Navy Nuc in Medical School??

[linayun]

Currently I'm still in highschool, however I have committed and currently going in cold turkey into the Navy as a NUC. At this point, I just know I'm heading off the boot camp in summer of 2014.
Estimating after 6 yrs that I might be back in the civillian world, I was wondering what I can do to use every possible chance while in active duty and after that I can take to score Med School.
Is it really possible to earn a bachelor's degree if I really picked up my slack and went through h*ll trying to reschedule school around work? Percentage possibilities??
I hope to really land medical school in the future and the first thing I hope to do is to study OB/GYN when I get out.
At this point, I'm just trying to see what I can do and where I should be headed while and after the Navy.

Any help is greatly appreciated. * hopeful

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[linayun]

I forgot to mention I'm completely clueless what it's really like in navy world or medical world. I hope i do not sound too ignorant.

 

[brownbaglunch]

It is pretty difficult to earn a bachelor's degree on the side while in the Navy. You can't attend class while you are on deployment, for example. Also, the first two years of your nuclear program you will be in school, and not sleep in class and party every night kind of school. Navy nuc is no joke. I was a Seabee Engineering Aide in the 90's. Many of the people in my rate were washouts from the nuc program.

Distinguish yourself as an enlisted sailor, and doors will open for you. There are several programs that allow an enlisted sailor to become an officer.

 

[linayun]

It is pretty difficult to earn a bachelor's degree on the side while in the Navy. You can't attend class while you are on deployment, for example. Also, the first two years of your nuclear program you will be in school, and not sleep in class and party every night kind of school. Navy nuc is no joke. I was a Seabee Engineering Aide in the 90's. Many of the people in my rate were washouts from the nuc program.

Distinguish yourself as an enlisted sailor, and doors will open for you. There are several programs that allow an enlisted sailor to become an officer.

Are online college courses available? I suppose I should ask my recruiter. I was reading up on other fourms (my bad habit for getting too worked up), and a lot of previous NUCs just ranted and completely just complained how life was crap. Honestly I know I wont be able to dodge the curveball about it, however I'm guessing 6 years isnt so bad.

 

[mk04447]

Are online college courses available? I suppose I should ask my recruiter. I was reading up on other fourms (my bad habit for getting too worked up), and a lot of previous NUCs just ranted and completely just complained how life was crap. Honestly I know I wont be able to dodge the curveball about it, however I'm guessing 6 years isnt so bad.

Your post places me in a difficult position. I was a conventional ET, afterwards I went to college and on to life. I managed a business for years before deciding I wanted to become a doctor. Having said all of this I meandered life with relative ease and always considered myself the top of the food chain, until I met true mastermind intelligent folks capable of getting a 40 on the MCAT with a hangover.

If you have the salt to conquer medical school cancel your enlistment, you'll have several opportunities to do so before getting your head shaved. I don't say this because the Navy sucks, well it does, but, with its high points. This is the difficult part to explain... The military, especially the enlisted side, is not a culture that supports college. Sure your recruiter will tell you about this guy or that guy who did it and became a warrant officer but, your recruiter will be talking about the same two guys mine was; it simply doesn't happen.

My son has been talking about the military and I have been subtly steering him in other directions. Look if you want to see the world, have fun and don't mind losing six years go. But, if you are a high school kid with great grades who others suspect will do fine/well in college (and there is a big difference between most degrees and one in the hard sciences, good luck doing labs online), then do yourself a favor, buckle down, pay your dues now, hit the books and never struggle a day in your life after medical school.

I know I haven't done a great job of transferring what's in my head and I hate to discourage someone from following their heart, it just really depends what kind of person you are, who you want to become, and how determined you are to get there. The Navy won't help you become a doctor period. But, if you are set on joining the Navy, the Navy will still be there after you've finished school and they never turn down officer candidates with a medical diploma, never. As much as it pains me to say, anyone who is smart enough to eventually become a doctor should never enlist.

 

[abn632]

I'm former Army, not Navy, so I'll do my best here. A buddy of mine did the Navy nuke program and left about halfway through because he received an appointment to the Naval Academy (one of the enlisted-to-Academy deals). You won't have time to do anything but that while you are in training. Essentially, your first 2 years in the Navy will be learning and studying and doing. Then you go to the fleet where there may or may not be education options available.

Even if education opportunities are available, the mission comes first. If you're a good sailor and work hard, your superiors (I'm not sure what term the Navy uses) will likely work with you to accommodate college courses. If you're a dirtbag, malingerer, PT-failure, always need a haircut, whiny, crybaby, slob, etc., then don't count on anything. As I said, the mission comes first. If you log on to the computer to take a test and halfway through there's a crew drill or something, guess what? Sucks to be you.

You'll likely be exposed to a wide variety of online options. Most of them are junk. Stick only with schools that are regionally-accredited. I always recommend UMUC (University of Maryland-University College) since they have a long history with the military, are regionally-accredited and are part of the University of Maryland system. Most others (Phoenix, Kaplan, Capella, et.al.) are simply taking your money, the taxpayers money and don't provide a qu. Besides, most med schools will only accept credits from a regionally-accredited university anyway, so don't waste your time. But you shouldn't count on being able to complete a degree while you're in. You may be able to knock out some coursework, but you'll only be 24 when you leave the Navy (that's young, BTW!).

If you take courses while in the Navy: 1) don't take anything that will be the foundation of your med school preparation; 2) only take courses that you are interested in; 3) don't take too many at one time; 4) you MUST do well in your courses, regardless of what you take. If you know you want to go into medicine, save all of your med school prerequisite courses for the university you physically attend in person when you're done with your enlistment. However, if you enjoy philosophy, take a philosophy class. If you'd like to learn more about history, take a history class. Consider taking coursework that are considered common core, but in all cases, you MUST do well in them.

