Medical & Healthcare Careers in the Military

Military Medical School

The F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) trains students who want to become physicians and serve in the military branches within the Department of Defense or in the U.S. Public Health Service. Since the Coast Guard falls under the Department of Homeland Security, it gets most of its medical support from the Public Health Service. The Marine Corps gets its medical services from the Navy. Students of the military medical school are on active duty and receive a military salary, housing allowance and other benefits. Students must choose which branch of service to join upon graduation or serve in the Public Health Service.

USU medical school students attend school tuition-free, and they are paid a salary of at least $64,000 while they are in the program. The school runs year-round, which makes the training 700 hours longer than most programs in civilian medical schools. Graduates incur a service obligation of seven years of service in the Army, Navy, Air Force or Public Health Service after graduating.

Civilian Medical School with a Military Scholarship

Through the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP), the Army, Navy and Air Force offer two-, three- and four-year scholarships that cover medical school tuition, fees, a monthly living stipend and a signing bonus under certain conditions. Scholarship awardees attend civilian medical schools. They are officers in the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR), but do not wear a uniform and are not eligible for active duty pay in most cases.

Students are required to attend officer training and annual training when school is not in session. Residency can be served in either a military or civilian medical facility depending on the outcome of the matching process which takes place in the third year of medical school. Graduates must join the Army, Air Force or Navy upon completion of medical school.

PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY

• Meet branch officer commissioning qualifications
• Be enrolled in an accredited school in the U.S. or Puerto Rico commensurate with the healthcare field choice. As an alternative, a letter of acceptance or list of schools applied to is acceptable
• Be a U.S. citizen
• Have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited school
• Maintain full-time student status
• Be no older than 36 (except the Navy which is 42) at the time of entering active duty, though waivers can be obtained up to age 47 depending on the service and program

SERVICE REQUIREMENT AFTER GRADUATION

• 1 year on active duty for each year in the program
• For all three branches, HPSP service obligations are added to any existing military service obligations.
• While the HPSP program eligibility, service requirement and status are generally the same, there are some differences between the branches in their program focus and benefits.

Civilian-to-Officer for Licensed Healthcare Professionals

Healthcare professionals in training, new healthcare graduates and experienced professionals can enter the military as commissioned officers either full-time on active duty or part-time in the Reserves or National Guard.

In the Army and Air Force, healthcare professionals can usually enter military service with a ranking ranging from lieutenant to major, depending on the type and level of their healthcare profession. In the Navy, they can enter with a ranking ranging from ensign to lieutenant commander. Regardless of the branch, the pay grades range between 01 and 04. Depending on where the healthcare professional is in their career and the needs of the military branch, healthcare professionals can enter at a higher grade.

Newly commissioned officers do not attend the standard basic training of their branch. Instead, they go to an officer training course where they participate in physical training and learn military culture and history, how to wear the uniform and how to lead troops.

Officer school training and course length vary according to branch.

Licensed military healthcare professionals receive pay, allowances and other benefits congruent with their rank and length of service. Professionals in healthcare specialties can also get an additional special pay on top of their normal monthly pay. Depending on the medical needs of the military branch, they may also receive a signing bonus. In exchange for a service commitment of two years (or one year for each year of repayment, whichever is greater), active duty healthcare professionals can also get up to $40,000 per year in loan repayment.

Licensed military healthcare professionals receive pay, allowances and other benefits congruent with their rank and length of service. Professionals in healthcare specialties can also get an additional special pay on top of their normal monthly pay. Depending on the medical needs of the military branch, they may also receive a signing bonus. In exchange for a service commitment of two years (or one year for each year of repayment, whichever is greater), active duty healthcare professionals can also get up to $40,000 per year in loan repayment.

During annual training, most military healthcare professionals will serve in a troop medical clinic, military hospital or other medical facility. This service may include setting up and operating a field hospital. Reserve service members can also be mobilized, deployed and serve on humanitarian missions or in combat zones with deployments lasting from a few months to a year or more.

