Path to medicine after USCGA engineering?

Montanaparent

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My DS just received his conditional (Dodmers still in the works) acceptance with Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering as his major. He has been debating between going into engineering and into medicine. If he decides to accept this offer, what would be his options for pursuing medicine in the future? Are there programs or options within the CG? Or could he transfer to a medical program in one of the other services? We have no military background at all, so this is all very new to us. Thanks for any help and guidance!
 
Here is a past thread on this topic. In my opinion, the posts in this thread are pretty authoritative.
 
Here is a past thread on this topic. In my opinion, the posts in this thread are pretty authoritative.
I missed that when I searched older posts so thanks!
 
My DS just received his conditional (Dodmers still in the works) acceptance with Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering as his major. He has been debating between going into engineering and into medicine. If he decides to accept this offer, what would be his options for pursuing medicine in the future? Are there programs or options within the CG? Or could he transfer to a medical program in one of the other services? We have no military background at all, so this is all very new to us. Thanks for any help and guidance!

You can’t do it (ie go to medical school) right after graduation from the USGCA. The USMA, USNA, and USAFA will allow a limited number of cadets and mids go directly to medical school upon graduation.

I don’t even think the USCGA has 2 semesters of biology (maybe marine biology) that are required for medical school. While not required for medical school, other courses like cell biology and biochemistry are highly recommend to do well on the MCATs, but are not available at the USCGA.
 
You can’t do it (ie go to medical school) right after graduation from the USGCA. The USMA, USNA, and USAFA will allow a limited number of cadets and mids go directly to medical school upon graduation.

I don’t even think the USCGA has 2 semesters of biology (maybe marine biology) that are required for medical school. While not required for medical school, other courses like cell biology and biochemistry are highly recommend to do well on the MCATs, but are not available at the USCGA.

I'm probably speaking out of school here so please correct me, but I think USCGA cadets can take some classes at Connecticut College if they're not offered at the academy. That was something I recall being mentioned to my DS. But Montanaparent, please confirm that with your child's admissions officer.

And down the line, there is this option: the U.S. Public Health Service medical corps. A friend of mine is a doctor in it. https://www.usphs.gov/aboutus/
 
but I think USCGA cadets can take some classes at Connecticut College if they're not offered at the academy.
Not a CG expert, but I believe that @GoCubbies and @kp2001 who are both physicians are trusted sources.

So let's say that a cadet takes the requisite biology classes at Connecticut College to take the MCAT and successfully gets into a medical school.

The problem is the Coast Guard has zero interest in letting a coastie take "time off" to become a doctor! This is simply because unlike the Army, Navy and Air Force, the Coast Guard does not have physicians! So if the cadet's only shot is to serve his time as a CG officer (not a bad life), leave the service and then enter medical school.

On the other hand, the Army, Navy and AF, can opt to allow an accepted medical student, to delay their service obligation while attending med school, as then they can use them as a flight surgeon after they graduate.
 
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Everyone else is correct in that we do not have physicians, so there is no real path to becoming a doctor. However, we do have Physician's Assistants in the Coast Guard, and that is becoming increasingly open to Academy graduates.
 
You can’t do it (ie go to medical school) right after graduation from the USGCA. The USMA, USNA, and USAFA will allow a limited number of cadets and mids go directly to medical school upon graduation.

I don’t even think the USCGA has 2 semesters of biology (maybe marine biology) that are required for medical school. While not required for medical school, other courses like cell biology and biochemistry are highly recommend to do well on the MCATs, but are not available at the USCGA.

Not true. My DD just finished the biochemistry course at USCGA. It’s just a course that is not offered every semester.
 
Not true. My DD just finished the biochemistry course at USCGA. It’s just a course that is not offered every semester.
Oh good, that's helpful to know. Just trying to help keep his options open. 17 is so young to commit for so long!
 
If he decides to accept this offer, what would be his options for pursuing medicine in the future?
I can't help with the military side, but I'm a physician recruiter for a large hospital system. Even if he could take the science pre-requisites at USCGA,, those classes are not likely to be as rigorous as needed to prepare your son for MCATs. Even if they ARE, the admissions committees in med schools will know that USCGA doesn't prepare students for med school and will view those credits and teacher references with skepticism. If he is really serious about doing both coast guard and medicine, it will need to be sequential. After his obligation is complete, he could do a year-long program designed for hopeful 2nd career doctors. The students take med school pre-requisites alongside college pre-med students and they work in medical research jobs that will give them the clinical references they will need for med school. There are several med schools that like 2nd career students and view them favorably in the admissions assessment because of the maturity and depth of life experience they bring to their medical education.

Or....he could go to med school in the Caribbean or Poland. There are a handful of for-profit schools designed for people who didn't get into US med schools and want to become doctors in the U.S.. They will take anyone who can pay the tuition. Students do 2 years on a Caribbean island like Grenada, Antigua or Dominica preparing for USMLE exams, then 2 years clinical rotations in US hospitals. It's a reasonable risk for a good student who just didn't have the classroom preparation (like a Coast Guard officer). Grads of these schools do face some barriers. Even their best grads fail to match into the most competitive residency and fellowship programs after earning their MD degree. If he wants to be a primary care doctor, it's a viable option. If he dreams of being a neurosurgeon, orthopedic surgeon or dermatologist...he needs to get into med school in the continental US.
 