The Army has a medal called the Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal. A soldier volunteers for a minimum number of hours and gets a medal. If the Navy has something similar, do this. It will be something to highlight on both your college and medical school applications. While in the Navy, there are always things to volunteer for (I don't mean scrubbing latrines, I mean community service type stuff). Find something and stick with it, and if it's something you can continue with after you leave the Navy, even better.

Above all else, while in the Navy, be the absolute best sailor you can possibly be. Do your job, do it well, and everything will fall into place.

Good luck on your journey...even if it is the Navy...😛

 

[tripl3s3v3n]

Forgive me if any of this was previously stated above. I was a crypto and we had a lot of NUC washouts come through, so focus on that first. Your ability to complete your degree while in will significantly improve if you go to a carrier vs a sub as the carriers will often have professors that come on board during deployments for classes (as of 2006 when I got out). You will also have the opportunity to take CLEP exams through the Navy College office on base. As far as your pre-reqs that might be hard as classes with labs are difficulty to find.

 

[amh0034]

Current Nuc Officer here. If you're goal is to be a doctor I recommend not enlisting. Just go to college. Even if you manage to get a bachelor's while in, it will not include the many pre requisite classes with labs that you need to apply to med school, so you will have to go to school when you get out in six years anyway. Nobody will be impressed with your nuclear engineering technology degree from Thomas Edison.


There is a reason the former nucs rant. Just call up and tell the recruiter you changed your mind and go the normal route.

 

[butters221]

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[butters221]

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[butters221]

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[butters221]

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[68PGunner]

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[Darth Doc]

Another thought for you... if med school is your goal and you want the military to pay for your education... another option is to do ROTC for your undergrad (or just loans for your undergrad) then apply to USUHS for your medical school. If you're interested in serving anyway, serve in the capacity you would prefer... a physician.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

As a former SWO(N) who was out for a few years before deciding to apply to medical school, my advice 100% would be do not enlist in the Naval nuclear power program thinking that it is a realistic path to medical school. Butters and others have said it perfectly already, but just don't do it. If you want to learn a solid trade, by all means sign up. And if you do it, can you one day find yourself in medical school? Yep. But it is far, far from ideal. An FYI, you are not "committed". You have a contract that has stipulations should you decide not to fulfill your commitment. You are not past the point of stepping away from your enlistment. Best of luck.

 

[Being]

As someone with no experience and no interest in the military, this thread has been a very interesting waste of time: thanks for sharing.

 

[ærospallo]

Another thought for you... if med school is your goal and you want the military to pay for your education... another option is to do ROTC for your undergrad (or just loans for your undergrad) then apply to USUHS for your medical school. If you're interested in serving anyway, serve in the capacity you would prefer... a physician.

I want to echo this. Take a serious look into the ROTC program before your enlistment begins. I have a few friends that took the ROTC/USUHS route and are very happy with it. I'm not the expert on the subject, so someone else here may be a better resource for information, but it seems like a much better option for you if your goal is to become a physician, but you still want to serve in the military.

Also, as a few others have already said, you really need to evaluate your reasons for serving. The generation entering the military today is very different than those prior, and I think the majority of those enlisting do not grasp the intent behind the word "service". If your goal is to serve your country in some capacity, then I believe you'll find your enlistment fulfilling. However, most are joining for an income and some benefits, which leads to a very poor experience for the specific individual and a weakened fighting force in general.

My two cents, anyway...

 

[medic86]

Your post places me in a difficult position. I was a conventional ET, afterwards I went to college and on to life. I managed a business for years before deciding I wanted to become a doctor. Having said all of this I meandered life with relative ease and always considered myself the top of the food chain, until I met true mastermind intelligent folks capable of getting a 40 on the MCAT with a hangover.

If you have the salt to conquer medical school cancel your enlistment, you'll have several opportunities to do so before getting your head shaved. I don't say this because the Navy sucks, well it does, but, with its high points. This is the difficult part to explain... The military, especially the enlisted side, is not a culture that supports college. Sure your recruiter will tell you about this guy or that guy who did it and became a warrant officer but, your recruiter will be talking about the same two guys mine was; it simply doesn't happen.

My son has been talking about the military and I have been subtly steering him in other directions. Look if you want to see the world, have fun and don't mind losing six years go. But, if you are a high school kid with great grades who others suspect will do fine/well in college (and there is a big difference between most degrees and one in the hard sciences, good luck doing labs online), then do yourself a favor, buckle down, pay your dues now, hit the books and never struggle a day in your life after medical school.

I know I haven't done a great job of transferring what's in my head and I hate to discourage someone from following their heart, it just really depends what kind of person you are, who you want to become, and how determined you are to get there. The Navy won't help you become a doctor period. But, if you are set on joining the Navy, the Navy will still be there after you've finished school and they never turn down officer candidates with a medical diploma, never. As much as it pains me to say, anyone who is smart enough to eventually become a doctor should never enlist.

I agreed with your post up until this little gem.

Just because you're smart enough to become a doctor doesn't mean you're mature enough.

If I never enlisted, I would have never realized I wanted to become a physician.

 

[butters221]

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[linayun]

Surprisingly enough I had just finished reading this whole thread and reviewing all your comments. I feel as if I'm in a stuck in a predicament.

 

[linayun]

Hi, I might be able to contribute something useful to this thread. I'm going to add this disclaimer: I may come off as bitter, I'm not, I'm just being honest about my experience.

