Dear Sirs,
I'm a Peace Corps volunteer about to end my two-year assignment in Micronesia. I've had a long desire desire to get into Pararescue, but at 27 years old, I feel I also need to plan ahead for a future outside of the military. My desire is to become a physician in pediatric emergency medicine, but I understand I can't pursue that while in Pararescue.
My questions, therefore, are:
1. Could I take my science prerequisites while in Pararescue? (I have a BA in History, and I need some more science courses.)
2. Should I be separated from Pararescue training, could I obtain an honorable discharge from the Air Force in order to pursue medical school? Please don't take that as a hesitancy on my part to do my absolute best in training; I just want to plan responsibly given the amount of time it would take to obtain a medical degree.
Answer:
In general, attending school while in pararescue is not an option, especially during your first 4 years as a PJ. Attending school is possible (but very difficult) after completing 3-4 years of initial PJ training, either by doing online courses or by securing an assignment as an instructor where you would be stationed at a site that would allow you time to attend college. In the later, you would not be an operating PJ but instead an instructor at PJ school. PJ Golf Sierra from the blog is one PJ who took online courses while in pararescue but he did this years after he had been in and was far removed from training. He is an exceptional case and I wouldn't suggest trying to do what he did.
You need to consider your age and where you want to be in ten years. I waited until I was 34 to start Medical School and I figure I will be in my 50's before I pay off student loan debt. Remember that both of these careers take dedication and a lot of time. From the start of Med School (not including undergrad/prereqs/MCAT) you will spend at least 7 years which includes residency. Add undergrad to that and you have 11 years. In my case I will spend 15 years of undergrad, med school and residency. It is a long road.
Good luck
PJ GS Answer:
ReplyDelete1)The only way you could take your science prerequisites is if you are an instructor. You can take general classes online and in the classroom but science courses are difficult due to the mandatory labs. I was able to take business courses and computer programming courses online. I took two traditional courses in accounting while a PJ but my attendance rate was 50% because I was gone so often. I had to work really hard to keep up and constantly communicate with my teachers.
You said you had a BA in history. That is perfect; makes you well rounded. If you really, really want to be a PJ then solely focus on that. Enjoy the ride! It is an experience like no other. After the pipeline, a few years on an operational team and a couple deployments under your belt you can decide if you want to keep being a full-time PJ or go part-time and then knock our your prerequisites and go to a professional school. Already having my degree, it took me 23 months from my first science course to get my acceptance letter from my first medical school. Wasn’t easy; but it can be done.
2)If you separate from active duty you have a couple options. You can completely separate and use your GI Bill for your prerequisites and part of medical school or you can become a reservist and work as a PJ part-time while completing your prerequisites. That is the route I took. I used my GI Bill for school and also received additional bonuses and kickers for being a part-time PJ. Good gig!
Just remember, becoming a PJ is a very long and arduous path. Don’t go into it as a means to an end. You have to want it for the right reasons or you will wash out like 80% of everybody else. I just found that I had a keen interest in medicine while performing my PJ duties; so much so that I decided I wanted to dedicate my life to it. I’m still a part-time PJ and I absolutely love it. As a matter of fact, I had the opportunity to deploy with an active duty team this spring after I was accepted to medical school in November. One last Hoo-Yah for a little while.
PJ GS
If you want to go into Pararescue then you need to put all of your other goals solidly on the back burner and do it. Guys with other options in mind frequently choose those options when they are getting tortured in the water...
ReplyDeleteAfter becoming a PJ, you can figure out how to get your degree and get on to medical school. Don't worry, there will be no shortage of sick kids.
Good luck.