So our youngest son is looking into AF and Army ROTC. His brother (active Army) and uncle (Lt.Col AF) says go AF all the way... Our youngest starts college this Fall, wants to pursue Kinesiology as a major and become a strength and conditioning coach (requires Doc degree). This obviously doesn't fall within the "preferred" majors of the AF. Could he still go after one of the "non-preferred" scholarships and stand a good chance with solid grades? Army has much more relaxed requirements so that may be his "fall back" if AF doesn't recognize the major he wants.
Your son may want to research roles in the USAF officer healthcare provider community, which do not generally come out of the AFROTC path, but are directly commissioned once they have the appropriate degree.
The service academies and college ROTC programs are focused on producing warfare types, not healthcare providers. The services get those professionals through direct commissioning programs.
A few interesting links below:
Providing services that help restore function, improve mobility and relieve pain, Physical Therapists work closely with patients to help them heal and promote overall wellness.
www.airforce.com
The Air Force provides its healthcare professionals with endless educational and career-broadening opportunities to enhance their skills and knowledge. Join us today.
www.airforce.com
The HPSP scholarship is available for AF, Army, Navy, for very specific fields.
Of course, he could do AFROTC, serve in an unrelated career specialty, then do an additional 36 months after his ADSO is complete, then use his Post-9/11 GI Bill educational benefits to obtain a post-grad degree in the field he desires. That is a l-o-o-o-o-ng road.
There may be a path to competitively apply for a lateral transfer to a healthcare community via post-grad schooling, once commissioned and at a certain juncture as a junior officer, but if it is anything like the Navy path, it is very narrow, and as always, will depend on the needs of the service. I will let our AF experts speak to that.
Time for your son to continue digging into the primary sources and see what’s feasible and what he really wants to do.