I am a former E6 Nuclear Electronics Technician (reactor operator in the nuclear power program). I served 2004-2010.

I'm not going to tell you what to do, but know that you sacrifice a lot by going into the Navy - especially the nuclear power program. MANY people wash out of this in the schooling phase and even more after being assigned to a ship or submarine. I can promise you 2 things about becoming a nuke - many times during your enlistment you will regret your choice in joining, but you will certainly come out of it changed.

I'll write a short history, as I feel I have taken every advantage available and come out as successful as I could have and you may be able to use this in deciding.

I joined the Navy in 2004. I did not know what I wanted to do with my life and I did not want to waste my time in college without a path in mind. I did pretty well in high school (A's and B's) without trying whatsoever, in all honesty I rarely went to class and basically just made educated guesses on tests - completely waste of everyone's time. I decided to join because the military would provide the GI Bill to pay for college and give me time to figure out what I wanted to do. Plus this was a few years after after 9/11 and near the beginning of the Iraq/Afghanistan War **waves 'murican flag**.

Boot camp is the biggest waste of time ever. You will wonder why these people make you do pointless things - realize that boot camp is about gaining control over you (anyone who does not agree with this (1) has not served in the military or (2) is ignorant to this [many people are, including myself until several years in, when everything clicked in a sort of epiphany]), not about getting anyone in shape (most people actually put on fat during Navy boot camp). Going to Great Lakes, IL November-January and being from Florida was not fun (smart choice on your part for picking summer).

After boot camp you are sent to your assigned "A" school. In boot camp, they may ask which rate you prefer (electronics technician, electrician, or machinist's mate). Do not be a machinist's mate. I swear to god, act like the biggest nerd ever when you meet the people who assign you. Many electronics technicians have a superiority complex, as it is the hardest rating to get and you will directly operate nuclear reactors rather than the electrical distribution system (electrician) or valves/pumps (machinist's mate). I wouldn't mind being an electrician or ET, but whatever you do PUT MM AS YOUR LAST CHOICE!!! MM's get to hang out in 140F engine rooms. Dipping and working out are basically prereqs for MM's lol. ET's get to sit in a chair in front of the Reactor Plant Control Panel (in the air conditioning). "A" school is harder for ET's, a little easier for electricians (EM's), and way easier for MM's (but still hard, to be honest). In "A" school for the first 6 months you will learn about electricity/circuits. Just be prepared to study a lot. This will be the most enjoyable time in your naval career, make friends, go out and do things, enjoy it, but study as much as you need to to stay at the top of your class (you will have mandatory study hours, based on how well you do on your tests). **************BIGGEST TIP OF NAVAL NUCLEAR POWER PROGRAM INCOMING************* When you sign up, regardless of what you sign, you are NOT required to do 6 years until you sign a new contract at the end of your 6 month "A" school. DO NOT SIGN THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone else will sign without knowing what they are doing (I did). By signing this form you are agreeing to the 6 years and you will be promoted to E4. Trust me when I say this, you will make E4 your first time up, I promise. Now if you had the courage to say that you would not sign, you will be E3 (until you make E4 a couple months later automatically anyway), but you will only have ~5 years in the Navy instead of 6. Later on down the road after everyone signs the forms, everyone will find out this information and will be super pissed (trust me the 1 year less is huge).

Next is nuclear power school. 6 months of learning reactor theory, thermodynamics, chemistry/radiological controls and more... I found this to be pretty interesting actually and this is when I started excelling in school (nearly getting 4.0 on a couple tests - this might not seem hard now, but trust me its a huge deal). BTW, all tests in the nuclear power program are not multiple choice. You will have to regurgitate huge amounts of knowledge and picking a correct word in your essay answer, that is not the word they wanted, means you got the question wrong. At the end of this school you will have a choice between going to prototype (you get to actually operate reactors now!!) in south carolina (where your first 2 schools were) or in new york. I chose s carolina. During A school and Power school you have to live on base in what are basically dorm rooms (A school you have a room mate and 2 suite mates in the adjoining room, power school you get your own room with a suite mate in the adjoining room and share a bathroom), but during prototype you get a housing allowance and can live off base (awesome).

To be continued.... this is way longer than I intended already.

My apologies for taking forever to respond to your replies . I do not remember if I mentioned that I was a girl or not, however I'm happy to say actually I really don't know how I feel... I will continue to enlist in the Navy as a cold turkey. I understand now that I should leave my aspirations to be a doctor to those given the opportunity and talents to help their community. I entered the deps already 201308-- and I feel that this fourm has allowed me to realize that I need the navy to mature and know what I want to do. My gpa is a 3.6 currently and I am taking ap calculus and ap physics for the sake of saving my *** with book work. Studying is not difficult for me with a little motivation. Its just that senoritis has affected me with procrasination. I hope that I can continue to ask you questions about choices I should make during the nuke program. Thank you butters221. -linayun

 

[linayun]

I agreed with your post up until this little gem.

Just because you're smart enough to become a doctor doesn't mean you're mature enough.

If I never enlisted, I would have never realized I wanted to become a physician.

Tbh. This is just about the most positive thing I have read.... reality of the adult world. Haha. Thank you, I hope the same inspiration will knock my door.

 

[Mad Jack]

From what I've read, if you can survive NUC school, you can survive anything.

 

[linayun]

From what I've read, if you can survive NUC school, you can survive anything.

Lol I agree, unless I have not already drowned myself with a counselor due to depression. Yikes.

