2020-2021 Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences

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Has anyone heard if USU will be conducting remote interviews this year?
 
pcvtomd21 said:
Has anyone heard if USU will be conducting remote interviews this year?
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USU's MSAR profile states "All interviews for the MD and MD/PhD programs will be held virtually for the 2020-2021 cycle". I don't think they're using VITA.
 
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pcvtomd21 said:
Has anyone heard if USU will be conducting remote interviews this year?
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Definitely virtual. We got an email about it a month ago. We are sad we won’t be seeing you all on campus. It’s one of the highlights for us. The slots for students to volunteer to talk about the school and give tours fill up really fast because we all love doing it.
 
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Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
Definitely virtual. We got an email about it a month ago. We are sad we won’t be seeing you all on campus. It’s one of the highlights for us. The slots for students to volunteer to talk about the school and give tours fill up really fast because we all love doing it.
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Are students back on campus? I follow the USU facility dog (Shetland) on Instagram and saw that he was back on base but didn’t know if all students were back or if it was just for finals.
 
lumya said:
Are students back on campus? I follow the USU facility dog (Shetland) on Instagram and saw that he was back on base but didn’t know if all students were back or if it was just for finals.
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It was just for finals and then for a recapture period. Supposedly we will be phasing back in doing some in person stuff this upcoming module, but with the numbers in Maryland spiking, who knows if that will happen.

But we still have students go to campus to study. The campus isn’t closed, and we can reserve library space and use the lounge.
 
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Just submitted my secondary! Reapplying this year, I'm really hoping to get in since I've been wanting to do military medicine for a while and going to USUHS seems like the best way to do that. Haven't made much improvements in my app besides re-writing my essays and getting 700+ hours scribing experience this past year, hopefully it's enough this time around.
 
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RatWitDaToolie said:
Just submitted my secondary! Reapplying this year, I'm really hoping to get in since I've been wanting to do military medicine for a while and going to USUHS seems like the best way to do that. Haven't made much improvements in my app besides re-writing my essays and getting 700+ hours scribing experience this past year, hopefully it's enough this time around.
[/QUOTE
I figure if lack of clinical hours was a weakness the first time And the rest of stats are near the 3.6 gpa mcat 509 , should have a shot
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If clinical hrs were the only thing holding you back and gpa mcat in range 3.6 509 should have no problems
 
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I'm curious, for someone with no military background or family in the military, why military medicine? I'm personally interested in the PHS, and have a desire to work with underserved populations. But I'm worried that I won't be able to relate to the veteran/military patient population (if I had to join the other branches) and this might hurt my chances of admission to USU because I don't have big or specific enough reasons.

Also - it's a huge bummer to do remote interviews this year. I was actually really looking forward to visiting this school's campus if I were invited for an interview :(
 
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dholida said:
I'm curious, for someone with no military background or family in the military, why military medicine? I'm personally interested in the PHS, and have a desire to work with underserved populations. But I'm worried that I won't be able to relate to the veteran/military patient population (if I had to join the other branches) and this might hurt my chances of admission to USU because I don't have big or specific enough reasons.

Also - it's a huge bummer to do remote interviews this year. I was actually really looking forward to visiting this school's campus if I were invited for an interview :(
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We’re just people. We aren’t some weird alien species you can’t understand. Yes, most of us have experiences you can’t relate to right now, but that’s why you go through a commissioning course, and after you spend some time with us (and especially after a deployment), you’ll have no problem.
 
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dholida said:
I'm curious, for someone with no military background or family in the military, why military medicine? I'm personally interested in the PHS, and have a desire to work with underserved populations. But I'm worried that I won't be able to relate to the veteran/military patient population (if I had to join the other branches) and this might hurt my chances of admission to USU because I don't have big or specific enough reasons.

Also - it's a huge bummer to do remote interviews this year. I was actually really looking forward to visiting this school's campus if I were invited for an interview :(
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There are two books, one by Dr. Peter Rhee, and another by Dr. James Cole about their experiences as military trauma surgeons if you want some insight. I'm wondering if theres any books written by army physicians.
 
jonniboi said:
There are two books, one by Dr. Peter Rhee, and another by Dr. James Cole about their experiences as military trauma surgeons if you want some insight. I'm wondering if theres any books written by army physicians.
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Books like that tend to not paint a very realistic picture of what it’s like for the majority of military docs. They are cool reads, but remember that they were turned into books and stuff for a reason.
 
