Hospital Corpsman to Doctor?

[mdheadly]

Are there any hospital corpsman who made it to medical school?

I'm going to be graduating from college with a degree in psychology (fairly useless, I know) and my plan is to go to medical school eventually. My original plan was to immediately apply to USUHS or some other med school with HPSP scholarship so that I can serve after the MD. However, if I apply now I'm sure I won't be accepted due to my lackluster credentials at this point. SMP and post-bacc are too expensive for me and so not possible unless I take crippling loans. I was considering applying to the Navy as a hospital corpsman and eventually applying to med schools (such as USUHS). Has anyone done this before? Does the Navy give corpsmen time to build their academic background so that they can eventually apply to med school?

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[Perrotfish]

Are there any hospital corpsman who made it to medical school?

I'm going to be graduating from college with a degree in psychology (fairly useless, I know) and my plan is to go to medical school eventually. My original plan was to immediately apply to USUHS or some other med school with HPSP scholarship so that I can serve after the MD. However, if I apply now I'm sure I won't be accepted due to my lackluster credentials at this point. SMP and post-bacc are too expensive for me and so not possible unless I take crippling loans. I was considering applying to the Navy as a hospital corpsman and eventually applying to med schools (such as USUHS). Has anyone done this before? Does the Navy give corpsmen time to build their academic background so that they can eventually apply to med school?

What is your GPA, BCPM GPA, and MCAT?

 

[Kingfisher]

Are there any hospital corpsman who made it to medical school?

I'm going to be graduating from college with a degree in psychology (fairly useless, I know) and my plan is to go to medical school eventually. My original plan was to immediately apply to USUHS or some other med school with HPSP scholarship so that I can serve after the MD. However, if I apply now I'm sure I won't be accepted due to my lackluster credentials at this point. SMP and post-bacc are too expensive for me and so not possible unless I take crippling loans. I was considering applying to the Navy as a hospital corpsman and eventually applying to med schools (such as USUHS). Has anyone done this before? Does the Navy give corpsmen time to build their academic background so that they can eventually apply to med school?

DANGER, WILL ROBINSON!!!!Enlisting after already getting your college degree is a BAD idea! Don't do it.The answer is no. Being a corpsman will NOT prepare you for med school. It will only frustrate you. If you are going to do the Navy thing talk to an OFFICER recruiter instead of becoming a corpsman. You will get paid as a zero instead of getting yelled at because you didn't take the trash out or didn't do cleaning stations right! Or do the stuff that will help your package like volunteering in medical related things, do some research, or take your prereqs.

 

[corpsman33]

I made it to medical school following active duty as a Hospital Corpsman and so do did a few of my friends, but let me also say that it is definitely not common in the Corpsman community (those that go officer typically go nurse corps). The medical experience definitely helps, but it can sometimes be very difficult to get out of your enlisted contract to go officer. In my opinion it is easier to go officer from the civilian side then go from enlisted to officer. Also, once you are enlisted you may or may not have time for additional school while active, depending on your command.

That being said I enjoyed my time as a Corpsman, but make sure you are ready to be deployed with the Marines to be their "doc". You will gain great medical experience that will definitely help with applications, but you may not be able to apply until you get out of your contract, unless you get a "conditional release" approved.

Good luck!

 

[mdheadly]

I made it to medical school following active duty as a Hospital Corpsman and so do did a few of my friends, but let me also say that it is definitely not common in the Corpsman community (those that go officer typically go nurse corps). The medical experience definitely helps, but it can sometimes be very difficult to get out of your enlisted contract to go officer. In my opinion it is easier to go officer from the civilian side then go from enlisted to officer. Also, once you are enlisted you may or may not have time for additional school while active, depending on your command.

That being said I enjoyed my time as a Corpsman, but make sure you are ready to be deployed with the Marines to be their "doc". You will gain great medical experience that will definitely help with applications, but you may not be able to apply until you get out of your contract, unless you get a "conditional release" approved.

Good luck!

My concern about taking the civilian route before military is that my grades aren't good enough for med school yet. Joining as a corpsman seemed like the most logical thing to do because it would give me experience.
As a corpsman, do you get opportunities enhance your academic records? What was the issue with ending the enlisted contract? Also, could you elaborate on the "doc" experience so that I know what I could be getting into?

