Newswise — Bethesda, Md – Navy and Marine Corps enlisted service members will join their colleagues in the Air Force and Army for an opportunity to prepare for future careers as uniformed physicians through a new program headquartered at the F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus officially authorized their participation in the program in a memo dated Sept. 9, 2014.
The “Enlisted to Medical Degree Preparatory Program,” or EMDP2, is a 24-month program for highly-qualified enlisted service members interested in a career as a military doctor. Candidates attend school full-time at George Mason University-Prince William (GMU-PW) campus in Manassas, Va., to prepare them to apply to medical school, while remaining on active duty. Candidates must possess a baccalaureate degree from an accredited academic institution with a minimum of a 3.2 grade point average and meet Service requirements for commissioning.
The inaugural EMDP2 class, five students each in the Air Force and Army, reported to USU at the end of August to begin the program, which includes full-time medical school preparatory coursework in a traditional classroom setting at GMU-PW, structured pre-health advising, formal Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) preparation, dedicated faculty and peer mentoring at USU, and integrated clinical exposure. Students completing the program successfully will qualify to apply to USU, or other U.S. medical schools through the Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program.
Mabus directed the Navy Surgeon General to establish criteria for participation in the program as well as application procedures and policies and to coordinate policy guidance with the Chief of Naval Personnel and Commandant of the Marine Corps. The announcement to Navy and Marine Corps enlisted members, including criteria for applying, will be forthcoming.
"We are thrilled to welcome Navy and Marine Corps service members to the Enlisted to Medical Degree Preparatory Program at USU,” said Army Lt.Col. (Dr.) Aaron Saguil, assistant dean for Admissions and Recruitment at the Hébert School of Medicine. “With the participation of Navy and Marine Corps candidates, military medicine will even better reflect the faces of our service members and our nation.”
“Based on the caliber of the first group of Army and Air Force EMDP2 students, we are fully realizing the vision of this program – to attract outstanding non-commissioned officers for careers as physicians in the Military Health System. The addition of Sailors and Marines will build upon their success, make this program stronger and make it a truly joint endeavor,” said Dr. Art Kellermann, dean of the Hébert School of Medicine.
About USU:The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, founded by an act of Congress in 1972, is the nation’s federal health sciences university and the academic heart of the Military Health System. USU students are primarily active duty uniformed officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Public Health Service who receive specialized education in tropical and infectious diseases, TBI and PTSD, disaster response and humanitarian assistance, global health, and acute trauma care. A large percentage of the university’s more than 5,200 physician and 1,000 advanced practice nursing alumni are supporting operations around the world, offering their leadership and expertise. USU also has graduate programs in biomedical sciences, public health, clinical psychology and oral biology, committed to excellence in research, which have awarded more than 1,500 degrees to date. The University's research program covers a wide range of clinical and other topics important to both the military and public health. For more information about USU and its programs, visit www.usuhs.edu. For more information about the EMDP2 program, visit http://www.usuhs.edu/adm/emdp2.html.
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