<p>Curious about the process......my d is considering a career in the Navy, wants to be a physician. Can you apply NROTC scholarship and, if accepted, go straight on to med school or must you serve some time first?</p>
<p>You can go straight to med school, but there are only like 14 scholarship slots nationally for NROTC. A couple of our 1/C got the scholarship last year, but only one actually got into med school. If your d is serious about this, then she should tell her higher ups that she wants to go to med school as soon as she shows up at her unit, so that they can put her on the right path.</p>
<p>There are also slots to go to med school from civilian college, non-ROTC. Yes, you end up with college debt, but there may be more spaces available -- I'm not sure. And your medical school is paid for. And you start directly out of college. You can check on this program with your officer recruiters or maybe someone here has more info.</p>
<p>Thank you both for the information!</p>
<p>If you go NROTC or USNA, you're better off getting qualified in a warfare specialty (aviation, submarines, surface warfare [ship driving]) and then applying to the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. I had an Academy classmate attend there. He was a Lieutenant Commander; he was discharged, entered the USUHS as an Ensign, was commissioned as a Lieutenant upon graduation, and was promoted to Lieutenant Commander again at the next promotion board. Sort of a weird career path--but promotion and command opportunities for armed forces physicians who hold a warfare or combat arms specialty is much, much better that for someone who has only been a doctor.</p>
<p>Unfortunately I didn't catch this thread sooner, but I will throw my two cents into the pot as someone who is a navy physician.</p>
<p>First, to counter some misstatements from above. There are more than 14 slots available to NROTC students to go to medical school. The number is not exactly known; however, it is much, much higher than 14. Heck, we probably had over 14 NROTC students alone in my medical school class. Second, having a warfare qualification plays very little to no role in your promotion and command opportunities as a physician. In the medical corps everybody becomes a LT at medical school graduation and promotion to Captain is fairly certain if you stay in long enough and don't do anything stupid.</p>
<p>Now, to answer your original question. From a NROTC unit there are two paths to medical school. The first is the military's medical school, USUHS, located in Bethesda, MD. Basically you wear a uniform, get paid an ensign's salary, and attend class. You can go directly from NROTC to USUHS; however, there is an application process for both USUHS and through the ROTC chain of command to allow you to go medical corps. If you are competitive for a medical school slot you will be competitive for the ROTC "okay". </p>
<p>The second route is known as the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP). This program allows you to graduate from college and then attend any civilian medical school you are accepted to. You are placed in a reserve status and are paid a monthly stipend, and currently there is a signing bonus of around $20,000. The Navy will pay for your medical school and required equipment. The pay will not cover all of your expenses so most take out small loans to cover other expenses. Once you graduate you will become a LT and most will go on to do their graduate medical education in a military hospital. ( I say most because a few will do another option which is way beyond this discussion).</p>
<p>The key part for whether you will go straight from college to medical school is what I will call the ROTC "okay." Basically the Navy has to allow you to go into the medical corps and depending on the "needs of the navy" the number of people allowed to do this can fluctuate. With that being said, if you are a competitive applicant for medical school the chances that the Navy will "okay" you is very high. The ones who don't get it are usually substandard applicants to medical school.</p>
<p>Overall NROTC IS a viable path to becoming a Navy physician; however, if you choose this path then plan on a 20 yr navy career as your minimum payback will be approximately 11 years after graduation from medical school. If you attend USUHS that will increase to approximately 15 years.</p>
<p>The other option as mentioned by USNA1985 is to pay for college on your own and then come in to either of the programs mentioned above for medical school. With that you would then owe a minimum of 4 years for HPSP or 7 years for USUHS. Or you can pay for college and medical school on your own and then join the Navy and have the Navy assist in paying back your loans.</p>
<p>Just a little off topic. Could you go to law school after completing your undergraduate studies under a NROTC scholarship?</p>
<p>Just today I spoke with a local recruiter for students who are interested in medical careers w/ the Navy. I expect there are similare positions to his around the country.</p>
<p>As KP described it, there are MANY different routes to becoming a navy doctor, dentist, or nurse.</p>
<p>Click on [AMERICA’S</a> NAVY – A Global Force for Good](<a href=“http://www.navyhealthcare.com%5DAMERICA’S”>http://www.navyhealthcare.com) “navyhealthcare.com” for information more accurate than you will obtain here.</p>
<p>Also, contact your local recruiting office and ask for the health careers recruiter.</p>
<p>KP’s advice about planning to retire as a navy physician is also applicable to USNA graduates who go on to medical school. By the time you “payback” you might as well stay and retire.</p>
<p>If you pm me, I can forward to you a info sheet that the recruiter sent to me.</p>