Navy Medicine

What degree from USNA would allow for a job in Navy Medicine, or allow for acceptance to med school?

There's no specific major requirement, but folks hoping for Medical Corps are usually Chemistry or English majors. Chemistry for relevance, English for the extreme flexibility of the major (allows for you to fit the extra biology and chemistry classes in a bit more nicely). There are biology classes and the like that you can take to prepare yourself and make yourself competitive for selection.

Med Corps at USNA is extremely selective. Possible, but you're usually looking at folks graduating with over a 3.7 GPA.

My son is a 2001 grad from the United States Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point, NY) and is now an M.D. and Naval Lt. Commander doing a residency at the Naval Hospital in San Diego. His undergrad degree is in Inter-modal Transportation (USCG licensed as a deck officer). He was accepted at both the UT Med School in Houston and at USUHS in Bethesda. Went to USUHS...great school, great program! One gets paid as an Ensign all the way through and no med school bills or loans at graduation. Served a tour as a Flight Surgeon (Iraq included) prior to getting his residency in San Diego.

Had to come home to take some lab sciences as Kings Point is all about engineering and transportation, physics, math, navigation, etc. and not so much lab sciences. So, pick what ever major you want, just make sure you fill up on lab sciences and the like.

Good luck to you! Look into USUHS...you will be happy you did!

At USNA, the key is finding a place for organic chemistry in your courseload. It's a 3-6-5 course (or was in my day), which means you have to find 9 hours in your schedule along with a 5-credit course. And you need to take biology, which is probably a 3-2-4 course.

With all of the core requirements and major requirements, that's really hard to do unless you're a chem major (in which at least organic is part of your major requirement), you validate a lot, or you take some of your other courses in summer school to free up time.

Although up to 24 students from USNA can attend med school each year, for the past few years, the actual number allowed to select med school has been 10. So, it's fine to want this but definitely be prepared to pick a warfare specialty if it doesn't work out for you.

A Very Large Commit

Make sure you understand the commitment you are making.
4 Years at the Academy.
4 Years at the USHS Med School.
5 Years to pay off the Academy.
7 Years to pay off the USHS Med School.
(None of these overlap)
So you will be in the committing 20 years, which is very admirable.
Not saying its good or bad...just that you will be career military.
Just make sure you understand where you are heading...

bobjr said:

Make sure you understand the commitment you are making.
4 Years at the Academy.
4 Years at the USHS Med School.
5 Years to pay off the Academy.
7 Years to pay off the USHS Med School.
(None of these overlap)
So you will be in the committing 20 years, which is very admirable.
Not saying its good or bad...just that you will be career military.
Just make sure you understand where you are heading...

Click to expand...

All Medical Corps selectees from USNA usually qualify for *both* of the military medical scholarships: USUHS and HPSP.

You have accurately described the USUHS timeline above.

The only difference with the HPSP scholarship (civilian medical school) is that you only have a 4 year commitment (as opposed to 7) for medical school.

Also, with the HPSP scholarship you get a $20,000 bonus upon graduation (which you won't get for USUHS).

You are on inactive reserve status while attending medical school (which is still fully paid for, just like USUHS) and receive a $2100/month stipend instead of Ensign pay (i.e. lower). You go on active duty status for 6 wks/yr.