Good Medical Schools to apply to in order to get into aerospace residency?

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AirForceNaz

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Hello everyone,

I just received my MCAT score am trying to see if there are any particular schools that would be good to apply to that could set me up better to get into an aerospace residency program? My ultimate goal is to become a physician astronaut (**** YEAH SPACE FORCE), money isn't really a priority for me (although the military paying for my school is definitely a plus) so I'll apply to anything that could help me get to that goal. Or does the Medical school not matter as long as I do well on my step exams? Thanks in advance.

Context: 510 score, 81st percentile, engineering undergrad background

Respectfully,
AirForceNaz

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Hello everyone,

I just received my MCAT score am trying to see if there are any particular schools that would be good to apply to that could set me up better to get into an aerospace residency program? My ultimate goal is to become a physician astronaut (**** YEAH SPACE FORCE), money isn't really a priority for me (although the military paying for my school is definitely a plus) so I'll apply to anything that could help me get to that goal. Or does the Medical school not matter as long as I do well on my step exams? Thanks in advance.

Context: 510 score, 81st percentile, engineering undergrad background

Respectfully,
AirForceNaz
Aerospace Residents are not physicians who are particularly qualified to go into space. They are physicians who take care of pilots and (rarely) astronauts. Its basically a very specific subset of occupational medicine. The physicians that NASA has recruited in the past to be astronauts have included Orthos, Internists, and in this most recent class a guy who did 1 year of an ER residency.

If you want to do the RAM within the military, or at least in the Navy, mostly you just need to be willing to do it. They're not exactly overwhelmed with applicants. I would strongly encourage you to do this as a second residency after FM, though, because the military is going to expect you to provide and supervise primary care and the RAM isn't really focused on training you for that, but lots of people do it as their primary residency. If you want to do one of the two non-military aerospace residencies I have no idea what you would need. The general rule for residency applications is that Step score = grades >>> research >>>>> medical school prestige.

Are you currently obligated to a branch of the military? Do you have any military experience?
 
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My ultimate goal is to become a physician astronaut (**** YEAH SPACE FORCE),
AirForceNaz

I hate to burst your bubble, but you appear to hold a very common misperception of the proposed "space force." It has nothing to do with Buck Rogers/ Star Wars military astronauts in space, but rather the very boring work of buying and operating satellites and sensors; and that will probably not change while even your grand-kids are still alive.

The "Space Force" will consist of:
1) Accounting and finance people who spend their days negotiating and managing contracts.
2) Engineers who don't do engineering but supervise the contract engineers who do.
3) People who spend their days/nights in windowless rooms monitoring sensors and satellite health.

Probably the most interesting/exotic thing the "Space Force/Corps" will offer is the chance to spend a sunless winter in Thule, Greenland.

In any case, if the Marine Corps model holds, it is highly unlikely that the "Space Force/Corps" will even have physicians, chaplains and the like. Most likely they will rely on the AF for that type of support. Assuming of course that this concept even comes to life.
 
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Aerospace Residents are not physicians who are particularly qualified to go into space. They are physicians who take care of pilots and (rarely) astronauts. Its basically a very specific subset of occupational medicine. The physicians that NASA has recruited in the past to be astronauts have included Orthos, Internists, and in this most recent class a guy who did 1 year of an ER residency.

If you want to do the RAM within the military, or at least in the Navy, mostly you just need to be willing to do it. They're not exactly overwhelmed with applicants. I would strongly encourage you to do this as a second residency after FM, though, because the military is going to expect you to provide and supervise primary care and the RAM isn't really focused on training you for that, but lots of people do it as their primary residency. If you want to do one of the two non-military aerospace residencies I have no idea what you would need. The general rule for residency applications is that Step score = grades >>> research >>>>> medical school prestige.

Are you currently obligated to a branch of the military? Do you have any military experience?

Yes I understand that, PA is just my ultimate goal or pipe dream, I plan on doing primary care as my first residency. Step score = grades >>> research >>>>> medical school prestige : that helps alot, thank you!
 
I hate to burst your bubble, but you appear to hold a very common misperception of the proposed "space force." It has nothing to do with Buck Rogers/ Star Wars military astronauts in space, but rather the very boring work of buying and operating satellites and sensors; and that will probably not change while even your grand-kids are still alive.

