<p>Hey, everybody! I'm want to become a doctor, so I'm trying to figure out which service academy is best for me. Someone told me I should look at the Naval Academy because of Bethesda Hospital. But I was looking at the majors they have to offer and I would have to major in chemistry. My dad is a doctor and he said that sure would be a TON of chemistry for doctor to learn. West Point also only offers chemistry, but I don't know what kind of hospitals and other things they could offer. I know USAFA also has a biology major, which I think I would be more interested in, but I don't know what kind of hospitals and other stuff they could offer. What do you guys think?</p>
<p>at USMA you would major in Life Sciences, and it is VERY competitive to branch med corps. when i visited annapolis, the admissions officer said "if you want to become a doctor, you're at the wrong place."</p>
<p>Are you attending USMA to be a doctor? How does the program work? Is it worth it? Any tips?</p>
<p>im in the application process for usma right now. there is a pretty big service commitment if you want to be a doctor, like until you're 40. the first captain branched med corps. i dont know much other that what ive told you.</p>
<p>5 year active duty service commitment for WP, year for year for med school and residency. You also get paid as an officer while attending med school and doing your residency</p>
<p>5 years for wp
4 years med school
2-5 years residency</p>
<p>11 to 14 year commitment so you might as well retire at 20 years.</p>
<p>how competitive do you really think WP is? They allow 2% of the graduating class to continue on to med school. 2% of the entire class isn't really THAT competitive, because most people don't want to go to med school.</p>
<p>I had some questions about the Army's medical fields as well, but mainly about placement after commencement. What exactly are the training requirements for infantry medics? What about field surgeons, or MASH unit surgeons? I guess my main question at what level do you have to be a licensed physician. Is there the opportunity to become a doctor/surgeon after deployment, if you don't make the cut coming out of West Point that is? I may be asking the wrong people here, but this seemed as good a time as any to ask.</p>
<p>This is a good discussion to read up on.</p>
<p>Infantry medics aren't officers and havent gone through med school. They are EMT licensed with beefed up trauma training from the army. The next level of care above that would be a licensed Physicians Assistant per battalion. Above that is the Brigade Surgeon Cell, which includes a Real Deal Dr Surgeon guy. Above that are attatched medical support units that include all kinds of specialty Doctors, nurses, medics, and other specialty care professionals. If you don't get accepted into med school straight out of WP you can still apply while on active duty.</p>
<p>There are also lots of positions in Hospitals but I don't know enough about that to give any reliable info</p>
<p>mrgreenapple- in regards to a previous post, billets for medical school are extremely hard to come by at wp. 2% translates to about 20 spots. I think that these 20 have to be in the top 10% of the class. Plus they have to take the mcats and actually get into a med school.</p>
<p>I personally think that the original poster should not go to any service academy. Nowhere in his first post did he say he wanted to "become a soldier" but rather said his goal is to "become a doctor". My advice: go to Johns Hopkins and apply to their med school after taking a rigurous load of bio, chem, and anatomy courses. If you actually do want to become a soldier, go to Johns Hopkins and do rotc....or better yet go to OCS after you get your m.d.. I think it makes you an instant captain.</p>
<p>What's with this only taking 2% stuff? Why can't I just go to WP for my undergraduate and then choose to go to a regular civilian medical school? Wouldn't that increase my chances? Is the 2% thing only if you want the army to pay for med school for you? If all this is right, when would I serve my four years? If what I've said is NOT true, what happens if I am not one of the people chosen for medical school?</p>
<p>only 2% of the graduating class goes med corps. that means about 20 students. the army only needs a certain number of doctors. If you did branch med corps, you would go to a civilian med school. You would serve your commitment (about 11-14 years) AFTER becoming an army doc, which would get you out at about age 40. </p>
<p>If you are NOT one of the people chosen for med corps, you will become <em>GASP</em> an army officer doing something like infantry, armor, air defense, engineering, intelligence, and all the things you see on the army website. </p>
<p>Don't go to West Point if you dont want to be a soldier.</p>
<p>sol·dier ( P ) Pronunciation Key (sljr)
n.
1. One who serves in an army. </p>
<p>there are all types of soldiers in todays army, doctors included. </p>
<p>people can either be accepted to civilian medical school or to the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (<a href="http://www.usuhs.mil%5B/url%5D">www.usuhs.mil</a>) which is the military's med school.</p>
<p>A person looks to the service academies to be a soldier first and everything else second. A cook, janitor, lawyer, hair stylist can all be soldiers. However, when the fighting starts, they will be required to pick up a weapon and start fighting just like everyone else. That is why EVERYONE goes through boot camp and is trained to be in the military. </p>
<p>Now, for the original poster. I see nowhere in his/her post(s) that they want to be a soldier. Yes they are clear about wanting to be a doctor. But being a doctor and a soldier are two very different things. My advice, like it was before, is to go to a civilian school. It is clear they have no clue the commitment west point entails..... I quote "Why can't I just go to WP for my undergraduate and then choose to go to a regular civilian medical school". </p>
<p>You can go to wp and become a doctor, but why? Go to a civilian school and get your degree then join if you have an urge to serve your country (which I see no remnants of). Enlighten me if I have spoken falsely.</p>
<p>well written. I'm not really sure why anyone would want to go to west point period ;)</p>
<p>In the Kings Point threads are several discussions by KP2001 who is now in the Uniformed Services Medical School. There are several discussions there - he may not find this thread. But if you are adverse to Chemistry - why do you want to be a dr.? While it is possible to go to Med school from WP - it is their choice, not yours. They own you. I agree, go to your best possible school for pre-med, go ROTC if you desire. There is not great advantage to come from WP to be a dr. Now if you want to be career Army, yes, that's the way to go. But WP and then MD is a huge commitment and things change - on your end and on the end of the Army needs.</p>
<p>The link that jq722 supplied was a lot of help, although it did take me a while to sort through some of the military acronyms and jargon. The Graduate School for ADSO looks like the perfect option for me, should I qualify for it. The whole idea of go directly from the disciplined WP to a civilian college didn't exactly excite me; I couldn't help but think that it would be a kind of step backwards as far as becoming an effective officer. The opportunity to get a few years of military experience beforehand, though, makes a lot more sense. Thanks for the link jq722.</p>