Current enlisted soldier trying to get into medical school. Best choice?

[rmac]

I am currently enlisted in the United States Army, I've been in 4 years and my contract ends in June of 2019. Im still working on my associates degree and I plan on having it done by the time my contract ends, and using my GI bill to complete my Bachelors. Afterwards i am trying to get into medical school and become a surgeon.



I have a couple of options i can choose from but overall I'm still not 100% sure is the best route to take. One of my options is to get out of the Army once my contract is up, get my bachelors and apply to go to the uniformed services university. But I'm unsure that ill be able to get in being prior enlisted and being out for 2 years?



Another option would be to get out, get my bachelors and apply to medical schools and just take the debt that it will come with.

I've also thought about applying for the HPSP scholarship, but I'm unsure if once I'm out of the army and have completed my bachelors, if ill be able to apply for it.



Overall, I’m pretty much ready to get out and be done with the army but at the same time i don't want the excessive debt. I'm just unsure of how the process for USU and the scholarship works with prior enlisted. If anyone can help me out by giving me their best professional input, it would be greatly appreciated.

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[Stagg737]

Not sure about the USUHS policy, but anyone is able to apply for the HPSP. Just understand that for every year of med school they pay for, you'll owe them at least that many after you finish residency (residency won't count as repayment). You'll also run the risk of having to potentially do a GMO year before starting residency or having to apply to civilian residencies to match into your desired field if the military deems there aren't enough slots available in the field you want to enter. Free med school with a stipend is nice, but they definitely get their money's worth out of you in the mean time.

 

[deleted480308]

there is a military med subforum here that is better to ask specific question about USUHS after you have used the forum search feature a bit.....

being prior enlisted is not a negative for application to their, neither is being a current civilian....

 

[rmac]

there is a military med subforum here that is better to ask specific question about USUHS after you have used the forum search feature a bit.....

being prior enlisted is not a negative for application to their, neither is being a current civilian....

I did some research and found the military forum you were speaking of, I went ahead and posted my question there as well. Thank you. Hopefully ill be able to get some decent responses from that forum too.

 

[WedgeDawg]

Moving to preallo

 

[DrDwayneJohnson]

Being prior enlisted will honestly help at USU, rather than hurt. Something to keep in mind: you may very well be sick of the military in 2019 so that may affect if you truly want HPSP/USU. Your time now (I'm almost positive) counts towards your retirement. Also you'd get O3E pay out of medical school which should raise your income a bit.

GMO years are typically used in the AF and navy, so keep that in mind. It's another year before you'd be an attending.

 

[psychic_detective]

PM me!

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Being prior enlisted is not a guarantee for USUHS, but it does help. Only like 26 out of the 171 incoming M1s this year were prior enlisted (more were prior service officers). The Army typically has the most slots if you'd like to stay green. Grades and MCAT are still the most important thing, but two of the three secondaries for USUHS are essentially "why the military" and "why military doctor," which you'd have no problem answering and demonstrable service to back it up.

Anyone can apply for HPSP, so you'd always be eligible for that as well.

If you are certain you want to be a military physician, have you thought about EMDP2? You'd have to finish your bachelors while active duty, but it's a great program that gets you into USUHS (assuming you meet the minimums) and makes you competitive for civilian schools and HPSP. PM me if you're interested in it, as I am part of this year's cohort and can tell you about it (as much as I can, since I'm Navy).

 

[askamsky51]

Former marine infantry, enlisted.

PM if you want another resource. Interviewed at the uniformed services university in 2012. Ultimately chose the public route at a good school and did not choose hpsp.

Went into med school thinking surgery, now an emergency medicine resident.

 

[Armyhealth]

current healthcare recruiter here, would be glad to talk to you about application routes and current policies. Send me a PM

 

[J. G]

I did some research and found the military forum you were speaking of, I went ahead and posted my question there as well. Thank you. Hopefully ill be able to get some decent responses from that forum too.

Would it be possible for you to post that forum? I've been searching and could not find it. Thanks a lot!

 

[xffan624]

Would it be possible for you to post that forum? I've been searching and could not find it. Thanks a lot!

It's under the physician/residents section. Non-traditional is also another forum where premed vets can get good advice especially about GI Bill and vocational rehabilitation usage/application.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Would it be possible for you to post that forum? I've been searching and could not find it. Thanks a lot!

Military Medicine

Lots of good info there, though it is colored a little by the fact that most of the more vocal posters did not enjoy their time in.