I'm copying this from another service academy forums. From kp2001, he's also on this forum but he has some very good insight, and experience. If he doesn't want me using this, than I will delete it. Here it is:
"First, to counter some misstatements from above. There are more than 14 slots available to NROTC students to go to medical school. The number is not exactly known; however, it is much, much higher than 14. Heck, we probably had over 14 NROTC students alone in my medical school class. Second, having a warfare qualification plays very little to no role in your promotion and command opportunities as a physician. In the medical corps everybody becomes a LT at medical school graduation and promotion to Captain is fairly certain if you stay in long enough and don't do anything stupid.
Now, to answer your original question. From a NROTC unit there are two paths to medical school. The first is the military's medical school, USUHS, located in Bethesda, MD. Basically you wear a uniform, get paid an ensign's salary, and attend class. You can go directly from NROTC to USUHS; however, there is an application process for both USUHS and through the ROTC chain of command to allow you to go medical corps. If you are competitive for a medical school slot you will be competitive for the ROTC "okay".
The second route is known as the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP). This program allows you to graduate from college and then attend any civilian medical school you are accepted to. You are placed in a reserve status and are paid a monthly stipend, and currently there is a signing bonus of around $20,000. The Navy will pay for your medical school and required equipment. The pay will not cover all of your expenses so most take out small loans to cover other expenses. Once you graduate you will become a LT and most will go on to do their graduate medical education in a military hospital. ( I say most because a few will do another option which is way beyond this discussion).
The key part for whether you will go straight from college to medical school is what I will call the ROTC "okay." Basically the Navy has to allow you to go into the medical corps and depending on the "needs of the navy" the number of people allowed to do this can fluctuate. With that being said, if you are a competitive applicant for medical school the chances that the Navy will "okay" you is very high. The ones who don't get it are usually substandard applicants to medical school.
Overall NROTC IS a viable path to becoming a Navy physician; however, if you choose this path then plan on a 20 yr navy career as your minimum payback will be approximately 11 years after graduation from medical school. If you attend USUHS that will increase to approximately 15 years.
The other option as mentioned by USNA1985 is to pay for college on your own and then come in to either of the programs mentioned above for medical school. With that you would then owe a minimum of 4 years for HPSP or 7 years for USUHS. Or you can pay for college and medical school on your own and then join the Navy and have the Navy assist in paying back your loans. " -kp2001
