Disqualifying conditions for future military doctors

[bostonfan123123]

Hello all, I am sophomore in college planning on becoming a doctor in the military. I have a heart murmur which was deemed harmless by my doctor, and I also used to have a mild case of asthma as a child. I also told my doctor that I occasionally smoke marijuana (this was during my freshman year of college). Will any of these conditions keep me from being able to become a doctor in the military? I plan on stopping smoking, of course, and I am in excellent physical shape. Thanks for the input!

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[Perrotfish]

Hello all, I am sophomore in college planning on becoming a doctor in the military. I have a heart murmur which was deemed harmless by my doctor, and I also used to have a mild case of asthma as a child. I also told my doctor that I occasionally smoke marijuana (this was during my freshman year of college). Will any of these conditions keep me from being able to become a doctor in the military? I plan on stopping smoking, of course, and I am in excellent physical shape. Thanks for the input!

Others can correct me if I'm wrong:

The asthma and the drug use are both disqualifying but waiverable. Whether they will grant your waiver will vary from year to year, but for the medical corps they generally grant waivers to almst anything they can. The heart murmer I don't think you're obliged to mention as a physical finding is not a diagnosis, but I'm not sure.

 

[244913]

Hello all, I am sophomore in college planning on becoming a doctor in the military. I have a heart murmur which was deemed harmless by my doctor, and I also used to have a mild case of asthma as a child. I also told my doctor that I occasionally smoke marijuana (this was during my freshman year of college). Will any of these conditions keep me from being able to become a doctor in the military? I plan on stopping smoking, of course, and I am in excellent physical shape. Thanks for the input!

Back when I applied the marijuana use wasn't even a waiver issue, simply something you were supposed to be forthright about.

The asthma probably won't be an issue as long as it subsided before age 13, and you didn't require hospitalizations/intubations/steroids. Whether you'll need a waiver for it depends on the mood of the examining MO at MEPS. Some might just let it slide, but I would guess that nowadays most will disqualify you and make you get a waiver, which will involve a letter from your pediatrician, possibly supporting letters from yourself and those who know you (sports coaches and the like) and at a minimum, PFT's. If the PFT's are equivocal they will make you do a methacholine challenge.

Again, a lot of this depends on the branch and the mood of the MO at MEPS when you go through. The USAF seems to be the most anal, army and navy a little less so.

I will say that having been on active duty in an operational role with multiple deployments, I never pooh-pooh asthma. There is a reason that it used to be an absolute disqualifier. Too many irritants and too much moondust in AFG. It can play havoc on even the most well controlled person. I've also seen far too many people, including Physicians unfortunately, use asthma as an excuse to dodge deployments.

Just be honest and if you are healthy you will be vindicated.

-61N

 

[DD214_DOC]

I think being dead is the only disqualifying condition for the medical corps.

 

[notdeadyet]

I think being dead is the only disqualifying condition for the medical corps.

That's waiverable. Unlike diabetes.

 

[NavyFP]

Hello all, I am sophomore in college planning on becoming a doctor in the military. I have a heart murmur which was deemed harmless by my doctor, and I also used to have a mild case of asthma as a child. I also told my doctor that I occasionally smoke marijuana (this was during my freshman year of college). Will any of these conditions keep me from being able to become a doctor in the military? I plan on stopping smoking, of course, and I am in excellent physical shape. Thanks for the input!

None of your conditions rise to the level of being disqualifying. If you still have a heart murmur, an echo will be done. If indeed "innocent" you are good to go. If you have not received treatment for asthma since your 13th birthday, it is not an issue as well.

The marijuana is also not a problem as long as you are upfront and honest.

 

[bostonfan123123]

thanks everyone this makes me feel a lot better, I had an ultrasound on my heart to check out the status of my heart murmur and the sonographer said I had a very healthy heart. I haven't had any problems with my asthma since I was a child either. During interviews if asked I will be honest about my past marijuana use and how I no longer smoke.