How do you become a doctor in the military?

Answer 1

Being one, I can tell you it's easy. The military is having a hard time keeping the physicians they have as it is. The hard part is getting into medical school to become a doctor. The military has needs for basically all specialties, but especially primary care, general surgery and orthopedic. Most military docs don't see the medical stuffs that you may think of as military docs should be seeing. We have clinics just like the civilians. Think of the military health care as a large enclosed HMO. You can apply to joint the military once you are a doctor or even as a medical student. In fact, the military has a medical school in Bethesda, Maryland where they PAY you as an officer (O-1) to go to that school. If you are accepted to this school, you will have to pick one of the 4 services (Air Force, Army, Navy, Public Health). Note that there is not a Marine because they don't have a separate medical service. They use the NAVY for their medical care including front line medics. Public health provide physicians for the Coast Guards as well as many other government agencies. They also have scholaship for you to go to civilian medical school where they pay for all your tuitions/books and monthly stipend. This is how I did it. Talk to your local military health care recruiter for information.