USNA best path to Navy Doc?

N

Navy Doc Mom 2B

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My daughter is confident about one thing, she wants to be a Navy Doctor. She doesn't know if the best path is through USNA, NROTC, or waiting until after UG and then signing up once she's been admitted to the med school of her choice. We have received conflicting info from recruiters at college fairs and I was wondering if anyone on here had any thoughts.

What do most med school hopefuls major in at USNA as majors are limited.
 
There are many threads on this perennial favorite topic on here that go back aways. I encourage you both to browse the USNA forum and use the Search function.

There is a path from USNA, though a narrow one. USNA is designed to produce warfare officers, not staff officers (doctors, nurses, lawyers and a few others). It's usually anywhere from 13-17 per year out of 1100-1200 in a class who are allowed to go to med school. When I sat on the USNA board that reviewed the mids' applications near the end of junior year, I recall we reviewed over 60 packages. The class standings were very high, with no major conduct incidents or performance issues. MCATs had to be in a zone that ensured acceptance at at least a few medical schools. There is no guarantee. If the mid doesn't get approved, off they go to ships, subs, etc. There are briefs on this at USNA early on. Most are Chem majors, but some are other majors, including liberal arts. There are advisors who help them with their schedule so they get the life sciences they need, often giving up summer training blocks to get it all in, or volunteering at a military hospital to improve their application. This path is NOT for the person who wants to be a Navy doc and nothing else.

They must take MCATs and get accepted to med school on their own. Navy will pay.

After USNA, the approved grads may go to USUHS, the military med school on the Walter Reed NMMC campus, in full active duty status, or attend civilian med school in an inactive Reserve status with stipend. Look for kp2001's post on how the years of pay back stack up. USUHS usually accepts Service Academy grads.


Or, attend civilian college, explore Navy HPSP program for medical school, a very nice way to go, and how the majority of Navy docs get their commission.

Or, attend civilian college, apply to USUHS directly.

Or, go to USNA, NROTC, OCS after civilian college, go a regular warfare officer route, get out, use GI Bill or HPSP to attend medical school, apply for Med Corps commission, return to active duty.

I am not commenting on NROTC>med school, because I don't know what happens there.

Do not overlook the Public Health Service Officers programs. They are a Uniformed Service with most of the same benefits as the Armed Services, and are very professional. They have some scholarship programs. Their uniform is essentially the same as Navy, with different crest and professional insignia.

It will take some research to lay out all the paths in terms of risk, cost, payback time. I am sure the military docs who post here will comment.

http://www.usphs.gov

https://www.usuhs.edu/medschool

https://www.navy.com/joining/college-options/hpsp.html
 
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Since I didn't know much about a NROTC path, I did a cursory search and found this:

http://nrotc.gatech.edu/faq/

Assuming Ga Tech's NROTC site is up to date and accurate, looks similar to USNA - not a primary path, but 8 nationally are allowed to go. Same deal - be prepared to go normal warfare path if not selected.
 
Navy Doc Mom 2B said:
My daughter is confident about one thing, she wants to be a Navy Doctor.
Click to expand...

Since this statement didn't start with "I want to be a Navy officer" or "I want to attend USNA" then the best route is going to be applying for HPSP or USUHS after doing great in undergrad with no military connection.

The problem with USNA or ROTC is the limited numbers allowed to go medical corps. If your daughter's primary goal is to be a physician and wouldn't be happy with the chance of being a line officer than any undergrad military route is a poor choice for her.

The vast majority of military doctors come in without a military background, she won't be behind the curve by not being ROTC or Academy, although those things can help it doesn't offset the potential of not being a physician if that is her one and only goal.
 
The bottom line of various prior threads on this topic is that there are no guarantees what your service selection will be and if her mind is already made up on being a doctor, USNA is probably not the best route. Be wary of what recruiters may tell you as their primary interest is meeting their recruiting goals and their 'advice' may not always be the most objective perspective.
 
I think the most important question is: if she had to choose between being a Navy officer OR a MD - which one would she choose?

If the answer is Navy officer first - then USNA makes sense. Either wait and go to med school after fulfilling her commitment or pursue the medical path. Major really doesn't matter - but most are chemistry majors. Needs of the Navy will prevail - this is the first thing they tell parents at orientation.

If the answer is MD first, do not do USNA or NROTC. But see some of the many options posted above.

Either path will get her to Navy doctor.
 
