Academy to Med School

[BRM21o]

I just read you could go to med school (if accepted obviously) after graduating from the Academy...anyone heard anything about this. Also, does anyone know about a program or anything where you can specialize in a particular field (anesthesiology, ortho surgeon, etc) for the Navy? Thanks!

 

[H20man]

well for the Merchant Marine Academy i belive that the top 2% can go to graduate school right after graduation if they choose... but im not sure about the medical school.

 

[BRM21o]

I mean from the Naval Academy, sorry for the confusion

 

[H20man]

hey man its basically the same thing, we ARE 1 of the 5 Federal Service Academies. we are just smaller, and imo more geared to the academics. plus we can get a commision in any service. also just trying to throw it out for other ppl interested in the academies in general.

the USNA isnt the only academy out there, and im not knocking it, but im happier going to USMMA.

www.usmma.edu

 

[kevin]

it's the same for army, navy, air force. most people (though not all) typically apply to med school and then retrospectively get money from the military for a commitment. you still have to get accepted to med school just like anyone else. an admissions committee might look favorably on your plan or not. regardless, if you can get in, it's a year for a year...meaning 4 years of service for the 4 years of med school (paid for by uncle sam). med school is at any med school in country, with i believe minimal military involvement during that time. you then match residency and do those years within the military (doesnt count towards commitment time). that's anywhere from 3-7 years (without fellowship) based on specialty. most specialties would be primary care (family practice, em, medicine) but they do have surgical specialties as well. it's a great deal if you want to be part of the military. I do know several physicians who were frustrated by their experiences within military medicine, but those are just a few people. if you're interested, talk to someone who's in charge of navy medical programs.

 

[BRM21o]

Thanks Kevin. So would I do my residency at a military hosipital or civilian? Then after residency my 4 year commitment begins right? Do you know anything as far as selecting which specialty you would like to go into or is it the same old "needs of the service" type deal?...Seems like a pretty sweet deal.

 

[manny7_99]

BRM
In order to go to med school from the Academy you have place in the top of your class and get admitted. After that you put in for an educational deferment and the Navy will pay for it if you are qualified (you may or may not have a saying in the specialty, more likely if you are well qualified you will.) Also is not a year of service per year of schooling (that'd be too good to be true), it is 2 years of service per school year at Med school, or 2 months pre 1 months for that matter. So you do the math...5 of mandatory service, plus somewhere around an extra 8 for med school, blah blah. I still think it is a great deal and you dont have to worry about malpractice insurance. Oh and during the educational delay your reside at the school you are attending(more likely) or wherever you are assigned. Hope this helps

 

[BRM21o]

Thanks Manny...I just watched a full documentary on med school and internships...F*ck that, I'd rather be a grunt.

Semper Fi

 

[manny7_99]

HAHAHA I hear ya'
Semper FI bro

~Manny
------------------
"Visualize Peace. Then GO and Fight for it!"

 

[viv]

If your passion is to be a doctor, then a service academy education is probably not the best route. I don't know about the other academies, but I know at Navy you would have to major in chemistry (whereas most doctors major in bio), plus you wouldn't take as many pre-med type classes like you could at a normal college (because of all the required navy pro. classes). You also might not get the kind of hands on experience (internships) that would be more readily available at a normal college (due to summer cruise committments).

 

[cdb21]

I am with you H20- we never get any street cred. I will see you on July 9.

Look, I can tell you that if you really want to go to med school do not go to a service academy. Very few people from academies will have the chance too, less then 20 at each is what I hear. You are going to an academy to be an officer, not a doctor( an that is what you will hear). If you really want to be a service doc, go to med school and then you can get a direct commision( no ROTC or anything) into the service- you can also do this as a lawyer. I have know several cadets/midshipman at several academies, and all tell me that going there for any other reason than a pair of gold bars is wrong. I repeat, an academy is not the place for young doogie housers.

 

[HerrLURP]

If you want to be a doctor, then go to Johns Hopkins or someplace else...unless you plan on being a Navy Doctor for a long long long time.

No matter what people say, being a military doctor is NOT that great of a deal. The pay is much less compared to what civilian counterparts earn, and you don't get the same level of specialized training as your civilian friends. So if you decide to leave the military to be a doctor (which you won't be able to until you're like 35,) then you'll have a crapload of catching up to do, and civilian hospitals WILL NOT be impressed with your experience mainly b/c military doctors do such generalized work.

 

[ghost]

I don't understand why everybody is so negative about going to the academy and then med school. The fact is there are 12 med school slots in every class at USNA and not that many people apply for them. Going to med school from the academy has to be a goal from the start since you have to get take all the classes required to apply for med school (they don't fit in well with the core curriculum). Military doctors also specialize the same way civilian doctors do. It is not that bad of a deal to be a military doctor: you are debt free, you do not have to worry about malpractice, and you get the rest of the benefits of being in the military. Most of the people replying to this tread have zero experience with USNA or being a military doctor. If you are really interested in anything I suggest finding someone who has first hand knowledge. Also do not be afraid to try something because people say it is hard to do. If that were the case why would anyone apply to USNA or for a pilot slot?

ghost

 

[kevin]

I talked to numerous doctors in the military regarding this issue because i was very interested for a time. i dont know how the academy-to-med school thing works because it never affected me. however, med school is med school, regardless of whether you are going to the military or not. you would do most if not all of your residency at a military hospital. i've never heard of the 2 years service per year med school thing. if that is true, it's been a recent change, because it's always been a one-for-one thing...med school, dental school, etc. it would make absolutely no sense that a dentist would serve one year for one year (as i know for a fact it is now), but a family practictioner (ie, flight surgeon) would serve 2 for one. schooling costs the same amount....not to mention that military docs dont make a fraction of the salary of the civilian counterpart. but as i said, if you're interested ask someone who's in charge of military medicine programs. as far as some of the other things said here.....i mentioned that some of the doctors i spoke with were dissatisfied with how things worked. not enough nurses, things run like it was 1970, etc. but there will always be people complaining about every duty. other doctors loved it. one guy i spoke with was a critical care/pulmonologist guy with the navy and did a 3 year assignment running DARPA's medical program, and he loves it. as to the resume thing....a lot of doctors at civilian hospitals looks unfavorably upon military docs because of the experience thing. many times, doctors in the military do other assignments, etc (ie, DARPA)...and sometimes the scope of what they see might not be all that impressive. that's more a case by case issue, but if the reference letters you have going into a civilian job are all from superior officers who say "yes, this lad can hit a target at 1000 yards and was excellent in organizing his underlings", well, the civvy docs dont give a crap. then, again, surgical specialists over in the middle east (we have one trauma surgeon here who just got back) see things that a lot of civvy docs dont....like i said, case by case basis.

 

[phrogdriver]

Oddly enough, depending on the specialty, mil docs can make more than civilians. For ex, pediatricians, OBGYNs, general practicioners, etc. They save a crapload on not having malpractice insurance.

The medical college of the armed forces is very well respected, as well. That's coming from some civilian docs I know.

I wouldn't, however, go academy with the intent of being a doc. If you don't get picked up, you're stuck doing whatever else is available, which may or may not suit you. Go to a civilian school and apply to a service's medial program from there.