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Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
Books like that tend to not paint a very realistic picture of what it’s like for the majority of military docs. They are cool reads, but remember that they were turned into books and stuff for a reason.
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I thought they were pretty insightful, though they are likely outdated (and I agree with what you mentioned). Dr. Rhee was at USUHS, Dr. Cole did the HSPS Navy scholarship. Dr. Rhee talks about his experience at USUHS, though he was kinda mehh about the military portion of it. Dr. Cole enjoyed his GMO, he thought it was a necessary break before he went to his GenSurg residency (keep in mind they didn't have limits on residency hours then so it was quite a bit worse on the lifestyle). They also talk about working with other military physicians such as Dr. Geoffrey Ling & Dr. Stephen Hetz respectively.

Capt. Liotta also told me to go check out this website:

Medicine + The Military

Learn about the career opportunities and lifestyle that the Military has to offer medical students, residents and licensed physicians.
www.medicineandthemilitary.com www.medicineandthemilitary.com

You can also find volunteer opportunities like the USO if you want to know more about what the military side is like (obviously you won't fully know until you're actually in, but just to get your feet wet).
 
jonniboi said:
I thought they were pretty insightful, though they are likely outdated (and I agree with what you mentioned). Dr. Rhee was at USUHS, Dr. Cole did the HSPS Navy scholarship. Dr. Rhee talks about his experience at USUHS, though he was kinda mehh about the military portion of it. Dr. Cole enjoyed his GMO, he thought it was a necessary break before he went to his GenSurg residency (keep in mind they didn't have limits on residency hours then so it was quite a bit worse on the lifestyle). They also talk about working with other military physicians such as Dr. Geoffrey Ling & Dr. Stephen Hetz respectively.

Capt. Liotta also told me to go check out this website:

Medicine + The Military

Learn about the career opportunities and lifestyle that the Military has to offer medical students, residents and licensed physicians.
www.medicineandthemilitary.com www.medicineandthemilitary.com

You can also find volunteer opportunities like the USO if you want to know more about what the military side is like (obviously you won't fully know until you're actually in, but just to get your feet wet).
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Yeah I haven’t read those. I’ve read On Call In Hell, which was amazing but represents the experience of like 1% of military docs lol. Most military docs just don’t have crazy outside the wire experiences. I’ll have to check those other ones out.

Yeah the military stuff at USUHS is not bad. It doesn’t make up a ton of our time tbh. Bushmaster was super cool. COVID ruined our summer operational experience, but they’re usually cool too.

And yeah unfortunately there isn’t really any way to know what the military is like except to just do it.
 
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Any idea when interviews will be rolling out? I think MSAR said mid-late July, but just wondering if that's going to be affected by COVID?
 
I submitted my first set of secondaries last week on July 17th, however my primary app isn't verified yet, so I think I'll likely have to wait for that to happen before I can enter my pre-reqs. :\
 
jonniboi said:
I submitted my first set of secondaries last week on July 17th, however my primary app isn't verified yet, so I think I'll likely have to wait for that to happen before I can enter my pre-reqs. :\
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I suspect earliest interviews in August more prob sept but this is just a guess. Somewhat surprised they sent a secondary without a complete primary. It took me longer to finish my secondary. This is where I want to go so I really took my time with the essays. Good luck everybody
 
Verified primary, but I still need my MCAT score, which is coming on August 6th. Though I completed and submitted the secondary, I still did not receive any e-mails about the pre-reqs.
Also, I think the first II's usually come in during August for mid-September interviews (based on previous couple years).
 
doctorosteo said:
I suspect earliest interviews in August more prob sept but this is just a guess. Somewhat surprised they sent a secondary without a complete primary. It took me longer to finish my secondary. This is where I want to go so I really took my time with the essays. Good luck everybody
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The first interview date is usually the first or second week of September.
 
doctorosteo said:
I suspect earliest interviews in August more prob sept but this is just a guess. Somewhat surprised they sent a secondary without a complete primary. It took me longer to finish my secondary. This is where I want to go so I really took my time with the essays. Good luck everybody
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I was waitlisted last year, so I'm wondering if that's a factor...
 
jonniboi said:
I submitted my first set of secondaries last week on July 17th, however my primary app isn't verified yet, so I think I'll likely have to wait for that to happen before I can enter my pre-reqs. :\
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How did you get secondary applications without a verified and transmitted primary? Mind-
Vairo said:
Verified primary, but I still need my MCAT score, which is coming on August 6th. Though I completed and submitted the secondary, I still did not receive any e-mails about the pre-reqs.
Also, I think the first II's usually come in during August for mid-September interviews (based on previous couple years).
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I didn't receive any e-mail about pre-reqs or "application completion" either, besides that auto-generated message in the web-browser when you submit your secondary. I e-mailed my admissions counselor, and she said they received my secondary and to not worry about it.
 
