USMA to USUHS

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Hope4MD

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Dec 31, 2012
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I'm really interested in this opportunity at the academy and I was wondering if anyone had any further information on this, other than what's is on the usma.edu such as if this option is very competitive/popular? Any information is extremely appreciated :wave:
 
Med school is an option, but very few cadets get it each year because of a mix of the limited #'s of slots and difficulty of the life science major/west point in general. From what I have heard, West Point is simply not the best option if you are set on becoming an Army MD.
 
roughly how many mids get the opportunity to go directly to med school after graduation?
 
Graduate School

Up to 2% of a graduating class is eligible for graduate school/Med School. If you want to be a Doctor, the Academy is not the best or most assured route. If you want to be an platoon leader, in the active Army, WP is probably the most assured route. Saying that, the number 2 guy in my class went the MED School route and is now a Colonel stationed in TX.
 
Huh....Mids??

No mids on this part of SAF just Cadets.

By law no more than 1% of the class. Last year 12-13 cadets were select to attend John-Hopkins School of Medicine

Push Hard, Press Forward

There are a few more that go to Vet school
 
Med School Percentage

http://www.usma.edu/chemistry/SitePages/Medical School Option.aspx

The Medical School Option
Immediately following graduation, up to 2% of each USMA class may proceed directly to medical school. Those desiring to enter this program must first be endorsed by USMA and then must seek and gain admission to a medical school. The Chemistry and Life Science Department provides courses in organic chemistry, cell biology, human physiology, genetics, and biochemistry that are important for those interested in medical school. Such cadets usually select either the Chemistry Major or Life Science Major.

Since the medical school program was introduced for the Class of 1979, ten to twenty members of each class have proceeded directly to various medical schools. A number of these have attended the Department of Defense Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (USUHS).
 
Hope4MD said:
Thank you all for the information.... instead of West Point to USUHS/HPSP, would you recommend ROTC then Med School?
Click to expand...

Depends on what you want out of life. If your end goal is to be a physician no matter what then I don't recommend any of the military undergraduate programs (ROTC/SA). If you are okay with the possibility of possibly delaying your entrance to medical school for 5+ years and you truly want to be a military officer (Army in this instance) then the Service Academies or ROTC are good options.

Service Academies are excellent places to be "from" when applying to medical school; however, you still need to have done very well in the academic program so that can affect your decision on where to go as well.

In reality the only person who can answer how best to get where you want to be is you. If you go ROTC/USUHS or USMA/USUHS you are looking at a minimum of 15 years commitment. (5 USMA/ROTC+7USUHS+3medical residency).
 
MD (or DO if that is the route you'd prefer)decision matrix:
1) I want to be a doctor --> go to college and then onto med school
2) I want to be an Army Doctor --> go to college, consider taking ROTC the first two years to decide/confirm your choice but don't contract or see about internships with Army medicine, complete med school, then see the recruiter about a direct commission (also works well for Vets and Dentist).
3) I want to be an Army Officer, with the best odds of having it funded and shortest timeline to become a doctor --> ROTC (sheer numbers of ROTC vs USMA = more spots, and if you don't make it, your ADSO is 4 yrs vs USMA 5 which means you can get back to med school sooner on your GI Bill, or the option of serving in the Guard or Reserve = even sooner to start med school)
4) I want to be an active duty Army Officer and it would be great to do it as a doctor, but the doctor part can wait --> USMA

It's a lot to think about at this point but it really comes down to you mapping out your goals not just for college, but as mentioned above, the next 20 years. I know doctors across the full spectrum from those that went route 1 and then after 9/11 came on active duty as COLs (were like the head of major medical center ERs), to the direct commission CPTs (majority of Army doctors), to the USMA/ROTC straight to med school, to the Infantry Officer who after serving a number of years AD went back to med school and then came back as an Army doctor.

Another thing to consider if you want to be a doctor is do you have a specialty in mind? If you are particular, you have to determine how much the Army needs that specialty. Some they will pay significantly for but don't need many; general physicians are needed in greater quantity, but are easier to find/recruit. It all goes into that plan to realize what you want in life and how realize it.
 
I have a similar plan to this. I want to major in life scrience and hopefully take the HPSP route directly after graduation. Specialize in psychiatry and deploy to help soldiers over there. Then after a few years I want to switch over to the chain of command in a hosptial and one day maybe command one, get some troop leading time. However, if this is doesn't work out, I can do a few years of being an officer in another branch and apply for HPSP later.
 
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