Naval/Marine Doctor

[flyfishpj]

I was wondering what the process is if one wishes to become a doctor in the Navy or the Marines through NROTC. I remember that guy from the bachelor became a doctor through NROTC (don't ask me why I watched that show) and have somewhat of an idea but I would like some more in depth description of how one may go about this and how difficult it is to get a slot.

 

[kp2001]

The process to becoming a navy physician (the marines are taken care of by navy physicians/corpsmen) is very similar to simply becoming a physician. The only real difference is if you do ROTC or Service Academy you have to apply through the navy to be allowed to go to medical school. There are two options for those who are ROTC to go to medical school: USUHS or HPSP. USUHS is the military's medical school in Bethesda, MD. It is run basically like a service academy where you are paid to go to school and wear a uniform. HPSP is the Health Professions Scholarship Program where you attend whatever medical school you are accepted to and the Navy pays your tuition and a stipend. You are in a reserve status during HPSP and active duty during USUHS.

On a whole to be allowed to go to medical school straight after college on a ROTC scholarship you need a strong application to medical school and would start working on this around your junior year of college. If you have any specific questions feel free to post and I'll try to answer.

KP2001, MD
LT, MC, USN

 

[IrishDancer]

If I don't recieve an appointment for USNA then I was thinking about NROTC. But, if I'm accepted into UNC Chapel Hill, the tuition is pretty low for in state so I don't know how much I would need ROTC to pay for school. I know that whatever route I take, I will eventually end up in the Navy and eventually be a doctor. So my question is, would it make a difference being in ROTC during your undergrad years instead of just applying for the HPSP when going into med school (you can do that right?)?

There are so many paths to get where I want to go (Navy doctor) it's confusing me so any advice on what the pro/cons are would be appreciated! Thankfully I still have 2 more years to figure it out!!

 

[kp2001]

If you want to keep all of your options open I would recommend against going ROTC in undergrad if you want to become a physician. The problem is if you go ROTC and then the Navy decides that they don't want you to go to medical school then you are out of luck. If you pay your own way through college you can then apply to medical school no matter what and apply to HPSP at the same time (you could also apply to USUHS).

HPSP scholarship applications are way down over the past few years, in fact I think they are only filling around 60% of the positions, so if you are a competitive medical school applicant you will likely get the scholarship. Even if you don't get the HPSP scholarship there are other ways to become a Navy physician after medical school.

 

[flyfishpj]

I also had a second question: If I were to do ROTC with hopes of becoming a Naval Physician, could I go in as Marine Option even though the Marine uses the Naval Physicians? Would I just be transferred to the Naval Sector?

 

[kp2001]

I also had a second question: If I were to do ROTC with hopes of becoming a Naval Physician, could I go in as Marine Option even though the Marine uses the Naval Physicians? Would I just be transferred to the Naval Sector?

I don't know the official answer to this; however, I doubt the Marines would look too kindly to you at the last minute switching to a navy slot. The Marines do not have medical scholarships. In my eyes if you want to be a Navy physician don't take up a slot from someone who actually wants to be a Marine.