WindmillChaser92 said:
How did you get secondary applications without a verified and transmitted primary? Mind-

I didn't receive any e-mail about pre-reqs or "application completion" either, besides that auto-generated message in the web-browser when you submit your secondary. I e-mailed my admissions counselor, and she said they received my secondary and to not worry about it.
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I also received a secondary without a verified primary. They probably sent one out to everyone who listed the school in their AMCAS app.
 
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WindmillChaser92 said:
How did you get secondary applications without a verified and transmitted primary? Mind-

I didn't receive any e-mail about pre-reqs or "application completion" either, besides that auto-generated message in the web-browser when you submit your secondary. I e-mailed my admissions counselor, and she said they received my secondary and to not worry about it.
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I believe all schools know when you add them to your AMCAS app and you submit (and pay that app fee). So USU knows who’s going to be applying and just sent out secondaries preemptively, even to those who are pending verification. You’ll get an email when your app is complete with your letters of rec and MCAT score, then an email to designate which courses you’ve taken meet their pre-req requirements. Mine took a bit to come in so maybe they’re a little bogged down.
 
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How many folks here have also started an HPSP application package in tandem with applying to USU? What sort of pros/cons are you considering at the moment? I know the obvious ones (active/paid while at USUHS).
 
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WindmillChaser92 said:
How many folks here have also started an HPSP application package in tandem with applying to USU? What sort of pros/cons are you considering at the moment? I know the obvious ones (active/paid while at USUHS).
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I started back in February and have finished everything except actually getting a Med school acceptance. I think the two are pretty comparable with differences in time owed and amount you’ll get during Med school. One thing I did have to think a bit about was doing a GMO since I applied for Navy HPSP and what my residency options might be.
 
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WindmillChaser92 said:
How many folks here have also started an HPSP application package in tandem with applying to USU? What sort of pros/cons are you considering at the moment? I know the obvious ones (active/paid while at USUHS).
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If your goal is 100% to serve your time and get out, HPSP is a great option. You don’t get a ton of money from the stipend, but it is something and you have no debt (plus a $20k bonus if you take a 4 year scholarship). You also only have to serve four years, so you can do a cool GMO tour and get out.

If there is any chance you might want to make it a career, USUHS is the place to be. It’s not called the West Point of medical school for nothing. We get amazing medical training, but they give us good leadership and officer training as well. Not to mention the full active duty pay, benefits, etc.
 
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Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
If your goal is 100% to serve your time and get out, HPSP is a great option. You don’t get a ton of money from the stipend, but it is something and you have no debt (plus a $20k bonus if you take a 4 year scholarship). You also only have to serve four years, so you can do a cool GMO tour and get out.

If there is any chance you might want to make it a career, USUHS is the place to be. It’s not called the West Point of medical school for nothing. We get amazing medical training, but they give us good leadership and officer training as well. Not to mention the full active duty pay, benefits, etc.
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That's the thing. I don't know if my goal is to serve my time and get out or if I'll want to make it a career. Too soon for me to tell. I have 10 years active in the Navy, so I believe I want to do at least another 10. But, idk. I know what military life and what military bureaucracy is like, so I have no issues there. I shadowed military physicians, and I believe I will find it a truly rewarding career. I am just concerned about the future of Navy Medicine and what my options will be. Plus, a part of me thinks it might be nice to go to a normal school for 4 years and take a break from active duty life. But, that financial incentive in the short-term is hard to outweigh. Got a family that needs support while I'm in school. I think I need to quit worrying about it, though, and cross that bridge when/if I actually get in to school(s). Cuz... I could be worrying about something that'll end up being a non-issue.
 
WindmillChaser92 said:
That's the thing. I don't know if my goal is to serve my time and get out or if I'll want to make it a career. Too soon for me to tell. I have 10 years active in the Navy, so I believe I want to do at least another 10. But, idk. I know what military life and what military bureaucracy is like, so I have no issues there. I shadowed military physicians, and I believe I will find it a truly rewarding career. I am just concerned about the future of Navy Medicine and what my options will be. Plus, a part of me thinks it might be nice to go to a normal school for 4 years and take a break from active duty life. But, that financial incentive in the short-term is hard to outweigh. Got a family that needs support while I'm in school. I think I need to quit worrying about it, though, and cross that bridge when/if I actually get in to school(s). Cuz... I could be worrying about something that'll end up being a non-issue.
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Eh, I thought that too and most of the people I was active with who went the HPSP route regret not going to USUHS.

