AF accepting applications for medical commissioning programs

  • Published
  • By Debbie Gildea
  • Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs
Eligible Airmen interested in Biomedical Sciences Corps careers can apply for academic opportunities in the physical therapy, clinical psychology and physician assistant fields. In addition, eligible Airmen can apply for direct accession into one of three other BSC fields, Air Force Personnel Center officials announced.

Each program has specific criteria, but applicants for all programs must be U.S. citizens, be medically qualified for worldwide duty, meet minimum commissioning requirements and meet Air Force fitness standards, said Kevin Smith, AFPC medical force management branch.

Doctor of Physical Therapy Training Program
The U.S. Army-Baylor University Doctoral Program in Physical Therapy provides students entry-level competence in traditional physical therapy skills. Graduates earn a doctor of physical therapy degree from Baylor University. Enlisted applicants accepted for the program are commissioned as second lieutenants in the Air Force Medical Service Corps. Upon completion of the program, all graduates join the BSC.

Open to Air Force active duty members, program applicants must have their bachelor's degree or be in the final semester of school for their degree. Course pre-requisites include anatomy, physiology, biology, physics, chemistry, psychology, an additional social science and statistics.

Applicants must have a 1,000 on the old format Graduate Record Examination or 297 on the new format, with a minimum score of 450 (or 150 new) in the verbal portion; at least 100 observation hours in a variety of clinical settings; a minimum 3.1 undergraduate grade point average on a 4.0 scale.

GRE scores must be no more than four years old as of the selection board date, and prerequisite courses must have been completed no more than 10 years before the fall session begins.

Applications will be accepted through Nov. 25, and the program begins in October 2014.

Additional information, application instructions and contact information are available on the myPers website at https://mypers.af.mil, and on the Air Force Medical Service Knowledge Exchange page at https://kx.afms.mil/afbsceducation.

Ph.D. Clinical Psychology Training Program
The Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences graduate training program in Military Clinical Psychology is designed to prepare broad-based Ph.D. clinical psychologists and to emphasize appreciation and understanding of the needs of the military. Eligibility is open to active duty officers, enlisted, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve members with a GRE of 1,100 (old format) or 302 (new format). GRE scores must be no older than two years from the application date.

Go to www.usuhs.mil/mps/militaryprograms.html to review program information. Applications, due to USUHS by Jan. 1, 2014, must be submitted through USUHS at the above website.

Inter-service Physician Assistant Program
Airmen who meet Inter-service Physician Assistant Program admission criteria and successfully complete required training are awarded a qualifying degree as a physician assistant. The program is open to active duty enlisted and commissioned members, as well as Reserve Officer Training Corps and U.S. Air Force Academy cadets. Applications are due between Nov. 1, 2013 and Jan. 25, 2014 for classes that begin in December 2014, and April and August 2015.

Enlisted applicants must be airmen first class through senior master sergeants who have between two and 14 years active military service as of Aug. 1, 2015. Active duty officers must have fewer than five years time in service by Aug. 31, 2015. ROTC and USAFA cadets must be released by the AFPC line officer accessions branch before they can begin the application process, and USAFA cadets must also be endorsed for the program by the USAFA Health Professions Advisory Committee before applying.

All applicants, including those with undergraduate or graduate degrees, must submit their Scholastic Aptitude Test scores, which must be no more than five years old. The minimum combined for critical reading, verbal and math is 1,425. In addition, candidates must have at least 60 semester hours of transferrable college credit with a 2.5 or higher GPA. Additional scholastic requirements are available on the myPers website at https://mypers.af.mil

Application packages must include academic worksheets, transcripts and SAT reports, which must be emailed to the AFPC Biomedical Science Corps Utilization and Education Branch by Jan. 25, 2014. Submission instructions are availble on myPers, as well. 

Direct Accessions
Direct commissioning opportunities are also available in three career fields for Airmen who meet eligibility requirements, Smith said.

Applicants must meet requirements for consideration in the aerospace physiologist, biomedical laboratory officer or bioenvironmental engineer Air Force specialties. For field requirements and application procedures go to the AFMS webpage at https://kx.afms.mil/afbscutilization.

For more information, go to myPers at https://mypers.af.mil and enter "PSDM 13-63" in the search window, or visit the AFMS site at https://kx.afms.mil/afbsceducation.