I can't help with the military side, but I'm a physician recruiter for a large hospital system. ...

Or....he could go to med school in the Caribbean or Poland. There are a handful of for-profit schools designed for people who didn't get into US med schools and want to become doctors in the U.S.. They will take anyone who can pay the tuition. Students do 2 years on a Caribbean island like Grenada, Antigua or Dominica preparing for USMLE exams, then 2 years clinical rotations in US hospitals. It's a reasonable risk for a good student who just didn't have the classroom preparation (like a Coast Guard officer). Grads of these schools do face some barriers. Even their best grads fail to match into the most competitive residency and fellowship programs after earning their MD degree. If he wants to be a primary care doctor, it's a viable option. If he dreams of being a neurosurgeon, orthopedic surgeon or dermatologist...he needs to get into med school in the continental US.
The Caribbean and other foreign medical schools are not a good option for anyone aspiring to practice medicine in the US. Match rates from foreign schools to US residencies are below 50% even for primary care specialties! As Osteopathic medical schools continue to open, less and less foreign medical school graduates are able to match to US residencies. Foreign medical graduates are not eligible for military residencies. Foreign medical graduates have significantly more rigid requirements for medical license in US States. It is not a reasonable risk!

If you want to go to medical school, do well academically at a US University or Service Academy. Research medical school prerequisites and apply to medical school (DO and MD in the US) after completion of any service obligation or pursue an educational delay prior to serving if eligible. Consider Public Health Service (USPHS Commissioned Corps) if you want to serve the Coast Guard as a physician.
 
I just figured I'd come here to do some updating. My class (2021) had our summer assignment briefing today and for I believe the first time ever they are offering internships at clinics around the Coast Guard to cadets with medicine in mind. They were very clear to make the point that this internship will provide a cadet with the clinical time required for acceptance into a PA program. They did NOT specifically say this, but there has been talk for a long time about a path directly from the Academy to the PA program. This could be the start of that.
 
I just figured I'd come here to do some updating. My class (2021) had our summer assignment briefing today and for I believe the first time ever they are offering internships at clinics around the Coast Guard to cadets with medicine in mind. They were very clear to make the point that this internship will provide a cadet with the clinical time required for acceptance into a PA program. They did NOT specifically say this, but there has been talk for a long time about a path directly from the Academy to the PA program. This could be the start of that.


Quite a big difference between a PA, and a physician, in terms of (perceived and real) prestige, and especially earnings potential.
 
Who ever said anything about doctor? I agree it's not a good choice to become a doctor. OP said their son is interested in medicine, and a PA certainly does practice medicine. Not everything is about money or "prestige."
 
Who ever said anything about doctor? I agree it's not a good choice to become a doctor. OP said their son is interested in medicine, and a PA certainly does practice medicine. Not everything is about money or "prestige."

Commonly, using the term "medicine" refers to going to medical school, either MD or DO.

Does a nurse practice medicine? in as much as a PA does, certainly, but I have never heard of anyone going into nursing referring to it as "going into medicine". Usually it is referred to as going into "nursing". Alternatively, someone who hasn't narrowed their career path at all might say they are looking into the "medical field."


Based on the responses, I would say most had the same reading of the OP.

I further assumed that since the OP was talking about the pursuit of medicine in the future, ostensibly after their DS had earned a bachelors degree, that they were referring to a doctorate degree.
 
Fair enough; that's a lack of knowledge about that on my part then. Nonetheless, my point stands that this is closer to getting into the medical field than Academy graduates have ever been able to, and I think it was worth mentioning.
 
The CG has PA's (often Warrant Officers) and Corpsmen (enlisted), but no MD's as Commissioned Officers. If you strongly desire to be a doctor and really want to serve in the CG as a Officer, then attend the Academy, do your obligated service, plus 36 months, get your GI Bill and then go to med school, or possibly lateral over into the Navy as on O-2 or O-3 if available at that point and have the Navy pay for med school with the accompanying obligated service. Before accepting an appointment to the CGA DEFINATELY speak with admissions and people in the program you want, before committing. As related in different threads, doing 4 years in a major you don't like is not a good thing, and then being not happy because you didn't get what you thought you could upon Commissioning, only makes life more stressful and not as enjoyable..:)

Just an afterthought, taking NAME as an undergrad will not help with med school. DS is doing NAME and NROTC and his "degree plan" needed to graduate with his NAME degree has no space or room for advanced bio, chem, or non engineering science classes. Check the CGA course matrix for NAME if you DS wants that, and talk to people in the program and see if it is possible to have that major and take electives that would further his ability to compete for med school. But don't go into the CGA thinking they will send you to med school or that you will be a USCG O-4 Physician, they are not career fields right now.
 
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