The finances aren’t just short term. People who do USUHS and then a military residency actually come out ahead of HPSP people and break even with civilians. It’s only after they continue past the first commitment that they start to lose money. But the people who stay in past the first commitment usually aren’t in it for the money.

If you already have 10 years in, you’ll have 15 in by the time you finish intern year and GMO if you go HPSP. At that point, you might as well finish and get the retirement. At USUHS, you’d have a 7 year commitment, but you will get paid for the 4 years in med school, get guaranteed a military intern spot (and residency, whether that’s straight through or after a GMO depending on the specialty) so you can keep the military pay and benefits (which you don’t have during a civilian residency unless you go FTOS which is not likely). At the end of your training and commitment you’d be eligible for retirement and would get the 4 years of USUHS tacked on at the end.

HPSP is right for some people, but I think anyone who thinks they might have any chance of finishing out 20 should really consider USUHS. And honestly even if you don’t want to do 20. It’s just a great school.

Anyway, those are the things I thought about when I was deciding between HPSP and USUHS (I had 7 years active duty at the time) and what made me go USUHS.
 
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Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
Eh, I thought that too and most of the people I was active with who went the HPSP route regret not going to USUHS.

The finances aren’t just short term. People who do USUHS and then a military residency actually come out ahead of HPSP people and break even with civilians. It’s only after they continue past the first commitment that they start to lose money. But the people who stay in past the first commitment usually aren’t in it for the money.

If you already have 10 years in, you’ll have 15 in by the time you finish intern year and GMO if you go HPSP. At that point, you might as well finish and get the retirement. At USUHS, you’d have a 7 year commitment, but you will get paid for the 4 years in med school, get guaranteed a military intern spot (and residency, whether that’s straight through or after a GMO depending on the specialty) so you can keep the military pay and benefits (which you don’t have during a civilian residency unless you go FTOS which is not likely). At the end of your training and commitment you’d be eligible for retirement and would get the 4 years of USUHS tacked on at the end.

HPSP is right for some people, but I think anyone who thinks they might have any chance of finishing out 20 should really consider USUHS. And honestly even if you don’t want to do 20. It’s just a great school.

Anyway, those are the things I thought about when I was deciding between HPSP and USUHS (I had 7 years active duty at the time) and what made me go USUHS.
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Thanks. A lot of good insights packed into that post. Appreciate it!
 
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So I had planned to apply DO + USUHS & a state MD school next year, but some of my professors have encouraged me to go ahead and apply for DO this year as I basically have everything I need (except the MCAT, which I could take in the next month if I really hunker down and study). If I do that, is it worth applying for USUHS this year as well, or is it way too late for a solid chance? I don't want to hurt my chances if I have to become a reapplicant next year.
 
RNtoPossibleMD said:
So I had planned to apply DO + USUHS & a state MD school next year, but some of my professors have encouraged me to go ahead and apply for DO this year as I basically have everything I need (except the MCAT, which I could take in the next month if I really hunker down and study). If I do that, is it worth applying for USUHS this year as well, or is it way too late for a solid chance? I don't want to hurt my chances if I have to become a reapplicant next year.
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I had a mentor try and pressure me into applying last cycle, but I did not feel ready. That was a tough conversation to have because I basically had to say, I respect all the time you have spent with me shadowing and I really appreciate the faith you have in me, but I imagine the med school application process has evolved slightly in the past 30 years. And, I waited because there were schools I wanted to apply for, and I knew my best shot was to put a solid AMCAS package together as early as possible in the cycle. I didn't want to waste money putting together a hurried application and not have the best shot at my top choices. Obviously, I don't know the results yet, but I waited and I'm glad I did. I say this because if you really want to apply to USUHS, I would put together a solid application to USUHS. I don't know your particulars, and it could be possible to throw together an application that is solid enough to get in late-cycle this year. If you have schools you would love to go to on your DO list, go for it! But, if you would regret not putting forth your best shot to get into USUHS for example, then why not give that a shot?! We don't always have to follow the advice of others, but we should listen to them and hear them out.
 