 

[mdheadly]

DANGER, WILL ROBINSON!!!!Enlisting after already getting your college degree is a BAD idea! Don't do it.The answer is no. Being a corpsman will NOT prepare you for med school. It will only frustrate you. If you are going to do the Navy thing talk to an OFFICER recruiter instead of becoming a corpsman. You will get paid as a zero instead of getting yelled at because you didn't take the trash out or didn't do cleaning stations right! Or do the stuff that will help your package like volunteering in medical related things, do some research, or take your prereqs.

I looked into the the officer route but I'm pretty sure the Navy has no use for a psyc major and in the end I'll be pushed to E-3 anyways. Being a corpsman might give me an advantage in the long run.

 

[DrMetal]

I looked into the the officer route but I'm pretty sure the Navy has no use for a psyc major and in the end I'll be pushed to E-3 anyways. Being a corpsman might give me an advantage in the long run.

Plenty of corpsman are now doctors in the MC. I know a few who obtained their bachelors while enlisted, got their prereqs done, then went to USUHS. It is possible, albeit difficult (juggling the responsibilities of being a corpsman, and being a student at the same time).

However, I echo the comments above, that if you already have a degree, consider going the officer route. I'm not sure what a psych degree could do for you, look into the Medical Service Corp (MSC) of the Navy. Now if you do this (and/or if you go the enlisted route), keep in mind that you'll be committing yourself to that route for about 3-4 years. You sure you wanna do that? The alternative is to not go through either route, to instead move back in with mom/dad, take some classes to boost up your gpa, and study for the mcat. That route, though less exciting, can get you into medical school in 1 to 2 years.

 

[ninjagaiden9876]

DANGER, WILL ROBINSON!!!!Enlisting after already getting your college degree is a BAD idea! Don't do it.The answer is no. Being a corpsman will NOT prepare you for med school. It will only frustrate you. If you are going to do the Navy thing talk to an OFFICER recruiter instead of becoming a corpsman. You will get paid as a zero instead of getting yelled at because you didn't take the trash out or didn't do cleaning stations right! Or do the stuff that will help your package like volunteering in medical related things, do some research, or take your prereqs.

I agree with above post. I'm a prior Corpsman.

Also, MCAT and GPA are still king.

 

[Perrotfish]

I looked into the the officer route but I'm pretty sure the Navy has no use for a psyc major and in the end I'll be pushed to E-3 anyways. Being a corpsman might give me an advantage in the long run.

Many things:

1) The Navy, like medical school, doesn't particularly care what your major is. If you wan t to be a line officer they will judge you based on your GPA, your extra cirriculars, and to a large extent based on your perfomance on a standardized intelligence test (the SATs, GRE, or ASVAB) and your physicial fitness test. Whatever training you need to do your job in the Navy the Navy will provide.

2) The process to apply to be an officer and to be enlisted are different and seperate. If they don't accept you to officer candidiate school, or if you don't pass officer candidate school, you don't turn into an enlisted sailor. You just stay a civilian.

3) Med schools care about your GPA and your MCAT. Your othe acheivements are a very, very distant second place behind thoes two stats, and the military is not an ideal place to repair a GPA or study for the MCAT. a junior corpsman is a fulltime job. A junior officer or NCO is a job a half. Corpsmen do finish college degrees while enlisted, but if you struggled to achieve the necessary grades while a full time student are you sure you will suddenly get As while working full time (an occasionally deploying) as a corpsman?

4) This website advises a lot of people on how to get into medical school, let it help. I started this process with an abysmal GPA and managed to weasel my way into school only a year after graduating without any 'crippling' loans. If you post your GPA, MCAT (if you have one), and maybe a little bit of information about the trend your grades took and why they were so bad we might be able to figure out a plan to get you into medical school that takes less than 5 years. Heck, you might just be psyching yourself out. More than one student has come to this website and just drastically overestimated the GPA they needed for medical school.

5) Last piece of advice: if you do decide to approach an enlisted recruiter, please be aware that they have a lot of packages they can sell you. You can negotiate for a higher initial rank (up to E4, I believe), bonuses, and guarentees of certain professions like hospital corpsman. Their goal is to get you to sign a contract with as few of those guarentees as possible. You're going to need to look like an attractive candidate to them, while at the same time making it clear that you are seriously considering both not doing this and doing it through one of the other services. On the other hand if you decide to try to become an officer, officer recruiters really do have only one package to offer you, so just treat it like a medical school interview and give the best impression you can.

