29 years old, bachelor's degree looking to develop as a military physician

[ncp2903]

Greetings everyone,

I'm 29 years old, bachelor's degree in Biology with some pre-med courses (no MCAT). Looking to develop as a military physician. I have no prior military experience.

I am looking forward to enlist in the Navy. I am thinking how It would be the best path for me, the military is a huge commitment, and I'm considering this as my future career and lifestyle, I want to do well.

I've read plenty of advice regarding on how to pursue a successful MD career through the military. However I would like some insights on my case.

I am thinking the best scenario would be enlisting, complete the contract. Apply to an MD program under the USUH, HPSP, or HSCP program. The reason considering not enlisting as an Officer is economical hardship; I'm in debt and my family needs my help. Going to school, complete the courses and score a high MCAT is going to take a couple of years, and given the scenario I'm passing through at this point, I would like to enlist.
Enlisting, clearing debt and using GI Bill to go to college and developing financial stability is my plan for now, then complete medical training. Am I too old for this? Is anybody here that has gone through a similar process?


Best of all and thanks for your help,

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[LoverOfPie]

In my eyes, everyone is living longer so your 30's are like the new 20's and it is never too late to pursue your aspirations.

For what it is worth, my mentor is an O-6 who changed careers in his mid 30's before joining med school and going through HPSP.
I am also a non-trad who changed careers, performed an accelerated master's program, and got accepted to med school before applying for HPSP.

However, I haven't been in your exact financial situation nor have I gone the enlisted route so perhaps someone else would be better suited to speak on that. Good luck brother.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Well, I certainly didn’t regret my enlisted time in the Navy. There were a lot of hard and ****ty times. It also can be frustrating to be someone with a bachelor’s degree and an E-3 or whatever being treated like you barely graduated high school. But overall I did enjoy it.

As for your age, you’re not too old. You would probably be the oldest junior enlisted person in your division. I enlisted at 28 and was 5 years older than everyone but my chief. Again, not a bad thing, but it can get old almost feeling like a babysitter/parent sometimes.

I ended up doing the enlisted to medical degree prep program, which let me do my postbacc through George mason while on active duty and then apply to civilian med schools and USUHS. So that would be one option for you, in addition to just serving, getting out and doing it on the gi bill. That said, it’s not the shortest way, and you’ll end up going to school years later than you would have otherwise. But again, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, though for me my interest in specialties has changed with getting older.

If you get pretty serious about it and want to talk more about being enlisted Navy, feel free to PM me.

 

[d2305]

Most of the recruits in boot camp just graduated from high school.

 

[deleted599599]

Similar path albeit a little younger when I enlisted in the Navy (24). Had my degree already and still decided to enlist because I never thought of myself as the officer type. In hindsight now that I have a larger family, the pay that comes with being an officer is something to weigh heavily. It is doable but more difficult to support a family on an enlisted salary.
The pros/cons are pretty much laid out already, but as someone who had a long term plan with a goal of applying and matriculating into medical school within one enlistment (5 years) it's definitely doable, but you'll need to make your own breaks and have a little luck. I certainly did and will be starting medical school in the Fall.
You'll be more mature than 99% of the people fresh into the military. It's a blessing and a curse when it comes to falling into the rank and file that is the military. If you truly want to enlist and serve, do your due diligence and find the right job that will get you to where you need to be. Hit me up if you're looking for more help or want any more information about what this path could look like.

 

[pgg]

Enlisting is not going to help you complete the other med school prerequisites. They'll keep you busy doing enlisted stuff. It will get in the way. They're not "hiring" you to knock out a postbac or study for the MCAT.

It will not give you a leg up on medical school admissions for HPSP or HSCP - you'll still need to independently gain admission to a medical school, completely separate from applying for the HPSP or HSCP programs. Maybe being enlisted will help you get into USUHS, but probably not.

If you want to be a doctor, enlisting will only delay you. Besides, enlisting at 29 with a degree sounds like a frustrating life.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

It will not give you a leg up on medical school admissions for HPSP or HSCP

Eh. Being enlisted can definitely give you a bit of a boost in med school admissions. It did for me and all my enlisted friends and people I know. Definitely seen enlisted people get into school with MCATs well below the median and zero research or anything.

Not that I’m saying you should enlist to get a boost for med school. That’s a terrible decision and will just end in 4 years of being miserable most likely.

 

[pgg]

Eh. Being enlisted can definitely give you a bit of a boost in med school admissions. It did for me and all my enlisted friends and people I know. Definitely seen enlisted people get into school with MCATs well below the median and zero research or anything.

Not that I’m saying you should enlist to get a boost for med school. That’s a terrible decision and will just end in 4 years of being miserable most likely.

Well, sure, military service as an enlistee is going to be a positive compared to many other ways one could spend 4 or 5 years.

That's not the same thing as saying that enlisting with the intent of improving a med school app is a good idea, which is where the OP was going with this idea. Of all the things one could do during a time when postbac classes need to be taken and MCAT study needs to be done, choosing a job where you can't choose where to live or what to do or when to go to school, a job that may relocate you overseas on a moment's notice for months or years at a time, a job you can't quit to interview or start med school, a job where you're literally completely at the mercy of people who mostly don't care at all about your post-job educational aspirations ... it's just a bad idea.