 

[jayoh]

I agreed with your post up until this little gem.

Just because you're smart enough to become a doctor doesn't mean you're mature enough.

If I never enlisted, I would have never realized I wanted to become a physician.

Tbh. This is just about the most positive thing I have read.... reality of the adult world. Haha. Thank you, I hope the same inspiration will knock my door.

Same exact thing happened with me. If I could do it all over again, I would enlist again in a heartbeat. I got a lot out of it and it made me realize what I really want to do. Now I'm out, banking on the Gi bill, and starting med school in August. Like I said... Wouldn't change a thing.

As far as taking classes on active duty, you've gotten some info already but I'll share my 2 cents. I was active marines, so not exactly the same, but I was taking classes AS OFTEN as I could for about 3 years of my enlistment, and came out of it with about 30 credit hours. I was going to the nearest university to whichever base I was at, so that I could take high quality courses, which I would recommend if you do it. I would not recommend the on-base or online options, generally speaking (but there were some exceptions).

My BIGGEST recommendation to you, however, is to go corpsman. You will get a ridiculous amount of medical experience and a billion physician LOR's just for doing your job. Otherwise, if you do something unrelated to the medical field, like I did, then you can only say you are a veteran. Big difference there.

 

[Ryank327]

Forgive me if any of this was previously stated above. I was a crypto and we had a lot of NUC washouts come through, so focus on that first. Your ability to complete your degree while in will significantly improve if you go to a carrier vs a sub as the carriers will often have professors that come on board during deployments for classes (as of 2006 when I got out). You will also have the opportunity to take CLEP exams through the Navy College office on base. As far as your pre-reqs that might be hard as classes with labs are difficulty to find.

I was a linguist (CTI) in the navy for 6 years, doing almost the exact same thing you're doing. Got out in August 2012. I earned my AA in Arabic and my bachelors in psych while I was enlisted. Then I went back for my science courses afterward, and I'm about 8 classes from a nuclear chem degree. I have an interview next week at a med school. In short, it's not impossible, but it's a lot of work while your friends are all out partying and living up the navy life. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.


Posted using SDN Mobile

Just going to third the linguist option here, seems to be a lot of us around. I was a Korean linguist in the Marines, got my AA plus 30+ credits in GenEds. I am out and using the GI bill now for my BS, my AA degree and credits covered almost half of my required credits for my BS so now I can focus more on my sciences and have plenty of freedom to take what I like, when I like. I highly doubt you will be able to complete a bachelors in one contract. I got out in 2013 and they were just starting to tighten the screws on Tuition Assistance across all services, might not be so bad anymore but it was pretty horrendous back then. When the TA was good you could clear about 18 credits a year in courses, much more in CLEPs but many good universities don't take CLEPs or limit the amount you can transfer.

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

Currently I'm still in highschool, however I have committed and currently going in cold turkey into the Navy as a NUC. At this point, I just know I'm heading off the boot camp in summer of 2014.
Estimating after 6 yrs that I might be back in the civillian world, I was wondering what I can do to use every possible chance while in active duty and after that I can take to score Med School.
Is it really possible to earn a bachelor's degree if I really picked up my slack and went through h*ll trying to reschedule school around work? Percentage possibilities??
I hope to really land medical school in the future and the first thing I hope to do is to study OB/GYN when I get out.
At this point, I'm just trying to see what I can do and where I should be headed while and after the Navy.

Any help is greatly appreciated. * hopeful

http://www.usna.edu/Admissions/Steps-for-Admission/Active-Duty-Service-Applicants.php
>>> Med Corps >>> USUHS or HPSP

 

[linayun]

Just going to third the linguist option here, seems to be a lot of us around. I was a Korean linguist in the Marines, got my AA plus 30+ credits in GenEds. I am out and using the GI bill now for my BS, my AA degree and credits covered almost half of my required credits for my BS so now I can focus more on my sciences and have plenty of freedom to take what I like, when I like. I highly doubt you will be able to complete a bachelors in one contract. I got out in 2013 and they were just starting to tighten the screws on Tuition Assistance across all services, might not be so bad anymore but it was pretty horrendous back then. When the TA was good you could clear about 18 credits a year in courses, much more in CLEPs but many good universities don't take CLEPs or limit the amount you can transfer.

I've always loved trying to learn new languages, took Mandarin Chinese in highschool -- that was a interesting experience, and ironically, i know Korean! I wish i would have known more of the linguist side of the Navy, but currently i know i'll be sticking with the nuke program. Thank you for the heads up on the credits, i'll do some more research on which universities accept what credits.

 

[linayun]

http://www.usna.edu/Admissions/Steps-for-Admission/Active-Duty-Service-Applicants.php
>>> Med Corps >>> USUHS or HPSP

Maybe during my enlistment i could be picked up???? -- I dont know how this will go. Thank you for the suggestion.

 

[linayun]

Same exact thing happened with me. If I could do it all over again, I would enlist again in a heartbeat. I got a lot out of it and it made me realize what I really want to do. Now I'm out, banking on the Gi bill, and starting med school in August. Like I said... Wouldn't change a thing.

As far as taking classes on active duty, you've gotten some info already but I'll share my 2 cents. I was active marines, so not exactly the same, but I was taking classes AS OFTEN as I could for about 3 years of my enlistment, and came out of it with about 30 credit hours. I was going to the nearest university to whichever base I was at, so that I could take high quality courses, which I would recommend if you do it. I would not recommend the on-base or online options, generally speaking (but there were some exceptions).

