What is the general USNA attitude towards the medical corps?

severn said:
... false assumption---> "we didn't have a massive shortage of doctors." Have you seen the doctors shortage in Hawaii (teachers too)??
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Military doctors. Well aware of the shortages of providers across our country.
 
I am currently a BGO and also a retired Navy Physician (Medical Corps). I will say that I did not go straight to med school from USNA as there wasn't a clear path to do so when I was there. I was a SWO for serveral years and then went back to med school on the HPSP scholarship.

But now there is an option to go straight to medical school but only in very small numbers (10-15 a year) . That being said, I think what many of the others are saying is that "making doctors" is not USNA's primary mission. They want to make line officers. But if your grades, class rank etc are all good enough you can go, and if that is your true passion you can pursue it. You can go directly (presuming you are accepted) to any accredited medical school including the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) in Bethesda MD.

I actually think the experience of being a line officer (pilot, SWO, Marine etc) first is an excellent path for Navy physicians as you appreciate what the folks you will be taking care of are facing/doing out there. I think it also gives you time to mature and reflect if a career in medicine is really what you want to do. Plus you get a break from 8 years of straight school.

Hope that helps and best of luck!
 
NavyUMO said:
I actually think the experience of being a line officer (pilot, SWO, Marine etc) first is an excellent path for Navy physicians as you appreciate what the folks you will be taking care of are facing/doing out there. I think it also gives you time to mature and reflect if a career in medicine is really what you want to do. Plus you get a break from 8 years of straight school.
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^ Agree 100% ...I am a big believer that any recent college grad get out into the real world and do something for a few years before going to any grad school, be it Medicine, Law or MBA... I saw it in law school, too many get out of undergrad, don't know what they want to do with their life, so go to post grad school.
 
.. I saw it in law school, too many get out of undergrad, don't know what they want to do with their life, so go to post grad school.
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Cannot echo this strongly enough. Most people appreciate grad school much more once they've worked for a while. You also realize there is more to your self worth than grades and summer internships. Having served as an officer also makes you much more desirable to graduate programs -- medicine, MBA, law, and many others -- because you've actually done something other than go to school and work for a couple of months in the summer. People are worried they will "be behind" their peers; the extra years of maturity and working with others more than makes up for it in a hurry.

If you go the USUHS route, be prepared for a lifetime as a Navy MD. My USNA roommate spent 31 years as a Navy Doc + med school + USNA. Getting out presents its own challenges. There is a world of difference between life as a military MD and a civilian MD. Things like having to make money for your practice, billing and insurance, malpractice, etc. Many do it but some aren't willing to take that huge leap after 20+ years in military medicine.

The bottom line is that everyone should attend USNA willing to enter more than one community. It's like candidates who say: All I want to do is fly. What if you end up NPQ for something that happens at USNA or something discovered at USNA? What is you aren't assigned pilot by the USN? Ditto for being a SEAL or a cyber warfare specialist. The road is even more precarious for those desiring med school. No matter how smart you (think you) are, there is ZERO guarantee that you'll be able to be a Navy MD after USNA. You might not make the cut for various reasons. The Navy could always discontinue the program as they did in the mid-1970s.

The above is not to say that you can't have dreams and preferences. You can and should. But you're about to be in the military. When we all preach "needs of the Navy/USMC" and "Semper Gumby," we know whereof we speak.

So if you really want to be a doctor, go for it. But be thoughtful about going for it out of USNA.
 
severn said:
There's also that VA guaranteed money scholarship if your parent is a Vet.
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Only if the parent took on additional years of obligated service and signed papers to designate the VA benefits to dependents
 
OldRetSWO said:
Only if the parent took on additional years of obligated service and signed papers to designate the VA benefits to dependents
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... above data is not Chapter 35.
I know Chapter 35 VA Education Benefits for child or spouse. One must be true: Veteran is 100% disabled or died while on Active Duty or as a result of service-connected disability.
Child and spouse can request directly through VA if meet criteria.
 
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severn said:
... above data is not Chapter 35.
I know Chapter 35 VA Education Benefits for child or spouse. One must be true: Veteran is 100% disabled or died while on Active Duty or as a result of service-connected disability.
Child and spouse can request directly through VA if meet criteria.
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Roger that, was not thinking of death/disabled benefit and was instead thinking of the ability to "sign over" the veteran's own benefits to dependents
 
severn said:
... Roger 83 for Grenada.
... was in tarmac waiting for takeoff before the assault.
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My amphib was headed out on that Monday for an exercise in the Gulf of Mexico and was ready to be shifted into a support role if needed.
 
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