The "Space Force" will consist of:
1) Accounting and finance people who spend their days negotiating and managing contracts.
2) Engineers who don't do engineering but supervise the contract engineers who do.
3) People who spend their days/nights in windowless rooms monitoring sensors and satellite health.

Probably the most interesting/exotic thing the "Space Force/Corps" will offer is the chance to spend a sunless winter in Thule, Greenland.

In any case, if the Marine Corps model holds, it is highly unlikely that the "Space Force/Corps" will even have physicians, chaplains and the like. Most likely they will rely on the AF for that type of support. Assuming of course that this concept even comes to life.

Yes I know what to expect, I was being a little sarcastic about being able to join the space force. Primarily focused on becoming a flight surgeon in the air force and if they tap me to join NASA or whatever then I will be extremely happy.
 
if the Marine Corps model holds, it is highly unlikely that the "Space Force/Corps" will even have physicians, chaplains and the like. .

If the Marine Corps model holds, the physician astronaut will be an AF Medic with six extra months of training, supervised by an earth based AF doctor who did an Intern year in Urology.
 
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Hello everyone,

I just received my MCAT score am trying to see if there are any particular schools that would be good to apply to that could set me up better to get into an aerospace residency program? My ultimate goal is to become a physician astronaut (**** YEAH SPACE FORCE), money isn't really a priority for me (although the military paying for my school is definitely a plus) so I'll apply to anything that could help me get to that goal. Or does the Medical school not matter as long as I do well on my step exams? Thanks in advance.

Context: 510 score, 81st percentile, engineering undergrad background

Respectfully,
AirForceNaz
Aerospace Medicine
 
In all seriousness, if you want to be an astronaut, go to NASA's web site and read a bunch of actual astronaut biographies. I'm not saying there's a road map there, but you'll get an idea of what actual people have actually done to become actual astronauts.
 
If you want to be an astronaut, just build a rocket in your back yard. Make it better than NASA, with black jack and strippers. Who needs those lam-o's anyway? Or better yet, be a cosmonaut. Cooler name.
 
Instead of blowing your full intellectual wad on high medical school grades and a high Step score to get Residency X, see about concurrently pursuing something that NASA would want an astronaut (and not just a flight surgeon) to have. Consider doing the "6 year plan" and stacking an MS engineering degree on top of your medical degree. Get at least a CPL (if not an ATP), since thats the closest procedural experience you can get to feeling out the systems of spaceflight. Become a dive master. Work in Antarctica for a winter. Dual board yourself by doing the RAM and maybe EM or FM. Fairly sure that the Navy has the combo residency. NASA will likely not care that you went to a top 20 school, or did your residency at a top tier program, etc etc.

Remember, the days of spaceflights having 7 astronauts aboard every launch (w/ 1 often being a flight surgeon) are pretty much over. ASCAN classes are much smaller, and you will have a magnitude of skill, experience, health, luck, and great social skills to make the shortlist.
 
Instead of blowing your full intellectual wad on high medical school grades and a high Step score to get Residency X, see about concurrently pursuing something that NASA would want an astronaut (and not just a flight surgeon) to have. Consider doing the "6 year plan" and stacking an MS engineering degree on top of your medical degree. Get at least a CPL (if not an ATP), since thats the closest procedural experience you can get to feeling out the systems of spaceflight. Become a dive master. Work in Antarctica for a winter. Dual board yourself by doing the RAM and maybe EM or FM. Fairly sure that the Navy has the combo residency. NASA will likely not care that you went to a top 20 school, or did your residency at a top tier program, etc etc.

Remember, the days of spaceflights having 7 astronauts aboard every launch (w/ 1 often being a flight surgeon) are pretty much over. ASCAN classes are much smaller, and you will have a magnitude of skill, experience, health, luck, and great social skills to make the shortlist.
Any plan that involves OP not being the best physician he can possibly be is a really ****ty plan.
 
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Current Aerospace Medicine Resident here (though my goal does not include becoming an astronaut). I will definitely echo what lets_run said; All those things he/she said about accomplishing to be competitive are very true. Certainly, be the best physician you can be, but high board scores, which medical school and residency you attend, are minimally important. Go to the NASA website, as well as to the website of the other space companies and read everything you can find. Being a physician will be just a small part of your duties if you become an astronaut. It's a great goal and it is a goal that you should certainly attempt to achieve, but also have a great backup plan, because chances are, that is probably what you will end up doing.
 
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