<p>My son has been accepted to the AFA, and USNA. He has decided he may want to be a doctor. Will the opportunity present itself if he goes to AFA? What is the path to Med School from the AFA? I know it is not available from the CGA. I am thinking he may need to look at other schools.</p>
<p>There are opportunities from USAFA. To be honest, the AFA NEVER fills all their med school slots. The AF can ALWAYS use physicians of skill and academy graduates are just a bonus!</p>
<p>The KEY is: can he qualify for medical school? The AF has a pretty “picky” requirement there…the biggest is qualifying for medical school! 
Yes, that’s the same as anyplace! Just typically harder at USAFA because you take the normal classes like everyone else: heavy engineering focus!!!</p>
<p>GIVEN that…if he is academically qualified, the AFA will allow him to compete for medical school and if he’s accepted, they’ll send him. MANY of the academy graduates that attend medical school go from USAFA straight to the USUHS (nicknamed U-Shoes) and from there to specialty training, etc…etc…</p>
<p>A classmate of mine just recently retired from the AF…orthopedic surgeon, colonel, etc…and that was the route he took!</p>
<p>Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83</p>
<p>Thank you very much. He has started looking at other places because a friend of his turned down the Naval Academy last year and took an ROTC Scholarship. His friend said it was impossible to get into the Med program from Annapolis. He is going to have to do more investigating.</p>
<p>A cadet from my area, now a firstie, had wanted to be a doctor for a long time and has the grades at AFA to enter any med school. However, he decided to pursue (wait for it!)… PILOT TRAINING! Figured this young man: I can always go to medical school after being a pilot, but it’s much harder to take up flying the Raptor (or other hotshot plane) after training to be a dermatologist.</p>
<p>We send people to fantastic med schools. I have been lax with my applying this semester. I decided grad school was where I really wanted to go, but I got an interview for Harvard Med School as of this week (I have to schedule it for Jan or Feb), so my plans might be changing…Though pilot training is very alluring at the same time since I received my medical waiver for that Oct 31st!</p>
<p>Hornet has it right. Medical school placement out USAFA is primarily to upper tier med schools rather than to regional ones. Service academy grads make for interesting candidates, in part, because they have taken the hard road.</p>
<p>Congratulations Hornet! Another opportunity for you to choose from!</p>
<p>Hornet, if you decide on a medical career, do you have concerns (either way) about the universal care Congress may pass? Will that affect your decision?</p>
<p>mmm, not really to be honest. First, I’d be in the AF medicine till I’m 40 or so at a minimum. After that, I don’t see a universal plan really having a huge effect on medical practice from the physician side. I am looking to specialize and not do anything like family practice or GP, which also makes the plan less of an impact (I think). Worse comes to worse, I’ll go open a clinic in Geneva for the old, rich people. 
LOL</p>