 

[corpsman33]

Many things:

1) The Navy, like medical school, doesn't particularly care what your major is. If you wan t to be a line officer they will judge you based on your GPA, your extra cirriculars, and to a large extent based on your perfomance on a standardized intelligence test (the SATs, GRE, or ASVAB) and your physicial fitness test. Whatever training you need to do your job in the Navy the Navy will provide.

2) The process to apply to be an officer and to be enlisted are different and seperate. If they don't accept you to officer candidiate school, or if you don't pass officer candidate school, you don't turn into an enlisted sailor. You just stay a civilian.

3) Med schools care about your GPA and your MCAT. Your othe acheivements are a very, very distant second place behind thoes two stats, and the military is not an ideal place to repair a GPA or study for the MCAT. a junior corpsman is a fulltime job. A junior officer or NCO is a job a half. Corpsmen do finish college degrees while enlisted, but if you struggled to achieve the necessary grades while a full time student are you sure you will suddenly get As while working full time (an occasionally deploying) as a corpsman?

4) This website advises a lot of people on how to get into medical school, let it help. I started this process with an abysmal GPA and managed to weasel my way into school only a year after graduating without any 'crippling' loans. If you post your GPA, MCAT (if you have one), and maybe a little bit of information about the trend your grades took and why they were so bad we might be able to figure out a plan to get you into medical school that takes less than 5 years. Heck, you might just be psyching yourself out. More than one student has come to this website and just drastically overestimated the GPA they needed for medical school.

5) Last piece of advice: if you do decide to approach an enlisted recruiter, please be aware that they have a lot of packages they can sell you. You can negotiate for a higher initial rank (up to E4, I believe), bonuses, and guarentees of certain professions like hospital corpsman. Their goal is to get you to sign a contract with as few of those guarentees as possible. You're going to need to look like an attractive candidate to them, while at the same time making it clear that you are seriously considering both not doing this and doing it through one of the other services. On the other hand if you decide to try to become an officer, officer recruiters really do have only one package to offer you, so just treat it like a medical school interview and give the best impression you can.

Everything you said was pretty accurate, except the bolded above. In 99.9% of cases E-3 is the max you can get prior to boot camp. Certain rates in the Navy will escalate you quicker to a higher rank (i.e. finishing B.U.D.S, etc.), but you will start as an E-3. With college completed he will be able to negotiate a sign-on bonus for completing a certain number of college units (I received a $7,000 dollar sign on bonus when I started for college).

 

[corpsman33]

My concern about taking the civilian route before military is that my grades aren't good enough for med school yet. Joining as a corpsman seemed like the most logical thing to do because it would give me experience.
As a corpsman, do you get opportunities enhance your academic records? What was the issue with ending the enlisted contract? Also, could you elaborate on the "doc" experience so that I know what I could be getting into?

I was able to complete my B.S. degree while in the military, but I had to make a lot of sacrifices to achieve it. Not every command will afford you the opportunity or time to take classes, especially if you are stationed with the Marines or are deployed. I went to school full time while working 10-12 hours shifts active duty and averaged 4 hours of sleep for about 3 years, but I did it, so it can be done. You will also qualify for "tuition assistance" which will give you $4,500 a year of free tuition while active in addition to your GI Bill (although with budget cuts TA may not be around much longer).

Being enlisted you are at the needs of the Navy and this is not always college compatible. Most Corpsman I knew who tried for officer (very few were able to achieve it) went nurse corps, and very very few were able to make it to the medical corps route.

In answer to your second question, in order to get into USUHS you will have to get your Commanding Officer's recommendation and approval to apply. Because you are enlisted (and under your enlisted contract) you are not guaranteed the ability to apply. You C.O. must approve it first (and this is unlikely your first year or so until you have proved yourself a little bit). HPSP and HSCP are a little different. You have to get what is known as a "conditional release" that has to be approved by "PERs" (aka Big Navy or the administration of the Navy) in order to be eligible to apply. What the conditional release does is approve you to be released from your enlisted contract if you gain acceptance to medical school and HPSP or HSCP. Again, the conditional release is not guaranteed (especially if you are an FMF Corpsman and they need you at the time).

In answer to your third question, Corpsman are the medics for the Marines. So don't think that just because it is the Navy that you will be doing medical care on a ship. Most Corpsman are out fighting with the Marines and kicking down doors with them. Everywhere there are Marines, there are also Corpsman.

