Navy/Military Psychologist Program

[NewDegreeSeeker]

I am interested in applying to the Uniformed Service University of the Health Sciences or the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center's Navy Psychology Accession Program. I do not have my bachelors degree in Sociology but I have done countless courses in the area. I started another graduate program and decided that it was not what I wanted, so I left it. I just have a few questions so I hope someone can help me.

Has anyone applied for these programs before?
Does not having a BA/BS in psychology going to hurt my chance?
Can anyone help me figure out the process?
Do you think leaving my first masters program will affect my application?

I look forward to any other information you may provide me about getting into these programs or about gaining scholarship to work with uniformed men and women.

Thank you in advance.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[deleted176373]

I am interested in applying to the Uniformed Service University of the Health Sciences or the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center's Navy Psychology Accession Program. I do not have my bachelors degree in Sociology but I have done countless courses in the area. I started another graduate program and decided that it was not what I wanted, so I left it. I just have a few questions so I hope someone can help me.

Has anyone applied for these programs before?

Nope, you are the first one ever. I majored in Sarcasm.

Does not having a BA/BS in psychology going to hurt my chance?

It doesn't help your chances. Word on the street is that people have been accepted without psychology degrees.

Can anyone help me figure out the process?

Perhaps. What are you having problems with?

Do you think leaving my first masters program will affect my application?

You're asking us to read the mind of the faculty admissions committee? No one can answer that question, especially without considerable amounts of information.

I look forward to any other information you may provide me about getting into these programs or about gaining scholarship to work with uniformed men and women.

Thank you in advance.

You might start with using the search function here, you'll find what you need.

Mark

 

[NewDegreeSeeker]

Hi Mark,

Thank you so much for your response and your sarcasm. I guess the help I'm seeking is just advice about how to go out finding out if this is the right move for me professional and personal. I was hoping that someone could shed light on what it means to be a psychologist in the military. I did see your response to another individual's post on here. I hope someone might expand. Other help is about how to increase my chances of getting into a grad program without any research or clinical experience.

 

[JustNoticing]

It is highly unlikely (read: not happening) you will get into a reputable PhD program without research or clinical experience.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

It is highly unlikely (read: not happening) you will get into a reputable PhD program without research or clinical experience.

+1

The reality is that without clinical or, more importantly, research experience, you're going to be fighting a significantly uphill battle in terms of admissions...to the point that you'll likely be all but counted out of pretty much all reputable training programs (as FreudianSlipper mentioned in their post). The programs you've mentioned in particular are quite selective.

You'd honestly be best served trying to find an RA gig (paid or volunteer) for a year or two and then giving the applications a go.

 

[deleted176373]

Hi Mark,

Thank you so much for your response and your sarcasm. I guess the help I'm seeking is just advice about how to go out finding out if this is the right move for me professional and personal. I was hoping that someone could shed light on what it means to be a psychologist in the military.

It means that you might find yourself in a variety of roles from an assessment expert to command consultant to forensic clinical psychologist to individual therapist to providing oversight to a survival school to department head/program manager for a mental health or substance abuse clinic. The good and bad about military psychology is that you never know how they might need to leverage your skills. This can leave you feeling a bit uneasy and it can also provide opportunities for growth that you might not find anywhere else.

There is very little about military psychology that is "typical". Yes, we normally do a traditional outpatient clinic for our first assignment to get our feet wet, but after that, it's anyone's guess what you will be doing.

Below is where my work has taken me and what it feels like to be a military psychologist is pretty damn good right now... (I say that before inevitably deploying which will be soon enough.)

I did see your response to another individual's post on here. I hope someone might expand. Other help is about how to increase my chances of getting into a grad program without any research or clinical experience.

You simply need to get research experience. Just get it done.

Mark