Most reserve commitments are for six years at a time. Besides drill and annual training pay, service members may also qualify for the MGIB-SR GI Bill, federal tuition reimbursement, student loan repayment, education financial assistance offered by their state, or the Health Professional Loan Repayment Program. In most cases, deployment time counts toward Post 9/11 GI Bill eligibility.

Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC)

ROTC for undergraduate medical students is no different from what it is for students in other majors. Students receive full tuition assistance in the form of a scholarship and a monthly stipend of $100 to $150 in exchange for a service commitment to serve as a commissioned officer after graduation. The difference for medical students happens after ROTC graduation. Non-med students begin serving their service commitment right away, whereas medical students don’t start serving until after they finish med school.

The ROTC offers two-, three-and four-year tuition scholarships. The primary scholarship is for four years, and the service commitment varies by branch. For example:

Part-time Options for Medical Students and Residents

Medical students or those in residency can join the Army, Navy or Air Force Reserves or the National Guard. Like most servicemembers in the reserve components, med students and residents are expected to attend drill two days a month and attend two weeks of annual training. Unlike other reserve members, med students and residents are exempt from deployment while in school and can balance drills and annual training with their medical school requirements by using an authorized flexible training program.

Medical students serving in the reserves have some financial assistance programs available to them beside drill and annual training pay. In most programs, except the HPLRP, one year of service obligation in the reserves is required for each six-months of stipend money accepted.

Students receive over $2,000 in monthly stipend money.

Medical students already accepted into an accredited residency program can earn a stipend of over $2,000 per month.

Navy Reserve medical residents can receive a monthly stipend of over $2,000.

Medical students with certain types of student loans can get up to $40,000 of their loans paid under this program. The actual amount paid depends on the length of service after the loan was taken out.

This program is for medical residents and includes an annual grant of $45,000, a monthly stipend, reimbursement for books, supplies and equipment and payment for tuition not otherwise covered.

On-the-Job Training for Enlisted Healthcare Careers

Not all military healthcare positions are officer related. There are many different entry-level health career opportunities for enlisted personnel either on active duty or in the reserves, none of which require previous healthcare training. Enlistments are usually for six years and require attending not only the basic training program, but also an individualized qualification training course congruent with the position occupied. The length of individualized training varies. For example, Army enlisted healthcare careers can be as short as six weeks for a medical logistics specialist to as long as 52 weeks for a medical laboratory specialist.

This training may count for lower or upper division credits if you want to pursue a college degree either while serving or after getting out of the military. Credits can be requested through the Joint Service Transcript (JST) service. When the minimum training required for the position is complete, other training continues through drill attendance and at annual training. Enlisted members can also expect more training opportunities during their enlistment period.

Example Careers for This Pathway

Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service

Over 6,500 Commissioned Corps officers work on the front lines of the Public Health Service. Eleven career areas are included within several specialties. CC officers normally serve within various federal agencies such as the National Institute of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Their duties may include combatting disease, conducting research or caring for patients in underserved communities and low-income inner cities.

Medical students interested in joining the Commissioned Corps can try it out through three different paths:

• JRCOSTEP
• SRCOSTEP
• IHS Loan Repayment Program

Students in this program work assignments lasting from 31 to 120 days during their college breaks at various locations in the U.S. and with various federal agencies. They receive the pay and allowances equivalent to an ensign O-1 while on assignment.

Medical students in their final year of professional schooling can join this program. Students accepted also receive pay and allowances equivalent to an ensign O-1 for their last 12 months of school. In return, they are obligated to work for the Commissioned Corps for 24 months after graduating.

This is another paid opportunity, but for graduating medical students. Once graduated, medical professionals can get up to $20,000 per year in loans paid off, but must agree to a two-year service obligation with the Commissioned Corps. This obligation is served in health facilities serving the American Indian and Alaska Native communities. With any of these programs, not only is there a monetary award, but it is a way to get some real in-the-trenches medical experience and training, and a foot in the door at the Commissioned Corps, which can lead to a full-time career.

Commissioned Corps Officer Professions