However, my time in the Navy and as a Corpsman has been awesome and provided me with opportunities I wouldn't have had elsewhere. As opposed to what some others have said, my experiences as a Navy Corpsman were a HUGE plus in my application (probably number three most important after grades and MCAT). I think I was at a distinct advantage over other applicants who had similar stats.

If you join the military as a Corpsman you will gain great medical experience, but you will have to put up with all the non-sense that goes along with being an enlisted member. Don't be suprised if you aren't able to apply to medical school until after your 5 year contract is up (which is the minimum contract for Corpsman).

Good Luck!

 

[Perrotfish]

I was able to complete my B.S. degree while in the military, but I had to make a lot of sacrifices to achieve it. Not every command will afford you the opportunity or time to take classes, especially if you are stationed with the Marines or are deployed. I went to school full time while working 10-12 hours shifts active duty and averaged 4 hours of sleep for about 3 years, but I did it, so it can be done. You will also qualify for "tuition assistance" which will give you $4,500 a year of free tuition while active in addition to your GI Bill (although with budget cuts TA may not be around much longer).

Could he recieve tuition assistance if he's completed a college degree? When I asked at ODS we were told the Navy only funded tuition assistance if it was a higher level of degree than you had yet completed, or a lower degree that they particularly valued (ex an MPH for a physician). If you were a physician who just wanted to take an undergraduate level poetry class because you had an interest it sounded like you were out of luck.

I've never actually applied for tuition assistance, I could be completely off base.

 

[corpsman33]

Could he recieve tuition assistance if he's completed a college degree? When I asked at ODS we were told the Navy only funded tuition assistance if it was a higher level of degree than you had yet completed, or a lower degree that they particularly valued (ex an MPH for a physician). If you were a physician who just wanted to take an undergraduate level poetry class because you had an interest it sounded like you were out of luck.

I've never actually applied for tuition assistance, I could be completely off base.

They funded my Organic Chemistry 1 and 2 classes after I had completed my B.S. degree, but they did put up a stink about it at first. I had to formulate a degree plan (even though I wasn't actually completing another degree yet) and show them that the classes were all part of my pre-requisites for my ultimate degree (becoming a doctor). They approved it.

The other option he has is to do a master's program while active (I know plenty of enlisted people who completed one while active, and i actually know one enlisted member who completed a PhD).

 

[pgg]

My concern about taking the civilian route before military is that my grades aren't good enough for med school yet. Joining as a corpsman seemed like the most logical thing to do because it would give me experience.

You didn't say what your gpa was, or practice MCATs (if any).

To me the biggest question is this: if your goal is medical school, what makes you think enlistment will improve your academic record enough to get you there?

As a corpsman, do you get opportunities enhance your academic records?

Not really. Some take undergrad classes and, when circumstances permit, even make progress toward an undergrad degree. It's entirely possible (likely) that you'd go your entire enlistment without opportunity to take any meaningful classes.

What was the issue with ending the enlisted contract? Also, could you elaborate on the "doc" experience so that I know what I could be getting into?

I don't know what you mean by 'issue with ending the enlisted contract' ... as for the rest, there's a whole forum here with many, many posts about the "doc" experience.

 

[Kingfisher]

I was able to complete my B.S. degree while in the military, but I had to make a lot of sacrifices to achieve it. p>
In answer to your third question, Corpsman are the medics for the Marines. So don't think that just because it is the Navy that you will be doing medical care on a ship. Most Corpsman are out fighting with the Marines and kicking down doors with them. Everywhere there are Marines, there are also Corpsman.

However, my time in the Navy and as a Corpsman has been awesome and provided me with opportunities I wouldn't have had elsewhere. As opposed to what some others have said, my experiences as a Navy Corpsman were a HUGE plus in my application (probably number three most important after grades and MCAT). I think I was at a distinct advantage over other applicants who had similar stats.

If you join the military as a Corpsman you will gain great medical experience, but you will have to put up with all the non-sense that goes along with being an enlisted member. Don't be suprised if you aren't able to apply to medical school until after your 5 year contract is up (which is the minimum contract for Corpsman).

Good Luck!

Enlisting in the Navy is great for folks right out of High School or shortly thereafter who want to get some training and do some neat things. You can find out what you want to do when you grow up and get the means to pay for it. That's what I did.

Enlisting in the Navy AFTER you have already earned your degree is a mistake I have seen over and over. College educated adults make the worst junior enlisted. They are more experienced and mature and can recognize poor leadership from HM3 Powertrip who is far younger and less experienced but still is in charge of them. They quickly realize they have been duped as EVERYONE asks them why they didn't just go officer. Instead of putting their experience and maturity to good use they are relegated to the lowest denominator.

