Military before Medical School?

[Thucydides94]

Hi all!

I'm a junior at an Ivy who thinks America is rad af, and consequently wants to serve in the military. I'm deeply interested in military aviation, but also ultimately want to become a physician. Is it feasible to join the USAF/USN as a fixed-wing pilot, and then apply to USUHS or a civilian med school? I've also heard of something called the Pilot-Physician Program. Does that entail earning one's wings before medical school or after?

Thanks!

Concerned Citizen/Aspiring F-35 Driver

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[WernickeDO]

It is possible to move from aviation to medicine. Keep in mind that you'll be incurring an active duty service obligation (ADSO) if you take on this training that will limit your career flexibility for a few years at least. If medicine is your ultimate goal, you may be better served to pursue that rather than returning to it after X amount of years in aviation.

 

[deleted480308]

if you want to be a pilot and be a doctor, it will take quite a long time

 

[Gastrapathy]

If your screenname, post and sig were a parody, they would be perfect. But I suspect this is real. Pick a career. If you don't like it, try again. Once you pick medicine, it's hard to jump off the train.

 

[Cooperd0g]

Much easier to do pilot then apply to USUHS than to try and do medicine and pick up a very rare pilot physician spot. Assuming you graduate college at 21 the earliest you would get your MD is around 35-36 years old. I will be 39 at MD graduation. This doesn't mean it will be an easy pipeline.

Currently the Navy isn't taking physicians into pilot training. I believe the AF still is, but it isn't the norm or common.

 

[DJones13]

Anecdotal evidence: It can definitely be done. I met a fighter pilot in the USAF at my USUHS interview day.

His initial goal was medicine but he somehow got derailed and became a fighter pilot.

 

[Shikima]

If he can:

So can you!

 

[DeadCactus]

I keep trying to type a serious answer and I just can't...

 

[MightBeACylon439]

Hi all!

I'm a junior at an Ivy who thinks America is rad af, and consequently wants to serve in the military

USA! USA! USA! USA!

 

[deuist]

Much easier to do pilot then apply to USUHS than to try and do medicine and pick up a very rare pilot physician spot.

I keep hearing things like "elite units" the longer I've been in the Air Force. The pilot physician program is no exception. Although very few doctor/rated pilots exist, it does not seem like a particularly hard route to get into. Since I get emails from all of the different job offers in the Air Force I got to see the messages that came out last year asking for more applicants to the pilot physician program because not enough people applied.

 

[Cooperd0g]

Maybe it is easier in the Air Force. I know the Navy hasn't put a doc through full flight training in about a decade.

 

[IlDestriero]

If that's what you want to do, go be a pilot in the military and when your obligation is done, you can study for the MCAT and go to medical school. You can go to USUHS or a civilian program on the government dime, or as a civilian. I saw many former pilots have a second career in medicine after about a decade in the air.
When you switch to medicine, your career as a military pilot will be over.