Army Officer to Medical School
Interview by Krutin Kundaria, responses from Pritish Sahoo
In this post we get to speak with CPT Pritish Sahoo who is currently a fourth year medical student. He talks about his journey from the Army to graduating medical school and how that whole process was achieved as well as his plans after graduating. I reached out to Pritish because I wanted to interview someone who has navigated through the process of transitioning from the Army to medical school. We start out with some basic questions about who he is and then dive into the details about what programs are available for Army Officers to pursue a career in the medical field. This is more of an example that illustrates the opportunities available through the military and not necessarily a life plan. I believe many young officers may decide they want to pursue medicine or a grad degree and this outlines just one of the ways to achieve that. Hope you enjoy!
The questions are in bold and CPT Sahoo’s responses are underneath.
Tell me about yourself!
My name is Pritish Sahoo. I grew up in India until age 11 and then I grew up in East Brunswick, NJ. I am Odiya and my home state in India is Odisha (previously Orissa). I love to read books, listen to podcasts, go to gym, running and spending time with my wife and baby daughter. I am currently attending medical school in NYC.
How did you first hear about the military and why did you decide to join.
No one in my family is in the military. I always found the military very interesting and mesmerizing. I knew I wanted to join since I was a little kid. I decided to join because of the excitement in it, but I continued to extend and stay because I liked the lifestyle, adventure, sense of duty, and mission of the US Army.
Where did you attend school and what did you major in for undergrad? How did you balance your ROTC workload with your undergraduate studies?
I went to Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. I did Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering. It was challenging to balance ROTC with engineering coursework. It took a lot of discipline and time management. I could not do everything that my peers were doing, but I still had a full college experience. It is all about setting your priorities straight. Only thing I would do differently is I wish I read more books. Engineering is all math and so for 4 years I did not read any books. Reading is extremely important no matter what industry you are in.
Did you know you wanted to pursue a career in the medical field while in undergrad?
Definitely not. I wanted to purse an MBA after fulfilling my initial obligation to the Army. I was exposed to the medical field while I was at a training exercise in JRTC in Fort Polk, LA. I saw the doctor’s value in the battlefield and the amount of knowledge they possess. I thought they were superhuman in their ability to heal people. I wanted to possess those skills too and be useful to society like them. That was a turning point in my life.
How does one prepare to achieve their goal of attending medical school?
Definitely make sure you study hard and get good grades. It’s cliché, but it’s true. There’s no getting around that. Besides that, make sure you are a reader. Read everything – novels, articles, fiction, non-fiction. The more you read, the better prepared you will be for standardized tests like MCAT and you will be well spoken which will help you in various social gatherings and interviews.
What did you do in the Army?
During college, I was an enlisted infantryman in the NJ Army National Guard. After college, I commissioned to active duty as an Engineer Officer. I have been stationed at Schofield Barracks, HI, Fort Hood, TX and Fort Leonard Wood, MO. My assignments were Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, Project Engineer, and Battalion S3.
Did you continue studying while in the Army to prepare yourself to attend medical school?
Yes, I never stopped studying after graduating from college. You have a lot of downtime in the Army so I wanted to make sure I used it wisely. I initially wanted to get my MBA and go into finance so I studied a lot on investing, finance and personal finance in the beginning. This got me into real estate investing and I started buying properties to build my portfolio. Once I decided that I wanted to go into medicine, I started studying for the MCAT and took my remaining pre-requisite courses.
How does one prepare oneself during active duty to apply and get accepted to a medical school program?
It’s all about setting your priorities straight. On my weekends, while my friends were having fun, I was mostly studying, volunteering in hospitals, or something similar to prepare for medical school. With that being said though, I also had fun on the weekends and went out with my friends, but it wasn’t every weekend. Most weekends, I was just grinding and hustling on my own.
Did the military have programs or resources available for you to make this transition to medical school?
There’s no program or resource for the transition from Active Duty to medical school. You just have to make the time and get after the things that need to be done. However, if you are enlisted in the military, you can sign up for EDMP2 program where your job is it to essentially prepare and apply for medical school. I am not too familiar with the program but if this situation applies to you, you should research it. This program is sponsored by Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (USUHS) which is essentially military medical school.
What is the process and requirements for applying to medical school from the Army and is it competitive to get selected?
You have two options to go to medical school through the Army. You can go to the USUHS or the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP). They are both competitive. The requirements are pretty much the same as applying to medical school (MCAT, grades, etc.). Only difference is that you need a secret clearance and pass the Army medical physical. USUHS is the tri-service military medical school and it is very competitive. HPSP is if you want to go to any civilian medical school and want the military to cover the costs.
What financial support does the military provide and are there obligations one incurs on receiving these benefits?
With USUHS, you owe 7 years to the military post residency and with HPSP, you owe 4 years post residency. I am doing Army HPSP. I owe the Army 4 years after residency. In return, I receive my medical school tuition in full, monthly stipend (~$2600), 45 day Active Duty pay every year and $20k bonus. You can also use GI Bill BAH to supplement your income if you are prior service. If you are in USUHS, then you get Active Duty 2LT pay for the entire 4 years of medical school.
What has been the overall benefit to your time in the military.
I would say stability, exposure to different cultures, sense of adventure and overall personal growth in maturity & independence.
How was the transition to medical school/reserves?
It was not a hard transition since I was used to studying all the time anyways. Only thing that I found difficult was working with some of my civilian friends. In the Army, everyone has a certain sense of urgency and discipline. You do not always find that in the civilian world. At times I would get frustrated but I came to understand their perspectives also. Not everyone is trained to always be punctual, be “dress-right-dress” (neat and organized), or make sure you have a PACE (Primary, Alternate, Contingent, and Emergency) plan for everything.
Can someone in the national guard or reserves take the same route that you took?
Yes, absolutely. They have the MDSSP (Medical School Stipend Program) and STRAP (Specialized Training Assistance Program). MDSSP is for while you are in medical school. STRAP is for when you are in residency. I am not too familiar with these programs since I didn’t utilize them, but you can research them for more information.
Do you have Army obligations while a medical student?
Yes, if you are not prior service you must attend Direct Commission Course (DCC) and Medical Basic Officer Leader Course (BOLC) in the summer between 1st and 2nd year of medical school. The other summers, you either do rotations in military hospitals or just do an in-school rotation where you do not have to go anywhere. If you are prior service, then you do not have to attend DCC or BOLC. Besides these courses in the summer, there’s no obligations during the academic year (no physical training, training exercises, etc.).
Did you find yourself using any skills you developed during your active duty time to medical school?
Absolutely! Time management, setting priorities, and having a disciplined schedule helped me get through medical school smoothly. I think the Army really prepares you well to go through the rigors of medical school.
How is the course load?
First 2 years are definitely brutal. You are studying all the time!! You can maybe take off 1-2 nights a week. Anything more than that, and you will fall behind. 3rd and 4th years are spent in the hospitals and clinics which I think is more fun and easier. I am currently in my 4th year and having a blast.
What are the next steps once you graduate from medical school?
I will be starting residency in Internal Medicine in Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii. It’s a 3 year residency. After that, I can pursue a fellowship or fulfill my 4 yr obligation as an attending and finish with my commitment or stay in the Army as a physician.
Thank you for reading and I hope this helps you understand the process to transition to the medical career field as an Army officer. If you liked this article please share it and subscribe to our email list!