctor)and who went to to Duke the campus atmosphere there is very supportive of ROTC students.

Lots of people will tell you not to join the Navy if you want to go to med school because you'll have quite a service obligation after you are out of med school. Also there is no guarantee that you will be selected out of your unit for a med school billet.

The Mids who get the med school spots are usually very dedicated students who do exceptionally well in the competitive pre-med majors and in their NROTC commitments. If that sounds like you then give it a shot.

I only have direct info from Harvard and Penn and was told that the Mids there who want med school almost always get those billets.

If you want to be a Navy doctor (the Navy always needs awesome doctors) you should call the NROTC units that interest you and ask them if their Mids have success in obtaining med school billets at service selection time.

Have never had a problem getting that info so don't be shy.

RetNavyHM knows way more about this stuff than I do!
 
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Thank you guys so much. I plan on emailing the COs of the units I am interested in and find out if that is the case. Thanks again guys.
 
One more suggestion - all three services have med school programs.
If you want to be a physician first and serve your country second then check out the Army and Air Force programs as well. They have needs as well - the opportunities may be broader if their needs are greater.
If being a Naval Officer is your priority then stick with NROTC and hope for the best.
For one who wants a medical career - physician, dentist - it is a good deal. You do owe extra time to Uncle Sam but then Med School is paid for.

Perhaps, KP2001 will come back and add a few words as a USMMA and USHUS grad.
 
I emailed the main units I am looking at and got great responses. One said, though, that NROTC may not be the best way because you can go undergrad and then get accepted to med school on your own and then go talk to an officer recruiter. Is this true? I think I would rather just go unrestricted line in another community if I do not get accepted. It is just an option I am keeping open right now, not the final main thing I want to do. I haven't exactly decided yet.
 
you can go undergrad and then get accepted to med school on your own and then go talk to an officer recruiter. Is this true?

This route is the route that a lot of naval physicians take. They go to undergrad on their own dime and then looking at the cost of medical school go to the officer recruiter and apply for the HPSP scholarship. There is no need to be ROTC or have any other attachment to the military in order to apply for the scholarship, but it does help to show that you have a commitment to the military.

You can also pay for med school on your own and join the navy after medical school through a program called FAP where the military will help repay some of your medical school loans.
 
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