Uniformed Services University of The Health Sciences - USU School of Medicine

USU School of Medicine

With an average enrollment of approximately 170 students per class, the F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine is located in Bethesda, Maryland on the campus of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (formerly the National Naval Medical Center Bethesda) and is located along Maryland Route 355, across from the National Institutes of Health. The school is named in honor of former U.S. Representative Felix Edward Hébert.

Typically, the first year class is composed of 63 Army students, 51 Air Force students, 51 Navy students, and two Public Health Service students. The Class of 2010 increased the Public Health Service student number to six. Students attending this institution receive free tuition, as well as reimbursement for all fees. They also receive salaries and benefits as junior officers. Textbooks are issued to the students at the beginning of each semester.

USU School of Medicine students are all active-duty uniformed officers during their schooling and receive pay and benefits at the grade of O-1 (second lieutenant for the Army and Air Force and ensign for the Navy and Public Health Service) - unless the student was prior service at a higher rank then that student will wear the O-1 rank but be paid at their previous pay grade (this is a relatively recent change which will greatly benefit seasoned officers). Upon graduation, medical students are promoted to the grade of O-3, (captain for the Army and Air Force, lieutenant for the Navy and Public Health Service), and are expected to serve at least seven years on active duty and six years in the inactive ready reserve. Currently, students graduating from the USU School of Medicine receive four years' credit toward military retirement, which is obtained after he or she reaches 20 years of military service credit.

When the school was first formed, the United States Congress weighed whether to make each student a cadet or midshipman (like the military service academies) or to give students full active-duty officer status and promotion benefits. A compromise was reached whereby medical students were commissioned as O-1 grade officers, were not promoted while enrolled in the School of Medicine, and do not receive time in grade or time in service while enrolled in USU. However, this status puts USU Medical Students in a unique position; unlike the Graduate School of Nursing and other programs, USU School of Medicine students are barred from promotion. Additionally, prior-service commissioned officers must accept a demotion to O-1 in order to matriculate. Upon graduation, when these officers are promoted to O-3, half of the time spent in prior active duty service is then added to their time-in-service (TIS)/time-in-grade (TIG) and used toward promotion to the rank of major or lieutenant commander (O-4). However, as of FY 2008, prior service officers will be paid their former base pay while attending USU School of Medicine.

The curriculum at the School of Medicine includes two years of basic sciences, integrated into several key courses. Additional courses include Parasitology, Combat Medical Skills, Military Medical History, Officer Professional Development, Military Applied Physiology, Epidemiology, and several other courses. The third and fourth years are spent performing clerkships at various military hospitals.

Approximately 80 percent of military physicians reaching 20 or more years of military service are graduates of USU. A majority of medical corps leadership positions are occupied by graduates of USU. Graduates of USU also make up a majority of Army Special Forces physicians.

USU is featured in the documentary Fighting for Life.

Affiliated military and civilian teaching hospitals are:

• Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD
• Malcolm Grow Medical Center, Andrews AFB, MD
• Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute, Falls Church, VA (Civilian)
• St. Elizabeth's Hospital, Washington, DC (Civilian)
• Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC (Civilian)
• DeWitt Army Community Hospital, Fort Belvoir, VA
• Portsmouth Naval Hospital, Portsmouth, VA
• Naval Hospital, Camp Lejeune, NC
• Eisenhower Army Medical Center, Fort Gordon, GA
• Darnall Army Medical Center, Ft. Hood, TX
• Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland AFB, TX
• Wright-Patterson Medical Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
• Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma, WA
• Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, HI
• Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, TX
• David Grant USAF Medical Center, Travis AFB, CA
• 96th Medical Group, Eglin AFB, FL
• Martin Army Community Hospital, Ft. Benning, GA
• Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Bragg, NC
• Naval Hospital Jacksonville, Naval Air Station Jacksonville, FL
• Bob Wilson Naval Hospital, San Diego, CA
• Naval Hospital Pensacola, Pensacola, FL