All Branch Topic (ABT) Denied Air Force HPSP, Papers transferrable to other branches?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

Blunt Dissection

"Keep poking until it's out."
7+ Year Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2015
Messages
457
Reaction score
417
Hey everyone - so I got denied the air force HPSP because my bachelor's GPA was .02 below the 3.2 minimum requirement. Does anyone know if it's possible to transfer my papers from the Air Force recruiter over to say the Navy HPSP recruiter? Also, would it be too late at this point? I'm not sure when the timeline of "too late to apply" would be for the class entering in the Fall.

Members don't see this ad.
 
They've probably filled their quota by now, but it can't hurt to try. Do you already have an acceptance to medical school?


--
Il Destriero

I do. I just recently did all my MEPS and health clearance paperwork/checkups so I was just waiting to hear back from the AF Board. Bummer to get DQed for the bachelor's grade. Unfortunately they didn't count any of my other grades which would have put me over the 3.20 requirement. Would you happen to know if they ever pull people that don't typically meet requirements to fill quota? Since it's the military I wouldn't think it likely.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Can't speak for AF, but I know Navy HPSP can back pay your tuition following the new fiscal year in October in case all the quotas are filled this fiscal year (worst case scenario). Unfortunately I doubt the paperwork is all that transferable between branches but the biggest headache is that Stupid Frickin 86 Form (SF-86) for your background check so just keep that copy around when you start filling out paperwork for the other branches.

Oh and congrats on getting in!
 
Navy is fairly competitive, probably more so than Air Force. Army is least competitive due to larger number of GME slots. Just FYI.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
OP, you dodged a bullet. Take out the loans and never look back.

I agree with the sentiment but the military is a variable experience. Mine was a mixed bag. I had 4 PCS moves after my training. Two were terrible. Two were good. I deployed. I was geographically separated from my active duty wife for one of the tours. I had some knuckleheads for leadership in some and some good leadership. My last PCS move prior to me separating is good. It is the area where I wanted to set up roots. I've already lined up post-military employment. I have zero student loan debt and considerable savings. I don't regret my time in the service, however I wouldn't enthusiastically recommend. The climate has considerably worsened since I joined over 10 years ago to be a practicing clinician. I probably wouldn't join again. So you need to take this time to decide if it's really what you want to do.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I agree with the sentiment but the military is a variable experience. Mine was a mixed bag. I had 4 PCS moves after my training. Two were terrible. Two were good. I deployed. I was geographically separated from my active duty wife for one of the tours. I had some knuckleheads for leadership in some and some good leadership. My last PCS move prior to me separating is good. It is the area where I wanted to set up roots. I've already lined up post-military employment. I have zero student loan debt and considerable savings. I don't regret my time in the service, however I wouldn't enthusiastically recommend. The climate has considerably worsened since I joined over 10 years ago to be a practicing clinician. I probably wouldn't join again. So you need to take this time to decide if it's really what you want to do.
Agree, there are people who go straight through and are happy as clams. I won't argue that the military is a variable experience. I will argue that as a pre-med you are not qualified to make a major life and career decision 4 years before you begin practicing medicine, knowing nothing about medicine, what kind you want to practice, or what your practice in the military will be like (assuming OP is not prior service). Consider this: if on the day after the match, a MS4 was offered complete release from student loan debt and a $20K bonus to abandon their residency immediately and join with military GME and all that entails, how many would do it? Unless they were already in a less than desirable situation (failed to match), my guess is zero. So what changes? What changes is that when you were a pre-med you wanted to be a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon who deploys with Special Forces, and now you want to do family medicine in a rural setting. Or maybe you got married. Or maybe you missed your hometown more than you thought you would. You have tons of options as a civilian, very few as military, and you cannot predict this as a pre-med. Never mind GMO tours, diminishing GME funding, or any of the other awesomely nasty surprises that each fresh-faced HPSP grad has waiting for them. Remember WARGAMES: the only winning move is not to play.
 
You should just call an AMEDD Recruiter and go over your situation. I know a good one and they will actually get you in touch with an Attending that has went through the program. Subject Matter Experts have nothing to gain or lose.
 
You should just call an AMEDD Recruiter and go over your situation. I know a good one and they will actually get you in touch with an Attending that has went through the program. Subject Matter Experts have nothing to gain or lose.
There are dozens of attendings on this forum who have gone through the program. An AMEDD recruiter does not have the knowledge or experience to advise pre-meds.
 
Thank you for your service. I agree with you, recruiters do not have the experience,they know the qualifications and they are the bridge from prospect to Subject Matter Expert. I know that everyone in the Military has different experiences that's why I would highly recommend speaking to several different Military Physicians and actually have a conversation over the phone or face to face not over a forum.
 
All due respect, recruiters know precisely nothing about military medicine. The information that they feed to applicants is often erroneous at best and outright false at worst. This is not done out of malice or the recruiters desire to bump up their numbers. I know that recruiters are the cream of the crop of the backbone of the military. But here's a question...if the mil is recruiting docs, why not use docs as recruiters? The answer is (aside from the logistical nightmare) is that the vast majority of military docs (attendings and GMOs) would all advise against a pre-med accepting the HPSP. Life is good while in med school and even in residency, but very often that all changes when a neonatologist or surgical sub-specialist gets tagged with a brigade "surgeon" tour.

