A new program provides an in-resident opportunity for uniquely qualified enlisted members to complete preparatory coursework for medical school application while maintaining their active-duty status.
The Enlisted to Medical Degree Preparatory Program, or EMDP2, officially got underway in the fall, with an inaugural class of 10. Today, the class participated in a ceremony to celebrate the end of its first semester and “to acknowledge that this has turned from an idea into a reality,” said Dr. Art Kellerman, dean of the F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine and administrator of EMDP2.
“This program was created to give handpicked, highly promising enlisted personnel from the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps an opportunity to make that transition –- to become officers and to become physicians,” Kellerman said.
According to the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences website, EMDP2 comprises a two-year regimen of traditional classroom instruction, structured pre-health advising, formal Medical College Admission Test preparation, dedicated faculty and peer mentoring, and integrated clinical exposure.
Extraordinary Students
“From the first day at the [Uniformed Services] University, we have had occasional students who came into school with a background of service in the enlisted ranks,” Kellerman said. “And they have often been some of our most extraordinary students, [not only] in their individual achievements, but also because they bring a maturity, and a perspective and a commitment and a level of professionalism and real-world experience to their classes that really makes the whole academic experience more worthwhile for everyone who comes here.”
Kellerman explained that EMDP2 was created based on the premise that many service members who may not have performed exceptionally in high school but went on to get their undergraduate degree still faced an “enormous hurdle” to get into any medical school. Studying in multiple settings, between deployments, while serving full-time, makes it difficult for active-duty members to complete the science prerequisites and other preparation that would ensure acceptance to medical school, he said.
“We think this is a huge win for the enlisted community. It’s certainly a win for the students,” Kellerman said. “But most importantly it’s a win for the men and women who go in harm’s way, who will count on them for care in the years to come.”
Service, Compassion and Obligation
Army Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Richter, one of the students in this year’s EMDP2 class, has seen field medical care firsthand, and he said that was a big reason behind his decision to apply for the program.
“What I’d seen during a lot of my career were some of the sides of combat and war that were not pretty,” Richter said. “And it created a compassion and an obligation inside of me to want to help preserve life and to heal. I can’t tell you how overwhelming it is to be driven by that now.”
According to program officials, the first class is doing “extremely well,” with a combined grade point average of 3.9.
“No good idea stays isolated for long,” Kellerman said. “I can’t imagine a better group of young men and women to go into American medicine than people who have served their country in the enlisted ranks.”
(Follow Tech. Sgt. Jake Richmond on Twitter: @RichmondDoDNews)
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