Med School opportunities after the USNA

JustAMomOf4
Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:51:12 +0000

Whistle Pig makes some excellent points.
Medical school - I really am not going to get in the USNA debate but for anyone interested in medical school here is some food for thought:
Applying to and gaining acceptance to medical school is grueling and highly competitive - normally it involves a great deal more effort than aceing orgo and scoring on the MCAT.
Competitive candidates benefit greatly from a supportive undergrad experience. One that will assist in exploring and providing volunteer experiences such as shadowing a physician as well as MCAT preparation. You also need support from your school to attend med school interviews.
If USNA doesn’t support a potential medical school candidate in this way - then IMHO they would benefit and increase their chances to consider another undergrad institution.

West Point, I know does provide a great deal of undergrad support for those seeking medical school. Beginning plebe year, they provide mentoring and direction. There are also some applicable summer experiences available. The Army is different in the Navy in this respect. Also, at West Point, during the Junior year they choose which Cadets will apply to Medical School. If you do not have the blessing of the Army then you won’t get support to attend interviews etc.

Finally, those high school students who seek a career as a physician either in or out of the service should realize that most medical students do not matriculate directly from undergrad anymore. I think the average age of a first year med student is about 25 or 26.
Another career path is to attend USNA, serve for 5 years then attend med school.
If a career as a military physican is desirable then you can apply to USUHS as either active duty or a civilian. Civilians who apply get to choose their branch of service.