I'm not sure that most corpsman go with the Marines. Strictly be the billet numbers, most corpsman are in the main hospitals and clinics. Your chances of NOT doing the fun stuff like kicking in doors with your fellow Marines are pretty good. You are more likely to spend your first few years getting vitals and emptying sharps containers.

 

[corpsman33]

Enlisting in the Navy is great for folks right out of High School or shortly thereafter who want to get some training and do some neat things. You can find out what you want to do when you grow up and get the means to pay for it. That's what I did.

Enlisting in the Navy AFTER you have already earned your degree is a mistake I have seen over and over. College educated adults make the worst junior enlisted. They are more experienced and mature and can recognize poor leadership from HM3 Powertrip who is far younger and less experienced but still is in charge of them. They quickly realize they have been duped as EVERYONE asks them why they didn't just go officer. Instead of putting their experience and maturity to good use they are relegated to the lowest denominator.

I'm not sure that most corpsman go with the Marines. Strictly be the billet numbers, most corpsman are in the main hospitals and clinics. Your chances of NOT doing the fun stuff like kicking in doors with your fellow Marines are pretty good. You are more likely to spend your first few years getting vitals and emptying sharps containers.

The billet numbers are skewed by female corpsman and IDC corpsman (which frequently don't go with the Marines), but if you are a male you will end up going eventually.....end of story. Every one of the males at my last command (hospital shore command) when they were at their PRD had to get sea orders, and the only sea orders the detailer would give a male corpsman was to go with the Marines (unless you were an IDC corpsman in which you could get on a ship). To a doctor looking in from a purely "billet" standpoint I see where you are coming from, but as a prior enlisted Corpsman who has spoken with detailers hundreds of times (on my behalf and on the behalf of my Sailors) let me tell you that you are wrong.

Also you assumed it is a mistake to join from an older and college educated age, but I joined at 25 with 85 units of college (I know it's not a Bachelors but still), and I loved my time in. I knew I would be taking orders from those 19 and 20 years of age, but I came in knowing that mentality. I decided instead to use my maturity as an advantage and picked up rank ridiculously quick while earning the remainder of my degree (which in my case involved significant gpa repair also).

However I don't think my experience will be the case for everybody who joins and it woukd probably be a mistake for the op to join for the reasons he stated. OP if you want to be a Corpsman then join, but if you want to go to medical school in the next five years (which is the length of a contract) then gain medical experience by shadowing and repair your GPA from outside the military.

 

[numberwunn]

College major matters jack squat to the military. I've served with guys who had the craziest majors you can imagine... turf grass management, poultry science, etc (no, not making them up). Don't worry about it.

If you're absolutely desperate to join, be an officer. But don't view it as a means to help you get in to medical school - it will actually make the path harder. It sounds like you should go do some research for a couple years, bring up your scores, and then try.

 

[haujun]

Are there any hospital corpsman who made it to medical school?

I'm going to be graduating from college with a degree in psychology (fairly useless, I know) and my plan is to go to medical school eventually. My original plan was to immediately apply to USUHS or some other med school with HPSP scholarship so that I can serve after the MD. However, if I apply now I'm sure I won't be accepted due to my lackluster credentials at this point. SMP and post-bacc are too expensive for me and so not possible unless I take crippling loans. I was considering applying to the Navy as a hospital corpsman and eventually applying to med schools (such as USUHS). Has anyone done this before? Does the Navy give corpsmen time to build their academic background so that they can eventually apply to med school?

If you enter enlisted side after finishing a college you will enter as a E-4. But your problems are grades and scores not lack of military experience for USUHS. Look at credential for acceptant applicants for USUHS.

If I were you I would do post-bacc course or enter graduate school and take classes to boost grades and MCAT scores. Volunteer in hospital etc.

If you must go to enlisted route select medical MOS and consider military sponsored PA school also (esp medical school route does not work out) in the future.

 

[corpsman33]

If you enter enlisted side after finishing a college you will enter as a E-4. But your problems are grades and scores not lack of military experience for USUHS. Look at credential for acceptant applicants for USUHS.

If I were you I would do post-bacc course or enter graduate school and take classes to boost grades and MCAT scores. Volunteer in hospital etc.

If you must go to enlisted route select medical MOS and consider military sponsored PA school also (esp medical school route does not work out) in the future.