My BIGGEST recommendation to you, however, is to go corpsman. You will get a ridiculous amount of medical experience and a billion physician LOR's just for doing your job. Otherwise, if you do something unrelated to the medical field, like I did, then you can only say you are a veteran. Big difference there.

I wish i had learned more about becoming a corpsman before becoming a nuke. I had to transfer my mos before becoming a nuke because of several issues. Thank you very much.

 

[butters221]

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[68PGunner]

I just want to say something.

If you're not good enough to go to naval academy out of HS, then chances are that you're not good enough to go to naval academy half-way through your enlistment contract.

To Butters221, some guys just need to get some suck in their life experience in order to mature and know the goods and bads in this world. Honestly, for a kid coming straight out of HS, enlisting in the navy might end up being a good experience for him. He has youth on his side.

 

[butters221]

...

 

[jayoh]

I wish i had learned more about becoming a corpsman before becoming a nuke. I had to transfer my mos before becoming a nuke because of several issues. Thank you very much.

Linayun, you can switch to corpsman any time before you go to boot camp. DEP means nothing. I'm not sure I read your last post correctly. Did you switch to corpsman? Do not let your recruiter trick you into believing you cannot. However, once you get to boot camp it is set in stone. If you want to be a doctor and want to be in the Navy, go corpsman for sure. The reason your recruiter will make up excuses saying he can't switch you or make you feel bad is because when you recruit a nuke you get credit for recruiting 2 people. They have quotas. They will blatantly lie to your face to meet these quotas. Also if you think you will get picked up for Naval Academy as a nuke, you won't. If you want to go to the Naval Academy, you need to apply to go to the Naval Academy, not enlist, and especially not enlist as a nuke.

This is basically what I was going to say. If you haven't gone to boot camp yet, you can change your MOS. Your recruiter probably won't want to switch you, but you don't want to end up sticking with nuke just to make your recruiter happy. If it's what you want, though, then that's cool.

I will again highly recommend going corpsman if you want to become a physician eventually. When it comes times to apply you will have a TON of medical experience, physician LOR's, plus the veteran status. I wish that's what I had done, but I was too gung-ho marine corps at the time.

That all being said, though, it is obviously still possible to go to med school after your enlistment regardless of what you do. I just don't want you to have any unrealistic expectations. I was in a technical MOS as well, and I was told the similar junk about how my 2 years of training would translate to a bachelor's degree, but at the end of the day the only credits counting towards my degree are the courses I took on active duty. I know that a couple people have mentioned, too, that it's really hard to take classes on active duty. In my experience, my chain of command thought I was awesome for taking classes, but they were also VERY quick to correct me if I was working on calculus homework during working hours. That may sound obvious, but there were days that we just didn't have anything to do, but they would still be strict about not letting me work on schoolwork. In my experience, I had to wake up for PT, go to work, work on school stuff during lunch break, finish the work day, then go to class in the evenings. Plus I had to frequently miss class for those random formations, unit functions, inspections, etc. It is a tough schedule. I'm not trying to sound negative because it is doable, and I was happy with it, but again I just don't want you to have unrealistic expectations.

 

[68PGunner]

In my experience, I had to wake up for PT, go to work, work on school stuff during lunch break, finish the work day, then go to class in the evenings. Plus I had to frequently miss class for those random formations, unit functions, inspections, etc. It is a tough schedule. I'm not trying to sound negative because it is doable, and I was happy with it, but again I just don't want you to have unrealistic expectations.

This is the reality of some units. It really depends on your chain of command since it varies from unit to unit. However, if you are stuck in this kind of unit, you are screwed and will hate your life. Trying to fill your pre-reqs under this kind of condition is like trying to compete against other pre-meds with 4 handicaps. It's not worth it.

 

[medic86]

This is the reality of some units. It really depends on your chain of command since it varies from unit to unit. However, if you are stuck in this kind of unit, you are screwed and will hate your life. Trying to fill your pre-reqs under this kind of condition is like trying to compete against other pre-meds with 4 handicaps. It's not worth it.

I agree.

I worked at a hospital during my enlistment, and my only option for classes were CLEP/DSST and online classes. I tried to work out a schedule with my NCOIC for attending class, and they were flexible (at the time, my unit had no mandatory PT, and we all did shift work in my department), but that would have murdered me. I'd literally be working, studying, going to class, or sleeping - no free time, whatsoever.

To the OP: I'd highly suggest going corpsman. Hell, I'd even look into the IDC route if it isn't excessively contract-extending. It doesn't translate at all to the civilian world, but experiencing being a primary care provider before getting into the pre-med rat race would be awesome (if I were to do it all again, I probably would have done this).

 

[NontradCA]

As a former SWO(N) who was out for a few years before deciding to apply to medical school, my advice 100% would be do not enlist in the Naval nuclear power program thinking that it is a realistic path to medical school. Butters and others have said it perfectly already, but just don't do it. If you want to learn a solid trade, by all means sign up. And if you do it, can you one day find yourself in medical school? Yep. But it is far, far from ideal. An FYI, you are not "committed". You have a contract that has stipulations should you decide not to fulfill your commitment. You are not past the point of stepping away from your enlistment. Best of luck.

This, as a former Navy Corpsman. When it all comes down to it, a lot can happen in six years, so using the military as a gateway to something on the civilian side is not only pipe dreaming, but it rarely works. I know a lot of people who wanted to do x and y with their careers, but instead had families or washed out of whatever program proved to be too tough. If you have the dedication to excel in college now, then do that. I enjoyed my time in Navy, and have met some incredible people but if you know that you want to be a physician, do that and save yourself the enlistment.