RNtoPossibleMD said:
So I had planned to apply DO + USUHS & a state MD school next year, but some of my professors have encouraged me to go ahead and apply for DO this year as I basically have everything I need (except the MCAT, which I could take in the next month if I really hunker down and study). If I do that, is it worth applying for USUHS this year as well, or is it way too late for a solid chance? I don't want to hurt my chances if I have to become a reapplicant next year.
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Why would you only apply DO? Also you definitely need an MCAT score to apply DO.

Honestly, if you might want to wait a cycle. If you do really well on the MCAT and your gpa isn’t a complete disaster, it would be worth it to apply to MD schools just to avoid the disadvantages of DO (especially once step goes p/f).
 
Have to agree. Your taking mcat late and you won’t know where you belong till you get your score. The vibe I am getting from you is that you don’t know if your ready. Applying is a deliberate and well planned process and not rushed. It would be too emotionally draining to be a reapplicant. So make your first shot at it a one time thing
 
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Hey all. Anybody know how hard the 21-day deadline for the secondary is? It's the military, so I imagine it's a pretty hard deadline. But wanted to see if anybody has turned in past the 21-day threshold. THANKS.
 
sylvester500 said:
Hey all. Anybody know how hard the 21-day deadline for the secondary is? It's the military, so I imagine it's a pretty hard deadline. But wanted to see if anybody has turned in past the 21-day threshold. THANKS.
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I mean if you don’t submit it you definitely won’t get in. But they probably will wonder why you couldn’t get it in within 3 weeks. Kind of looks like you aren’t really interested.

If you have a legit reason though, I’d let them know.
 
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Submitted my secondary on 7/13, and I got the "Application Complete" e-mail and e-mail to input pre-reqs today (8/4). Why do they need us to re-input pre-reqs when they have all our courses, grades, and transcripts verified during the primary app? Related to that, it says biochem can be substituted for second semester OChem. If I took both second semester OChem and two quarters of biochem, does it matter which I use as fulfilling the pre-req? I got the same grade in both.
 
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WindmillChaser92 said:
Submitted my secondary on 7/13, and I just got the "Application Complete" e-mail and e-mail to input pre-reqs today (8/4). Why do they need us to re-input pre-reqs when they have all our courses, grades, and transcripts verified during the primary app? Related to that, it says biochem can be substituted for second semester OChem. If I took both second semester OChem and two quarters of biochem, does it matter which I use as fulfilling the pre-req? I got the same grade in both.
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Makes it easier to make sure everyone has the prereqs rather than have to read through everyone’s AMCAS report. Have you seen that thing? It would be a huge pain in the ass to sift through that for thousands of people.

And no it doesn’t matter. As long as you meet the prereqs.
 
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Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
Makes it easier to make sure everyone has the prereqs rather than have to read through everyone’s AMCAS report. Have you seen that thing? It would be a huge pain in the ass to sift through that for thousands of people.

And no it doesn’t matter. As long as you meet the prereqs.
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True, true. I guess I figured when they got our primary app data from AMCAS, they had some program that sifted through all that for them somehow (idk, obviously ADCOMs are smoke-and-mirrors to me haha). I applied to 14 schools and turned in my secondaries for all of them, but only 2 schools made me "double input" pre-req data. It was super easy to input again, and I am just thankful I finally got the link to do it!
 
WindmillChaser92 said:
True, true. I guess I figured when they got our primary app data from AMCAS, they had some program that sifted through all that for them somehow (idk, obviously ADCOMs are smoke-and-mirrors to me haha). I applied to 14 schools and turned in my secondaries for all of them, but only 2 schools made me "double input" pre-req data. It was super easy to input again, and I am just thankful I finally got the link to do it!
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Guess you didn’t apply to Hopkins.
 
doctorosteo said:
Hey Matthew could you tell me about the average gpa and mcat of matriculated students last year . The web site and masr seem seems different
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What does the MSAR say? I don’t have specific numbers for last year, but it usually is somewhere around a 3.7 and a 509-510. But MCAT is weighed much less heavily here. Just so happens that a lot of people who do well in school happen to do well on the MCAT. But we have plenty of people with lower scores, and they are crushing it. MCAT is actually not a great predictor of success in med school once you get over 500. Anything over 500 is generally the same as far as predicting graduating and passing boards.
 
sylvester500 said:
Hey all. Anybody know how hard the 21-day deadline for the secondary is? It's the military, so I imagine it's a pretty hard deadline. But wanted to see if anybody has turned in past the 21-day threshold. THANKS.
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Isn't the goal here to show a high level of interest? Taking OVER 3 weeks to submit implies you don't really care much about this school.
 
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