If you want to be a doctor, do the things that'll get you into medical school. There are better ways to demonstrate resilience in the face of adversity than deliberately seeking out extra doses of adversity by enlisting.

 

[deleted599599]

Not that I’m saying you should enlist to get a boost for med school. That’s a terrible decision and will just end in 4 years of being miserable most likely.

I can agree with this. To the OP, if you already have pre-reqs completed and see yourself as somewhat competitive, there are other avenues. I was in that boat and just didn't want to dedicate two years and funds in a post-bacc program. If you are already an "A" candidate, you don't need to join the military.

In my case I was a "C" applicant with below average GPA's who needed a boost. I had all my pre-reqs done already. I wanted to serve, had a blast as a grungy Corpsman with Marines, and put every ounce of energy and free time for four months into MCAT studying to put myself in a position that took me to that "B" candidate and has yielded results. No post-grad courses in the last 6 years, and an acceptance to a state school with my full GI Bill is looking pretty good moving forward.

Hindsight is 20/20, but if you're willing to bet on yourself like I did, it can pay off. If you don't have all your pre-reqs done, then I wouldn't join. Finding the time to take hard sciences is going to be extremely difficult if not impossible, especially if you're brand new to the Navy.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Well, sure, military service as an enlistee is going to be a positive compared to many other ways one could spend 4 or 5 years.

That's not the same thing as saying that enlisting with the intent of improving a med school app is a good idea, which is where the OP was going with this idea. Of all the things one could do during a time when postbac classes need to be taken and MCAT study needs to be done, choosing a job where you can't choose where to live or what to do or when to go to school, a job that may relocate you overseas on a moment's notice for months or years at a time, a job you can't quit to interview or start med school, a job where you're literally completely at the mercy of people who mostly don't care at all about your post-job educational aspirations ... it's just a bad idea.

If you want to be a doctor, do the things that'll get you into medical school. There are better ways to demonstrate resilience in the face of adversity than deliberately seeking out extra doses of adversity by enlisting.

Yep. That’s why I included the last paragraph.

 

[armytrainingsir]

If driving from Atlanta to Orlando, I would never consider swinging through Dallas on the way.
Sure, it would be cool to drive through the Ozarks, get some great tex mex once I hit the Texas line, and it can be a really pretty drive, but I really just wanted to go to Disney.



Good luck OP.

 

[ncp2903]

Thank you all for the good advice!

 

[ncp2903]

I can agree with this. To the OP, if you already have pre-reqs completed and see yourself as somewhat competitive, there are other avenues. I was in that boat and just didn't want to dedicate two years and funds in a post-bacc program. If you are already an "A" candidate, you don't need to join the military.

In my case I was a "C" applicant with below average GPA's who needed a boost. I had all my pre-reqs done already. I wanted to serve, had a blast as a grungy Corpsman with Marines, and put every ounce of energy and free time for four months into MCAT studying to put myself in a position that took me to that "B" candidate and has yielded results. No post-grad courses in the last 6 years, and an acceptance to a state school with my full GI Bill is looking pretty good moving forward.

Hindsight is 20/20, but if you're willing to bet on yourself like I did, it can pay off. If you don't have all your pre-reqs done, then I wouldn't join. Finding the time to take hard sciences is going to be extremely difficult if not impossible, especially if you're brand new to the Navy.

Good to know, the only thing that worries me is my age. This move is going to take serious time, and I'm wondering if I will be eligible to commission as an officer under the HSCP or similar programs. What's the maximum age for this programs?

 

[d2305]

Being a corpsman or medic is a pain in the arse. Did it and got the t shirt literally.

 

[Dayvid95]

In my eyes, everyone is living longer so your 30's are like the new 20's and it is never too late to pursue your aspirations.

For what it is worth, my mentor is an O-6 who changed careers in his mid 30's before joining med school and going through HPSP.
I am also a non-trad who changed careers, performed an accelerated master's program, and got accepted to med school before applying for HPSP.

However, I haven't been in your exact financial situation nor have I gone the enlisted route so perhaps someone else would be better suited to speak on that. Good luck brother.

Can enlisted do HPSP (PA OR MED SCHOOL) during their enlistment contract who meets all requirements or is that program for reserves/civilians

 

[LittleBrother]

You aren't clearing any debt as enlisted.

Don't enlist with a degree. You will hate it. There is no guarantee that you will get to do any college. When I was in Tuition Assistance was a joke.

If at all possible, go officer. Maybe you can do something Medical related that gets you close to healthcare providers.

 

[LittleBrother]

Can enlisted do HPSP (PA OR MED SCHOOL) during their enlistment contract who meets all requirements or is that program for reserves/civilians

Its a program for civilians.

The government spends a lot of money recruiting and training people for jobs in the military. They aren't going to casually release you. Most flexibility you have in your military career doesn't come until after your first enlistment.