*Edit* I felt I should add some additional information. Being a corpsman will give you some insight into medicine, but your role both in the hospital and the field will be drastically different than what a physician does day to day.

Your role in the hospital will be similar to an allied health professional, and your primary purpose will be to actually work and not learn what is outside your parameters of patient care. I'd say the biggest aspect corpsmen take away from this duty is how to be comfortable around patients and act in a professional manner. This more or less takes a month to do, depending on where ones works, so it doesn't give you any edge in medical school at all. You will learn how to take vital signs, start IVs, suture, and other various small procedures that helps the care flow more smoothly. While it does seem cool at first, most medical students will learn these skills early on and it is non usually the physicians responsibility to do it in the first place. I think most importantly though, is that their exists a need to prove oneself in the corpsman community. If you have not garnished respect among your peers and leaders, you will not be going to school. As you can guess, it takes time to earn respect. In the Navy, it's time spent with the Marines.

Make no mistake about it, if you enlist as a corpsman you should expect to be stationed with a infantry unit at some point during your enlistment. As the GWOT is dying down, you may have this come after a two year tour at a hospital. Regardless, you will function as a Marine and be thrown into an environment that is largely sink (read as die) or swim (read as man up). Not trying to scare you or anything, but it is the reality of it. I can only speak to this occupation, as I have not spent much time around other Navy types, but I'd imagine there is some similar mentality amongst other jobs as well. The bottom line is that your life will be dedicated to serving whatever purpose the Navy wants from you, and there is no half-assing that goes without notice.

If you enlist in the Navy your life will be difficult, anyway you look at it. There is something to be said about maturity and "growing up" and I think that if you enlist prior to going to medical school you will not be subject to the same growing pains the 23 year olds experience and you see bitch about here on SDN, but this can come from other life experiences. Just think long and hard about what you're getting yourself into, and decide if it's really what you want. If it's Navy, whether it be a NUC or corpsman- do that, but your goal of being a physician will be set aside quickly when your life is consumed by the military machine.

 

[jayoh]

This, as a former Navy Corpsman. When it all comes down to it, a lot can happen in six years, so using the military as a gateway to something on the civilian side is not only pipe dreaming, but it rarely works. I know a lot of people who wanted to do x and y with their careers, but instead had families or washed out of whatever program proved to be too tough. If you have the dedication to excel in college now, then do that. I enjoyed my time in Navy, and have met some incredible people but if you know that you want to be a physician, do that and save yourself the enlistment.

*Edit* I felt I should add some additional information. Being a corpsman will give you some insight into medicine, but your role both in the hospital and the field will be drastically different than what a physician does day to day.

Your role in the hospital will be similar to an allied health professional, and your primary purpose will be to actually work and not learn what is outside your parameters of patient care. I'd say the biggest aspect corpsmen take away from this duty is how to be comfortable around patients and act in a professional manner. This more or less takes a month to do, depending on where ones works, so it doesn't give you any edge in medical school at all. You will learn how to take vital signs, start IVs, suture, and other various small procedures that helps the care flow more smoothly. While it does seem cool at first, most medical students will learn these skills early on and it is non usually the physicians responsibility to do it in the first place. I think most importantly though, is that their exists a need to prove oneself in the corpsman community. If you have not garnished respect among your peers and leaders, you will not be going to school. As you can guess, it takes time to earn respect. In the Navy, it's time spent with the Marines.

Make no mistake about it, if you enlist as a corpsman you should expect to be stationed with a infantry unit at some point during your enlistment. As the GWOT is dying down, you may have this come after a two year tour at a hospital. Regardless, you will function as a Marine and be thrown into an environment that is largely sink (read as die) or swim (read as man up). Not trying to scare you or anything, but it is the reality of it. I can only speak to this occupation, as I have not spent much time around other Navy types, but I'd imagine there is some similar mentality amongst other jobs as well. The bottom line is that your life will be dedicated to serving whatever purpose the Navy wants from you, and there is no half-assing that goes without notice.

If you enlist in the Navy your life will be difficult, anyway you look at it. There is something to be said about maturity and "growing up" and I think that if you enlist prior to going to medical school you will not be subject to the same growing pains the 23 year olds experience and you see bitch about here on SDN, but this can come from other life experiences. Just think long and hard about what you're getting yourself into, and decide if it's really what you want. If it's Navy, whether it be a NUC or corpsman- do that, but your goal of being a physician will be set aside quickly when your life is consumed by the military machine.

This brings up something I forgot about-- you really do have to establish yourself with your unit before they are cool with you taking classes. Obviously I can only speak to my experience, but I remember not being able to take classes until I had been in the fleet for a little over a year (and busted my ass to establish myself during that time). I also agree that a lot of people go into the military thinking it's going to open a lot of doors, and it generally doesn't happen. When you join they tell you that you can earn your degree, apply to the naval academy, apply for commissioning programs, etc etc... but its really rare that it works out. Again, only my experience, but like 99.5% of the people that join just do their job for their full enlistment, maybe knock out some college, and then get out (or re-enlist). I'm not trying to sound negative because I am glad I joined, personally. I would have never gotten to where I am right now without some drill instructor therapy.

I still think that IF you're going to enlist, it would be way more beneficial to be a corpsman than anything else. Not because you'd have a leg up during med school or anything, but just because your time in the military doubles as awesome experience to put on your application. I spent a lot of time volunteering in the naval hospital on weekends, and over the course of a couple of years I got some good volunteering to put on my application... but I can imagine that if I were a corpsman it would have been WAY more experience.

