Potentially serious medical diagnosis right as I’m finishing up HPSP app

[starbuck2]

Admitted MD starting this summer. I have all my forms, paperwork, essay, references submitted, finished interviews, and am waiting on MEPS/medical stuff. No significant health concerns up to this point. So I’m near the end of the process and eager to sign up.

But a few weeks ago I had a mole removed on my abdomen. It came back as malignant melanoma. The good news is that it was less than 1mm deep and my doctor is optimistic that we caught it early. I’m seeing a surgical oncologist this week and will get the skin and surrounding area removed. They’re also going to biopsy nearby lymph nodes for any cancer.

Does anyone know if this will pretty much derail my application? Or, as my dermatologist is hopeful for, we caught it early and all I’ll need is the skin excision and follow-up monitoring—would military medicine still be a possibility?

This has been a difficult few days, and I’m just trying to assess the parts of my life that may change, including my potential career paths. Thanks in advance.

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[orbitsurgMD]

Admitted MD starting this summer. I have all my forms, paperwork, essay, references submitted, finished interviews, and am waiting on MEPS/medical stuff. No significant health concerns up to this point. So I’m near the end of the process and eager to sign up.

But a few weeks ago I had a mole removed on my abdomen. It came back as malignant melanoma. The good news is that it was less than 1mm deep and my doctor is optimistic that we caught it early. I’m seeing a surgical oncologist this week and will get the skin and surrounding area removed. They’re also going to biopsy nearby lymph nodes for any cancer.

Does anyone know if this will pretty much derail my application? Or, as my dermatologist is hopeful for, we caught it early and all I’ll need is the skin excision and follow-up monitoring—would military medicine still be a possibility?

This has been a difficult few days, and I’m just trying to assess the parts of my life that may change, including my potential career paths. Thanks in advance.

Collect absolutely every record concerning your case and treatment: photos, path reports, office visits, imaging studies. everything. Be prepared to submit this if requested, and it will be. Even if all tissue taken outside the excision site is tumor free, you will be under surveillance for some time. You may be rejected as NPQ and may have to apply for a waiver. Don't be surprised.

 

[HighPriest]

And, it should go without saying, don't delay or sacrifice any appropriate medical care on behalf of the military just to get accepted. Take care of yourself first, deal with the other stuff after. it sounds like that is your plan, but not everyone sees the big picture in the end.

 

[starbuck2]

Collect absolutely every record concerning your case and treatment: photos, path reports, office visits, imaging studies. everything. Be prepared to submit this if requested, and it will be. Even if all tissue taken outside the excision site is tumor free, you will be under surveillance for some time. You may be rejected as NPQ and may have to apply for a waiver. Don't be surprised.

Thanks for the advice. I will collect everything I can. Perhaps it would be helpful to get a letter/note from the dermatologist or surgeon?

 

[starbuck2]

And, it should go without saying, don't delay or sacrifice any appropriate medical care on behalf of the military just to get accepted. Take care of yourself first, deal with the other stuff after. it sounds like that is your plan, but not everyone sees the big picture in the end.

Thanks for your reply. Yes at the outset I decided it wasn’t worth it to hide anything. And I am definitely prioritizing my own health. My wife told me that no matter what, I still have the opportunity to attend medical school and become a doctor—the military can’t take that away at least!