PRN: Take As Needed “America’s Medical School” Offers Unparalleled Opportunity By David Alex Schulz, CHP

PRN: Take As Needed

“America’s Medical School” Offers Unparalleled

By David Alex Schulz, CHP

The cost of education has rarely been as newsworthy and more in public debate. Medical school is no exception. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) reports the median 4-year cost of attendance for the class of 2022 is $263,488 (public school) and $357,868 (private school), and the debt of graduating medical students averaged around $207,000.

Yet, students can avail themselves of a world-class medical education without spending any money at all by committing to a term of national service. Both military and public health services need highly trained medical professionals and provide opportunities for anyone seeking to serve both medicine and society at large.

One path is through the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) to attend the student’s medical school of choice (given their acceptance) with tuition fully paid by the U.S. Government, and with a monthly stipend. The other route is by attending “America’s Medical School” – the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), now celebrating its 50th Anniversary. USUHS is unique, says Dr. Kevin Chung, Chair of Medicine. “We’re a fully accredited university medical school with a second primary mission of training military medical providers and physicians, so our emphasis from day one is to create physicians who are hyper-focused on service.”

One needn’t already be in uniform to apply: The school accepts both civilian and military applicants for commissioning into the Army, Navy, Air Force and U.S. Public Health Service. Only about onethird of the students have had some form of prior officer or enlisted military experience—but join the military ranks once accepted. Once enrolled in the School of Medicine, students serve on active duty as commissioned officers, either as a Second Lieutenant in the Army or Air Force, or Ensign in the Navy, or Public Health Service.

Students pay no tuition or fees and receive the full salary and benefits of an O-1 for all four years at the USUHS. This includes free medical care for students and your eligible family members, a housing allowance and 30 days paid leave each year. Books and lab equipment are also included at no charge. Following matriculation, graduates begin their career with base pay, a housing allowance, and food allowance around $100,000.

Students in USUHS graduate with a seven-year active-duty service commitment (or 10 years, if in the Public Health Service). But more than the obligation of time, and more than the education itself, there is an added value in an educational framework devoted to service and leadership that bespeaks an uncommon quality of commitment to teamwork.

Recently retired USUHS President, Major General Richard "Tom" Thomas, MD, DDS, commented that, “One thing I emphasized at the university was our leadership development program. I think we can all agree that that’s kind of a void in professional education.”

Since leadership is integral to all military organizations, so leadership development is baked-in across all years of the curriculum. “We institutionalize leadership development programs for our students, so they graduate with those management skills needed to go along with their great clinical skills,” he said.

These skills, honed over years of collaborative combat-arena medical practice, where nothing is dependable but chaos, provide a unique professional blend making military service doctors, if they retire the uniform, among the most sought for hospital leadership posts. Listening to their experiences, the

Opportunity

word “I” is eschewed, and emphasis on teamwork overwhelming.

Applicants to USUHS must be at least 18 years old at the time of enrollment but no older than 36 as of June 30 of your enrollment year; a U.S. citizen; and meet the physical, medical and security requirements for becoming a commissioned officer in the military. Academic requirements include a Baccalaureate from an accredited school, completion of the required math and science courses and an MCAT no more than three years old. The average MCAT for those accepted is 509. USUHS will not accept MCAT scores below 496.

Applying for the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) is a different track and has different obligations. Just like USUHS, tuition is paid for by the U.S. Government, and students get a monthly stipend. Medical training is the same as your civilian peers, but an HPSP recipient undergoes a modified form of basic military training during the second year of medical school. During the third- and fourthyear clinical years, students get the chance to rotate at military hospitals if they choose. Graduating student service obligations are a 1:1 payback in military service for every year of scholarship, up to four years.

You can apply to any of the four schools (Nursing, Medicine, Dental and Allied Health Sciences) at USUHS through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) online portal using designation code 821. Applying for the HPSP Scholarship simply involves contacting the recruiter for the chosen service, and a candidate can apply to just one or to all three — Army, Navy and Air Force.

David Alex Schulz, CHP is a community member of the BCMS Publications Committee.