I don't know why everyone keeps saying they will start him as an E-4 with a college degree (maybe in the Army or other branches), but he asked about being a Hospital Corpsman. In the Navy the max they will start you off as is an E-3. They will not start you as a Petty Officer. I have had many many friends enter enlisted with bachelor degrees (2 with master's degrees) and they all started as an E-3 in the Navy.

 

[torshi]

I made it to medical school following active duty as a Hospital Corpsman and so do did a few of my friends, but let me also say that it is definitely not common in the Corpsman community (those that go officer typically go nurse corps). The medical experience definitely helps, but it can sometimes be very difficult to get out of your enlisted contract to go officer. In my opinion it is easier to go officer from the civilian side then go from enlisted to officer. Also, once you are enlisted you may or may not have time for additional school while active, depending on your command.

That being said I enjoyed my time as a Corpsman, but make sure you are ready to be deployed with the Marines to be their "doc". You will gain great medical experience that will definitely help with applications, but you may not be able to apply until you get out of your contract, unless you get a "conditional release" approved.

Good luck!

Quick question if one signed a 8 yr contract - 4 yr AD / 4 yr IRR - enlistment contract after college - after the 4 years AD can they apply to med school via HPSP or would they have to wait till 4 yr IRR is done

 

[corpsman33]

Quick question if one signed a 8 yr contract - 4 yr AD / 4 yr IRR - enlistment contract after college - after the 4 years AD can they apply to med school via HPSP or would they have to wait till 4 yr IRR is done

They could apply to medical school immediately after the 4 year active contract. The other four years are "individual ready reserve" and is basically inactive which means you don't have to drill, etc. and you would be eligible to advance you career in any way you wish. But you also don't get paid during this time and only receive very little benefits.

 

[torshi]

They could apply to medical school immediately after the 4 year active contract. The other four years are "individual ready reserve" and is basically inactive which means you don't have to drill, etc. and you would be eligible to advance you career in any way you wish. But you also don't get paid during this time and only receive very little benefits.

Do you think the will or can pull you out of medical school when specifically on the HPSP they are paying for it? I'm sure if one were in med school not on any mil scholarship they can still get pulled out if needed? I don't know what the future entails, but def something to consider. I plan on using the HPSP though after AD

 

[corpsman33]

Do you think the will or can pull you out of medical school when specifically on the HPSP they are paying for it? I'm sure if one were in med school not on any mil scholarship they can still get pulled out if needed? I don't know what the future entails, but def something to consider. I plan on using the HPSP though after AD

I think if you are on a commissioning scholarship like HPSP it takes an act of Congress to pull you out from your scholarship.

It is also very unlikely they will pull you into an active status from the IRR as well, unless they are in desperate need of your rate. I know of a Navy Seal who was pulled active from his IRR status but typically this is very uncommon.

However if you plan on doing HPSP it is probably better to apply as a civilian then coming on active duty and then applying, in fact the instruction explicitly states that HPSP and HSCP are primarily civilian recruitment oriented.

 

[torshi]

I think if you are on a commissioning scholarship like HPSP it takes an act of Congress to pull you out from your scholarship.

It is also very unlikely they will pull you into an active status from the IRR as well, unless they are in desperate need of your rate. I know of a Navy Seal who was pulled active from his IRR status but typically this is very uncommon.

However if you plan on doing HPSP it is probably better to apply as a civilian then coming on active duty and then applying, in fact the instruction explicitly states that HPSP and HSCP are primarily civilian recruitment oriented.

I don't understand this, I hear this all the time - it just doesn't seem right, you would think it would be the opposite. But if that is true, which it seems like it, wouldn't the fact that your pursuing to become a physician under HPSP and eventually serve in in the medical corps a plus regardless of prior enlisted or civilian? Since the military is always wanting to recruit physicians?

I mean I'll receive my 4 yr degree - graduating at 19 - plan on doing 4 yrs AD 68W (medic) in the army. Hoping after the 4 years it wouldn't be such a prob when applying

 

[corpsman33]

I don't understand this, I hear this all the time - it just doesn't seem right, you would think it would be the opposite. But if that is true, which it seems like it, wouldn't the fact that your pursuing to become a physician under HPSP and eventually serve in in the medical corps a plus regardless of prior enlisted or civilian? Since the military is always wanting to recruit physicians?