I also agree with the statement that a lot can happen in 6 years. If you enlist, you should be worried about the fact that it may alter your life plans away from med school. Like nontradCA said, you may find yourself married with kids in 4 years. It happens. A. Lot.

 

[abn632]

Why the Navy? Why not one of the other branches? And why choose a field with a long enlistment requirement? I agree with some of the above posters - if you want to go to med school, go into a field that's related to medicine: corpsman, medic, etc. As stated above, you'll get patient exposure and if you're in a hospital, you'll get exposure to different fields. I'm assuming that you're going Navy nuc because there's a lot of bonus money along with rapid promotion. If your long-term goal is to be a physician, why spend 6 years doing something completely unrelated to it?

Perhaps you should consider something else that only requires a 3-year commitment. You'll still qualify for the GI Bill which you can then use to pay for your entire undergraduate degree. While you're enlisted, if you budget properly, you'll still have a decent nest egg when you get out, even after only 3 years.

 

[linayun]

Linayun, you can switch to corpsman any time before you go to boot camp. DEP means nothing. I'm not sure I read your last post correctly. Did you switch to corpsman? Do not let your recruiter trick you into believing you cannot. However, once you get to boot camp it is set in stone. If you want to be a doctor and want to be in the Navy, go corpsman for sure. The reason your recruiter will make up excuses saying he can't switch you or make you feel bad is because when you recruit a nuke you get credit for recruiting 2 people. They have quotas. They will blatantly lie to your face to meet these quotas. Also if you think you will get picked up for Naval Academy as a nuke, you won't. If you want to go to the Naval Academy, you need to apply to go to the Naval Academy, not enlist, and especially not enlist as a nuke.

Oh no, im fine with becoming a nuke now, as much as prepared as i can be to become a nuke.

 

[linayun]

This is basically what I was going to say. If you haven't gone to boot camp yet, you can change your MOS. Your recruiter probably won't want to switch you, but you don't want to end up sticking with nuke just to make your recruiter happy. If it's what you want, though, then that's cool.

I will again highly recommend going corpsman if you want to become a physician eventually. When it comes times to apply you will have a TON of medical experience, physician LOR's, plus the veteran status. I wish that's what I had done, but I was too gung-ho marine corps at the time.

That all being said, though, it is obviously still possible to go to med school after your enlistment regardless of what you do. I just don't want you to have any unrealistic expectations. I was in a technical MOS as well, and I was told the similar junk about how my 2 years of training would translate to a bachelor's degree, but at the end of the day the only credits counting towards my degree are the courses I took on active duty. I know that a couple people have mentioned, too, that it's really hard to take classes on active duty. In my experience, my chain of command thought I was awesome for taking classes, but they were also VERY quick to correct me if I was working on calculus homework during working hours. That may sound obvious, but there were days that we just didn't have anything to do, but they would still be strict about not letting me work on schoolwork. In my experience, I had to wake up for PT, go to work, work on school stuff during lunch break, finish the work day, then go to class in the evenings. Plus I had to frequently miss class for those random formations, unit functions, inspections, etc. It is a tough schedule. I'm not trying to sound negative because it is doable, and I was happy with it, but again I just don't want you to have unrealistic expectations.

Yeah, this forum helped me a lot to have my bar set on a standard that allows me to understand that anything that i try to do in my own hands regarding education will be nearly impossible, but possible.

 

[linayun]

This, as a former Navy Corpsman. When it all comes down to it, a lot can happen in six years, so using the military as a gateway to something on the civilian side is not only pipe dreaming, but it rarely works. I know a lot of people who wanted to do x and y with their careers, but instead had families or washed out of whatever program proved to be too tough. If you have the dedication to excel in college now, then do that. I enjoyed my time in Navy, and have met some incredible people but if you know that you want to be a physician, do that and save yourself the enlistment.

*Edit* I felt I should add some additional information. Being a corpsman will give you some insight into medicine, but your role both in the hospital and the field will be drastically different than what a physician does day to day.

Your role in the hospital will be similar to an allied health professional, and your primary purpose will be to actually work and not learn what is outside your parameters of patient care. I'd say the biggest aspect corpsmen take away from this duty is how to be comfortable around patients and act in a professional manner. This more or less takes a month to do, depending on where ones works, so it doesn't give you any edge in medical school at all. You will learn how to take vital signs, start IVs, suture, and other various small procedures that helps the care flow more smoothly. While it does seem cool at first, most medical students will learn these skills early on and it is non usually the physicians responsibility to do it in the first place. I think most importantly though, is that their exists a need to prove oneself in the corpsman community. If you have not garnished respect among your peers and leaders, you will not be going to school. As you can guess, it takes time to earn respect. In the Navy, it's time spent with the Marines.

Make no mistake about it, if you enlist as a corpsman you should expect to be stationed with a infantry unit at some point during your enlistment. As the GWOT is dying down, you may have this come after a two year tour at a hospital. Regardless, you will function as a Marine and be thrown into an environment that is largely sink (read as die) or swim (read as man up). Not trying to scare you or anything, but it is the reality of it. I can only speak to this occupation, as I have not spent much time around other Navy types, but I'd imagine there is some similar mentality amongst other jobs as well. The bottom line is that your life will be dedicated to serving whatever purpose the Navy wants from you, and there is no half-assing that goes without notice.

If you enlist in the Navy your life will be difficult, anyway you look at it. There is something to be said about maturity and "growing up" and I think that if you enlist prior to going to medical school you will not be subject to the same growing pains the 23 year olds experience and you see bitch about here on SDN, but this can come from other life experiences. Just think long and hard about what you're getting yourself into, and decide if it's really what you want. If it's Navy, whether it be a NUC or corpsman- do that, but your goal of being a physician will be set aside quickly when your life is consumed by the military machine.

