USAF PSYCHIATRIST

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Nms6402

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Hello, I was wondering if anyone knew if the USAFA was the best way to become a psychiatrist by medical school programs they offer or if civilian college then through another military option hold be best. I also would like some advice from any physiology Majors at USAFA or if you are a psychiatrist. Thanks
 
Nms6402 said:
Hello, I was wondering if anyone knew if the USAFA was the best way to become a psychiatrist by medical school programs they offer or if civilian college then through another military option hold be best. I also would like some advice from any physiology Majors at USAFA or if you are a psychiatrist. Thanks
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I'm assuming you got your professions correctly. Psychiatry is a medical specialty that includes 4 years of medical school and 4 years of residency training. What I just described is different than being a psychologist.

I wouldn't say going to the USAFA to become a psychiatrist (or a physician for that matter) is the "best" way to go. It certainly isn't the easiest.

I tell military doctor wannabes going to a SA with the intention of going to medical school requires a couple things:
1) realization that there are more hurdles to jump over to go to medical school via SA than civilian undergrad school
2) willingness to serve in another capacity in the military in the event you aren't allowed (or get accepted) to attend medical school. You can then apply to medical school after serving your minimum commitment

The SAs are allowed to send up to a certain amount of graduates every year. The USNA website says up to 15 midshipmen. The USAFA website says up to 3% of graduates can go to medical, dental, nursing, or PT school. USMA website says up to 2% of graduates can go to medical school.

The SAs have boards that select cadets who can apply for medical school. You will have to be one of the selectees to even apply. Once you get selected, then you have to get accepted into medical school.

The 2 primary things you need to get your application even looked at are a high GPA and MCAT score. The SAs are not known for grade inflation, so getting a high GPA will be difficult (but doable). However, medical school ADCOMs know about the lack of grade inflation and the rigor of the SA curriculum so they take that into account when looking at your app.

Another thing with the SAs is your choice of major may be limited if you want to get the medical school pre-requisite courses in and also take other biology courses to do well on the MCATs. At the USNA, you basically have to be a chemistry major. Other majors are doable, but more difficult to get the classes in. At the USMA, the primary majors for medical schools are Life Sciences or Kinesiology. At the USAFA, you may be limited to Biology but I'm sure there are others (eg. chemistry) that'll allow some flexibility to get the pre-reqs done.

At civilian schools, your major can be really anything so long as you can get the pre-reqs done. That is because you are allowed more electives at civilian schools compared to the SAs where you have other required classes that take up the normal "elective" slots you would have at a civilian school. My oldest DD is at a civilian school and is majoring in Anthropology (pre-med curriculum). She's got lots of "elective" time to take courses like organic chemistry and physics.

Also, in looking at the USAFA website, there is no physiology major. You can be a biology major with an aerospace physiology concentration.

An easier option is go to a civilian school and get accepted to the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD for medical school. If you don't want to go there (or get accepted), you can apply for the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) to use at a civilian medical school. USU and HPSP have different benefits and obligations so you'll want understand them before you apply. Once you complete medical school at USU or civilian medical school (under HPSP), you can specialize in psychiatry if you match.
 
If memory serves approx. 1-2 graduates get MD slots/graduating class as per needs of the AF. To round off, approx. 1,000 graduate with approx. 50% going into air-related careers so your chances are 1-2 out of 500 if you graduate with obviously top-notch marks (3.8-4.0) in not only academics but in MPA, etc. You cannot have any slip-ups, no do-overs, no timeouts. Just be advised respectfully, there are a lot of really really, smart cadets there. Scary smart...glad they're on our side smart. The graduations stats are averages, not what the top 10% had. The last class had a 18% attrition rate before one would get to the #'s cited above. You may want to call Admissions; they should be able to provide more info. Good luck.

https://www.usafa.af.mil/USAFANews/Article/1527549/the-breakdown-the-stats-on-usafas-class-of-2018/
 
Wishful said:
If memory serves approx. 1-2 graduates get MD slots/graduating class as per needs of the AF. To round off, approx. 1,000 graduate with approx. 50% going into air-related careers so your chances are 1-2 out of 500 if you graduate with obviously top-notch marks (3.8-4.0) in not only academics but in MPA, etc. You cannot have any slip-ups, no do-overs, no timeouts. Just be advised respectfully, there are a lot of really really, smart cadets there. Scary smart...glad they're on our side smart. The graduations stats are averages, not what the top 10% had. The last class had a 18% attrition rate before one would get to the #'s cited above. You may want to call Admissions; they should be able to provide more info. Good luck.

https://www.usafa.af.mil/USAFANews/Article/1527549/the-breakdown-the-stats-on-usafas-class-of-2018/
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I had a colleague who was one of those scary smart guys... USNA, Georgetown University School of Medicine right after graduation, and then Harvard for a Masters degree several years later. Every time he did a case presentation as a resident, you couldn't stump him with pimp questions.]

Just to put the numbers into perspective, the odds may daunting at first glance, but really aren't.

I have another colleague who went to USMA. He said during plebe year, there were about 50 cadets who were thinking about medical school. By the time they became firsties, only 25-30 had the grades, MCATs, and/or continued interest in going to medical school. He estimated about 18 of his classmates out of the 25-30 were selected by that separate board to go to medical school. So really, the chances of getting selected to apply for medical school is significantly higher than the 2-3%.

Another colleague (yes, I have a lot of them) went to USNA. He said 14 applied to that separate USNA board to go to medical school. That board selected 12 of them as primaries and 2 as alternates. As things turned out, all 12 got into medical school and neither of the 2 alternates got in. That board did a pretty good job of deciding who does or doesn't have a good chance of getting selected to medical school. The next year, my colleague said the supe allowed only 3 mids to go to medical school, so it truly is, as Wishful correctly said, the needs of the service.
 
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I'm confused.

Is the "career goal" to be a psychiatrist? A physiologist? Psychologist?
 
fencersmother said:
Is the "career goal" to be a psychiatrist? A physiologist? Psychologist?
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Reminds me of “When Harry Met Sally,” when they run into each other 10 years after college.

Harry: “You were going to be a...[snaps fingers couple times]...a gymnast.”

Sally [with obvious disdain]: “Journalist.”

Harry [oblivious]: “Journalist, right, right.”
 
MidCakePa said:
Reminds me of “When Harry Met Sally,” when they run into each other 10 years after college.
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