Hi, I'm currently in 3rd year of college undergrad, and I'll be graduating with a BS in Exercise Science. I plan on applying to PT school, but I'm really hellbent on joining the military, (I prefer the Navy or Army, but I'm open to the other branches), right after my undergrad. It would be nice to have some related experience to the health field while I serve. Are there any medical or health related jobs in the military that are open to people with only a Bachelor's degree? Or are the only ones available health care specialist and hospital corpsman? (which are for enlisted)
Officer Jobs with Bachelor's
- Thread starter nyav694
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Can't speak to Navy. The Army has an AOC called 70B which is Health Services Administration. It's obviously non-clinical. I'd be surprised if the Navy doesn't have the equivalent; health care runs on a sea of paper...
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The Army has an entire branch, the medical service corps, filled with non-medical people who work at the periphery of health care. For example, TDA units (e.g. hospitals) have company and troop commanders who are MSC officers. In theory, they're supposed to aid the specialty corps by doing non-medical administrative work, freeing the rest of us to take care of patients. Unfortunately, reality is a far cry from theory. These officers also serve in MTOE units.
These are "line" officers in a loose sense of the word, meaning that they're not the combat arms type of hard chargers, their self-image notwithstanding. They're lumped in with other combat service support branches, such as ordnance, transportation, or quartermaster officers. In my experience, a relatively high percentage of medical corps officers with prior service came from the MSC branch. There's nothing about this job that prepares one for medical school, but the good news is that medical schools don't typically realize that. They just hear the word "medical" in your job description, which might bump you up a point or two. Of course, none of that would overcome an unsatisfactory GPA or MCAT.
These are "line" officers in a loose sense of the word, meaning that they're not the combat arms type of hard chargers, their self-image notwithstanding. They're lumped in with other combat service support branches, such as ordnance, transportation, or quartermaster officers. In my experience, a relatively high percentage of medical corps officers with prior service came from the MSC branch. There's nothing about this job that prepares one for medical school, but the good news is that medical schools don't typically realize that. They just hear the word "medical" in your job description, which might bump you up a point or two. Of course, none of that would overcome an unsatisfactory GPA or MCAT.