I mean I'll receive my 4 yr degree - graduating at 19 - plan on doing 4 yrs AD 68W (medic) in the army. Hoping after the 4 years it wouldn't be such a prob when applying

It is not impossible to get into HPSP while active duty, but you just have a few extra hoops to jump through. I was able to get in while active and many other people have done the same thing, but it is much less of a hastle to apply as a civilian.

But if you plan on serving your entire enlisted contract then getting out and applying (which is what I think you were referring to) then you should have no problem. In fact when they are evaluating HPSP applications I have been told they give extra points for prior service, so in this case it would actually benefit you.

The only reason it is more difficult to apply while you are active duty is because you are in the midst of a contract that is sometimes hard to get out of to go to HPSP. Once you have completed that contract you are good to go.

 

[torshi]

It is not impossible to get into HPSP while active duty, but you just have a few extra hoops to jump through. I was able to get in while active and many other people have done the same thing, but it is much less of a hastle to apply as a civilian.

But if you plan on serving your entire enlisted contract then getting out and applying (which is what I think you were referring to) then you should have no problem. In fact when they are evaluating HPSP applications I have been told they give extra points for prior service, so in this case it would actually benefit you.

The only reason it is more difficult to apply while you are active duty is because you are in the midst of a contract that is sometimes hard to get out of to go to HPSP. Once you have completed that contract you are good to go.

Ohhh I get you, you mean it's harder mid-contract while serving AD. Alright cool, yea I plan on finishing 4 yr full AD contract, I'll roughly still be young in the IRR and then apply. kk sounds good, and thanks for the clarification.

 

[corpsman33]

Ohhh I get you, you mean it's harder mid-contract while serving AD. Alright cool, yea I plan on finishing 4 yr full AD contract, I'll roughly still be young in the IRR and then apply. kk sounds good, and thanks for the clarification.

Yes, that is exactly what I meant.....Good Luck!

 

[zenman]

I went the Army medic route (LPN) in the reserves, challenged CA state boards and worked as an RN while going to nursing school. Now, I'm a Psych NP military contractor knocking back more than a rear admiral's base salary.

 

[torshi]

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[torshi]

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[Super8]

11111

 

[Super8]

1111111

 

[Super8]

I made it to medical school following active duty as a Hospital Corpsman and so do did a few of my friends, but let me also say that it is definitely not common in the Corpsman community (those that go officer typically go nurse corps). The medical experience definitely helps, but it can sometimes be very difficult to get out of your enlisted contract to go officer. In my opinion it is easier to go officer from the civilian side then go from enlisted to officer. Also, once you are enlisted you may or may not have time for additional school while active, depending on your command.

That being said I enjoyed my time as a Corpsman, but make sure you are ready to be deployed with the Marines to be their "doc". You will gain great medical experience that will definitely help with applications, but you may not be able to apply until you get out of your contract, unless you get a "conditional release" approved.

Good luck!

I would tend to disagree with Corpsman 33. I find that the military experience really sets you apart and sets you up for success when it comes to the medical school regimen and curriculum. I find that my military experience has taught me respect, self control and chain of command. Anyway, those are my thoughts.

 

[DrMetal]

I would tend to disagree with Corpsman 33. I find that the military experience really sets you apart and sets you up for success when it comes to the medical school regimen and curriculum. I find that my military experience has taught me respect, self control and chain of command. Anyway, those are my thoughts.

What do you disagree with? Corpsman33 is right, it is difficult sometimes to get out of an enlistment contract. What's even more difficult is getting a good GPA/MCAT score, while you're enlisted and ground pounding with the USMC. (don't get me wrong, enlisting and deploying can be a great experience, in an and of itself . . .many have done it and gotten into medical school just fine . . but it is hard to do).

A good GPA and MCAT score will open doors for you. Military service and anything else helps distinguish you, but you gotta have the numbers. You could be a MofH recipient with a 3.0GPA and 28 MCAT, you're going nowhere. So if you wanna enlist, do it for the experience of service, but don't do it to get an "advantage" for the sake of med school admissions.

 

[haujun]

I would tend to disagree with Corpsman 33. I find that the military experience really sets you apart and sets you up for success when it comes to the medical school regimen and curriculum. I find that my military experience has taught me respect, self control and chain of command. Anyway, those are my thoughts.

Although having self control is important the longer time you spent out of school (enlistment) it is going to be more difficult to get into and do well in medical school. To the OP: Are you doing enlistment route to participate in student loan program?

 

[student til 30]

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