Capt MJ said:
Since I didn't know much about a NROTC path, I did a cursory search and found this:

http://nrotc.gatech.edu/faq/

Assuming Ga Tech's NROTC site is up to date and accurate, looks similar to USNA - not a primary path, but 8 nationally are allowed to go. Same deal - be prepared to go normal warfare path if not selected.
Click to expand...

I have been told that NROTC does not have any educational delay program, so I would assume that the information on Georga Tech web site is dated. And I assume that Med school would be in that same category (I am usually wrong when I assume). Reference:
NavyNOLA said:
There is no competitive process for being selected to continue on and earn a masters in NROTC. The Navy/Marine Corps do not pay for master's degrees in this program. Once you earn your bachelors, you will graduate and commission. If you show up with credits and can graduate in 3 or 3.5 years....you'll also be getting commissioned then and sent to the fleet. This simply does not exist. The only time people get an extra semester or a 5th full year is when they are doing a bachelor's program that, by design, takes longer than the traditional four years. In that case, you'd have to get authorization from the NROTC unit to do so. Bachelor's only though.

I can't speak for AROTC or AFROTC, and I'm sure there are differences.
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Here is a UVa NROTC grad's bio that may be of interest.
"I went Submarine Service and completed the training pipeline by November 2005. Then I was stationed onboard USS CHICAGO (SSN-721) out of Pearl Harbor for almost 3 years where I earned my Submarine Warfare pin and became PNEO qualified. My shore tour was at NAVSEA 07 in Washington DC where I worked in PMS 392A supporting the active submarine fleet.

While at NAVSEA I took classes I needed to apply to medical school as well as the MCAT. I left the sub force at the end of 2010 and applied to medical schools during the summer of 2011. I was fortunate enough to be accepted into Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk where I grew up.

Now I am in my M2 year of medical school and will graduate in 2016. I am once again active duty in a program called HSCP, where the Navy pays me as an E-7 plus time in service and I use the GI Bill to cover tuition."
 
I can't speak to Ed delay out of NROTC but going to med school is certainly possible through HPSP/USUHS. The number of ROTC to HPSP applicants I've interviewed or been a member of the selection Board for is proof to that.

(I may have mis-understood your post, so apologies if that isn't what you were getting at)
 
Capt MJ said:
There are many threads on this perennial favorite topic on here that go back aways. I encourage you both to browse the USNA forum and use the Search function.

There is a path from USNA, though a narrow one. USNA is designed to produce warfare officers, not staff officers (doctors, nurses, lawyers and a few others). It's usually anywhere from 13-17 per year out of 1100-1200 in a class who are allowed to go to med school. When I sat on the USNA board that reviewed the mids' applications near the end of junior year, I recall we reviewed over 60 packages. The class standings were very high, with no major conduct incidents or performance issues. MCATs had to be in a zone that ensured acceptance at at least a few medical schools. There is no guarantee. If the mid doesn't get approved, off they go to ships, subs, etc. There are briefs on this at USNA early on. Most are Chem majors, but some are other majors, including liberal arts. There are advisors who help them with their schedule so they get the life sciences they need, often giving up summer training blocks to get it all in, or volunteering at a military hospital to improve their application. This path is NOT for the person who wants to be a Navy doc and nothing else.

They must take MCATs and get accepted to med school on their own. Navy will pay.

After USNA, the approved grads may go to USUHS, the military med school on the Walter Reed NMMC campus, in full active duty status, or attend civilian med school in an inactive Reserve status with stipend. Look for kp2001's post on how the years of pay back stack up. USUHS usually accepts Service Academy grads.


Or, attend civilian college, explore Navy HPSP program for medical school, a very nice way to go, and how the majority of Navy docs get their commission.

Or, attend civilian college, apply to USUHS directly.

Or, go to USNA, NROTC, OCS after civilian college, go a regular warfare officer route, get out, use GI Bill or HPSP to attend medical school, apply for Med Corps commission, return to active duty.

I am not commenting on NROTC>med school, because I don't know what happens there.

Do not overlook the Public Health Service Officers programs. They are a Uniformed Service with most of the same benefits as the Armed Services, and are very professional. They have some scholarship programs. Their uniform is essentially the same as Navy, with different crest and professional insignia.

It will take some research to lay out all the paths in terms of risk, cost, payback time. I am sure the military docs who post here will comment.

http://www.usphs.gov

https://www.usuhs.edu/medschool

https://www.navy.com/joining/college-options/hpsp.html
Click to expand...
Thank you. I didn't know about PH program. That is her preferred UG major if she doesn't go USNA. Which it is sounding like isn't her best option, but that of course is a decision she will need to make. You've been very helpful, thank you.
 
