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+--- Thread: U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (/Thread-U-S-Public-Health-Service-Commissioned-Corps)
U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps - smf6824 - 08-12-2014
Anyone have any experience with these guys? They are technically part of the uniformed services but I didn't interact with them during my time in the army. I saw there website, so I have that info. Anything you guys have would be great.
U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps - sanantone - 08-14-2014
They talk about them a lot on Allnurses.com. I can't really tell you anything that you can't find through research or by talking to a recruiter, but I did research them extensively. They mostly hire physicians, dentists, nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and physician assistants. They currently have a hiring freeze on nurses. You have to meet weight standards before you start, but their officer training is not physical at all. Not only do you have to be accepted to the officer program, but you also have to find a job. It seems like most USPHS officers work for the Indian Health Service and Bureau of Prisons. Obviously, the IHS positions are out in the middle of nowhere. It might be easier to just apply directly to IHS or BOP because it could be a long time before USPHS has an opening in your field. I believe IHS does offer tuition reimbursement, but you won't get the excellent retirement benefits of the USPHS.
While USPHS is a uniformed service, it is not an armed force. However, you could possibly be deployed across the country and world to deal with health crises and treat military members at war. Currently, some USPHS officers are in Africa dealing with the ebola epidemic.
U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps - sanantone - 08-14-2014
Have you also heard about the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps? They prefer a degree in engineering, math, or science, but will accept any bachelor's degree as long as you have 48 credit hours in those subjects that includes some coursework in calculus and/or physics. You alternate between ship and land-based assignments every 2-3 years. Ship deployments range from a few days to 40 days at a time. Most of the assignments will be in the coastal cities of the U.S.
U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps - KayV - 08-14-2014
Two of my college friends went to med school courtesy of the USPHS. One has spent her career as a pediatrician on a Navy base and the other is with the VA. They were both grateful to be accepted and to get through med school without debt, albeit with an extensive service obligation.
(They were accepted waaaay back in the '90s, so I daresay some things have changed.)
U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps - sanantone - 08-14-2014
The Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences is free for civilians, but I'm sure it's very difficult to get in.
U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps - KayV - 08-15-2014
Yes, it was *very* difficult to get in. They both had amazing GPAs and MCAT scores.
U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps - smf6824 - 04-17-2015
sanantone Wrote:Have you also heard about the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps? They prefer a degree in engineering, math, or science, but will accept any bachelor's degree as long as you have 48 credit hours in those subjects that includes some coursework in calculus and/or physics. You alternate between ship and land-based assignments every 2-3 years. Ship deployments range from a few days to 40 days at a time. Most of the assignments will be in the coastal cities of the U.S.
Yea... I have heard of them. It may be an option but since I have been in the medical field so long I would prefer the public health service route. Also it adds on to any retirement time I accrued in the army