Additionally, most docs would not unload their job dissatisfaction on a pre-med while on a rotation, or even on a phone call. A forum is anonymous and perhaps not as personal as a face to face but the stories and accounts on this forum are indicative of a life in military medicine that a recruiter does not understand. A talk with a prior enlisted super hooah O5 is not always a great resource either, someone who has been fully indoctrinated and sees the mil as the best thing ever is NOT a reliable witness. You need to understand how little the mil cares about medicine, how military docs are seen as secretaries and not as physicians, and that the mil does not give even a fraction of a hoot about your life, your career, and your family.

It's not all positive, it's not all negative. OP and other pre-meds do themselves a big favor by perusing this forum, but at the end of the day you still cannot predict where and what you will want to practice in medicine as a pre-med, no matter how sure you are that you want to be a X. Pre-meds need freedom and flexibility during their training, and it is exactly those two things that the mil removes.
 
So the last few days I've had the chance to talk to my clinical faculty advisor here who is former AF and she gave me some pretty solid advice in regards to monetary concerns. She believes that since I'm already receiving significant grants from the med school prior to starting, that if I continue the hard work, it wouldn't be difficult for me to secure grants and scholarships throughout my medical education. She believes in the long run that because I'm not obligated to the service, residency PDs may appreciate that flexibility and take more notice during rotations. If I ultimately want to still do military work at the end of residency, she recommended contracting.

It sounds like pretty solid insight to me. Would y'all agree with her advice?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
She believes that since I'm already receiving significant grants from the med school prior to starting, that if I continue the hard work, it wouldn't be difficult for me to secure grants and scholarships throughout my medical education. She believes in the long run that because I'm not obligated to the service, residency PDs may appreciate that flexibility and take more notice during rotations. If I ultimately want to still do military work at the end of residency, she recommended contracting.

It sounds like pretty solid insight to me. Would y'all agree with her advice?
Do you want to serve in the military? Actually serve, commit to government service, have a rank and wear a uniform, etc. It's a yes/no. Start there.
If yes, consider HPSP. If no, then don't.
Civilian contracting isn't a given, so if you really want to take care of our nations finest and their dependents, actually joining the military in the medical corps is the way to guarantee that.
If your motive is 90% debt avoidance, it's a bad choice.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Do you want to serve in the military? Actually serve, commit to government service, have a rank and wear a uniform, etc. It's a yes/no. Start there.
If yes, consider HPSP. If no, then don't.
Civilian contracting isn't a given, so if you really want to take care of our nations finest and their dependents, actually joining the military in the medical corps is the way to guarantee that.
If your motive is 90% debt avoidance, it's a bad choice.

I understood it as he would join after residency (i.e. signing the contract). Coming in after residency is a more than reasonable option. You'll have more leverage for your initial assignment location. You have the civilian experience for residency as well as the contacts/networks. You'd have a 3-4 year obligation on active duty with another 4-5 individual ready reserve for total of 8 years. Like Destriero asked, you have to be willing to commit to being in the military because apart from being a physician you'll be a military officer which often times has competing obligations, especially if you are considering retiring after 20 years.
 
Hey everyone - so I got denied the air force HPSP because my bachelor's GPA was .02 below the 3.2 minimum requirement. Does anyone know if it's possible to transfer my papers from the Air Force recruiter over to say the Navy HPSP recruiter? Also, would it be too late at this point? I'm not sure when the timeline of "too late to apply" would be for the class entering in the Fall.
Your GPA was 3.18 and they denied you because it was 0.02 below 3.2? That concerns me greatly because my GPA is at 3.17 and I'm only interested in applying for the USAF for HPSP. I'll be applying to med school / HPSP after grad school. I was hoping grad school GPA to give me a boost for USAF HPSP. Did you take post bacc classes, or do graduate studies after your undergrad? May I ask what your ECs looked like? Did the Air Force care for those at all?

Sent from my SM-N910T using SDN mobile
 
Your GPA was 3.18 and they denied you because it was 0.02 below 3.2? That concerns me greatly because my GPA is at 3.17 and I'm only interested in applying for the USAF for HPSP. I'll be applying to med school / HPSP after grad school. I was hoping grad school GPA to give me a boost for USAF HPSP. Did you take post bacc classes, or do graduate studies after your undergrad? May I ask what your ECs looked like? Did the Air Force care for those at all?

Sent from my SM-N910T using SDN mobile

My combined UG/Grad GPA would have put me at a 3.4ish. I was told that the only grades they can consider are the classes taken specifically to get my bachelor's degree at my undergraduate institution, meaning my community college classes/graduate classes were not eligible for consideration. I had my acceptance in hand with exceptional ECs and was also medically cleared by MEPS.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
My combined UG/Grad GPA would have put me at a 3.4ish. I was told that the only grades they can consider are the classes taken specifically to get my bachelor's degree at my undergraduate institution, meaning my community college classes/graduate classes were not eligible for consideration. I had my acceptance in hand with exceptional ECs and was also medically cleared by MEPS.
Wow that's crazy. I didn't realize that they don't take graduate school GPA into consideration for HPSP. That makes me very anxious... Do you know if they take post-bacc programs into consideration at all?

Sent from my SM-N910T using SDN mobile
 
Top