Do not do NROTC for Navy Medicine. Yes, I know there are technically slots available. In the past two years, NOBODY has gotten selected nationally. NROTC doesn't make doctors, so might as well scratch it of the list if that's all your daughter has her heart set on.
 
kp2001 said:
I can't speak to Ed delay out of NROTC but going to med school is certainly possible through HPSP/USUHS. The number of ROTC to HPSP applicants I've interviewed or been a member of the selection Board for is proof to that.

(I may have mis-understood your post, so apologies if that isn't what you were getting at)
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It's all new to us, so it's all helpful. She knows she wants to serve her country and wants to be a Navy Doctor. She currently plans to major in public health unless she gets into and goes USNA. This thread has definitely helped guide us where to look to better educate ourselves. Thank you!
 
dakine said:
I think the most important question is: if she had to choose between being a Navy officer OR a MD - which one would she choose?

If the answer is Navy officer first - then USNA makes sense. Either wait and go to med school after fulfilling her commitment or pursue the medical path. Major really doesn't matter - but most are chemistry majors. Needs of the Navy will prevail - this is the first thing they tell parents at orientation.

If the answer is MD first, do not do USNA or NROTC. But see some of the many options posted above.

Either path will get her to Navy doctor.
Click to expand...
I guess it's good she has so many options, but it's also a little overwhelming. It's great information for us newbies. Thank you so much.
 
NavyNOLA said:
Do not do NROTC for Navy Medicine. Yes, I know there are technically slots available. In the past two years, NOBODY has gotten selected nationally. NROTC doesn't make doctors, so might as well scratch it of the list if that's all your daughter has her heart set on.
Click to expand...
If she did her "time" after NROTC and then reupped after getting accepted to civilian medical school would they cover her tuition and accept her for her residency and then let her be a "lifer"? Or can it not work that way?
 
dakine said:
I think the most important question is: if she had to choose between being a Navy officer OR a MD - which one would she choose?

If the answer is Navy officer first - then USNA makes sense. Either wait and go to med school after fulfilling her commitment or pursue the medical path. Major really doesn't matter - but most are chemistry majors. Needs of the Navy will prevail - this is the first thing they tell parents at orientation.

If the answer is MD first, do not do USNA or NROTC. But see some of the many options posted above.

Either path will get her to Navy doctor.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure really. I can't think of a time she didn't talk about serving but she's also always wanted to be a vet or a doctor so that's a great question for her to reflect on.
 
NavyNOLA said:
Do not do NROTC for Navy Medicine. Yes, I know there are technically slots available. In the past two years, NOBODY has gotten selected nationally. NROTC doesn't make doctors, so might as well scratch it of the list if that's all your daughter has her heart set on.
Click to expand...

I don't think that is correct, I have certainly sat on HPSP Selection Boards with ROTC applicants in the last two years. (Unless my memory is way way off)
 
kp2001 said:
I don't think that is correct, I have certainly sat on HPSP Selection Boards with ROTC applicants in the last two years. (Unless my memory is way way off)
Click to expand...

Perhaps NROTC grads that went to a community and earned their warfare pin, then applied. However, I can assure you that in the past two years, no NROTC midshipmen have been selected to go to medical school immediately following graduation and commissioning. We used to be in that business somewhat, but we are most definitely out at this point. Yes, THEORETICALLY a student could get selected, as there are still a few slots kept available for NROTC, but it hasn't happened in the last two years, and I wouldn't bet on it happening for the foreseeable future. Bottom line- NROTC doesn't want kids that want to be doctors. We make URL officers and that's it. That's straight from the mouth of Directior, Officer Development.
 
Navy Doc Mom 2B said:
If she did her "time" after NROTC and then reupped after getting accepted to civilian medical school would they cover her tuition and accept her for her residency and then let her be a "lifer"? Or can it not work that way?
Click to expand...

I doesn't work like that. There are some VERY limited opportunities for medical/law school after earning your warfare pin and spending a few years in your community, but I personally would never bet on that, nor would I advisde any of my Mids that that is a realistic expectation. It is rare.
 
After she fulfilled her 5+ year AD commitment she could get a scholarship through HSPC and ultimately become that Navy Doc. But that is 4 years college, 5+ years AD, 4 years med school, Internship, residency, It is definitely the long route to get there. In addition NROTC is looking for STEM majors and engineers. A Public Health major may be possible, but it would make getting that scholarship more difficult.
 
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