I want to be a NUC now, i dont know if you have read one of my replies, but i feel like if there are more qualified students to go to become physicians to help their community, i would be perfectly fine with knowing that there are people out there with a mind-set like that. I'm going to look for jobs related to my service after i get out, medical school now seems out of the ball-park for me now.

 

[linayun]

This brings up something I forgot about-- you really do have to establish yourself with your unit before they are cool with you taking classes. Obviously I can only speak to my experience, but I remember not being able to take classes until I had been in the fleet for a little over a year (and busted my ass to establish myself during that time). I also agree that a lot of people go into the military thinking it's going to open a lot of doors, and it generally doesn't happen. When you join they tell you that you can earn your degree, apply to the naval academy, apply for commissioning programs, etc etc... but its really rare that it works out. Again, only my experience, but like 99.5% of the people that join just do their job for their full enlistment, maybe knock out some college, and then get out (or re-enlist). I'm not trying to sound negative because I am glad I joined, personally. I would have never gotten to where I am right now without some drill instructor therapy.

I still think that IF you're going to enlist, it would be way more beneficial to be a corpsman than anything else. Not because you'd have a leg up during med school or anything, but just because your time in the military doubles as awesome experience to put on your application. I spent a lot of time volunteering in the naval hospital on weekends, and over the course of a couple of years I got some good volunteering to put on my application... but I can imagine that if I were a corpsman it would have been WAY more experience.

I also agree with the statement that a lot can happen in 6 years. If you enlist, you should be worried about the fact that it may alter your life plans away from med school. Like nontradCA said, you may find yourself married with kids in 4 years. It happens. A. Lot.

Thank you very much for your replies, **fingers crossed that im still single and healthy even after i get out**

 

[linayun]

Why the Navy? Why not one of the other branches? And why choose a field with a long enlistment requirement? I agree with some of the above posters - if you want to go to med school, go into a field that's related to medicine: corpsman, medic, etc. As stated above, you'll get patient exposure and if you're in a hospital, you'll get exposure to different fields. I'm assuming that you're going Navy nuc because there's a lot of bonus money along with rapid promotion. If your long-term goal is to be a physician, why spend 6 years doing something completely unrelated to it?

Perhaps you should consider something else that only requires a 3-year commitment. You'll still qualify for the GI Bill which you can then use to pay for your entire undergraduate degree. While you're enlisted, if you budget properly, you'll still have a decent nest egg when you get out, even after only 3 years.

I have, but i felt as if i had a purpose to serve, as stupid as it sounds, in the navy. It just peaked my interest the most. This is where i may mention that i will be changing my long-term goal..?? ** How do i close this forum?

 

[linayun]

Linayun, you can switch to corpsman any time before you go to boot camp. DEP means nothing. I'm not sure I read your last post correctly. Did you switch to corpsman? Do not let your recruiter trick you into believing you cannot. However, once you get to boot camp it is set in stone. If you want to be a doctor and want to be in the Navy, go corpsman for sure. The reason your recruiter will make up excuses saying he can't switch you or make you feel bad is because when you recruit a nuke you get credit for recruiting 2 people. They have quotas. They will blatantly lie to your face to meet these quotas. Also if you think you will get picked up for Naval Academy as a nuke, you won't. If you want to go to the Naval Academy, you need to apply to go to the Naval Academy, not enlist, and especially not enlist as a nuke.

I definitely was considering the Naval Academy for a few months before their October deadline had came up last year. I know that I surely enough could have received a letter of recommendation, however I just did not have to confidence nor strength in me to deal with denial. I dont want to become a doctor anymore because i know there will be better individuals suited for the occupation. I'm perfectly happy knowing that i will be going through hell and back with the nuke program. I just need to find my peace with what i have around me.

 

[NontradCA]

I want to be a NUC now, i dont know if you have read one of my replies, but i feel like if there are more qualified students to go to become physicians to help their community, i would be perfectly fine with knowing that there are people out there with a mind-set like that. I'm going to look for jobs related to my service after i get out, medical school now seems out of the ball-park for me now.

Wow, that's interesting. It seems as though you have some sense of service to community in you. That's rare nowadays. Don't let the military drain you 🙂. Were you thinking of becoming a physician because you thought people needed you? There's tons of people who have no access to care.

 

[NontradCA]

I have, but i felt as if i had a purpose to serve, as stupid as it sounds, in the navy. It just peaked my interest the most. This is where i may mention that i will be changing my long-term goal..?? ** How do i close this forum?

Hey before you go, I'm curious as to what changed your mind.

 

[butters221]

...

 

[68PGunner]

Dat Nuke $$$ bonus and the recruiter's sweet words about a 6 figure job after enlistment change his mind.

I'm not giving OP a hard time. But, as a HSer, you don't just wake up and decide that you want to be a physician. As a young guy, you just probably want to make good $$$ quickly and have a good time. It's understandable.

 

[linayun]

Hey before you go, I'm curious as to what changed your mind.

I would love to think that i would become a wonderful doctor so that i can help other people and return what i have taken from society. However, after reading many comments and and reviewing my own thoughts, i felt as if i should return my dues in some other way. There are many people like me, and some are probably better off and given the best opportunity to enter the medical field; I respect those who struggle in that field, and i hope the best for those individuals. I decided to serve my country, as cheesy as it sounds, i wanted to grow up a little more and benefit whatever i could from what the government could give me. Maybe when i get out of the navy, i'll end up liking my job.