From NCO- To Commissioned Officer (Psychologist)

[bentaylor]

I am currently an Active Duty Army- 68X (behavioral health) NCO, and my goal is to become an Officer (Psychologist). I am 3 classes away from my AA in GS (figured I should pick it up) and I will then earn my BS in Psych at the University of the Incarnate Word (San Antonio).
Given the new restrictions to Tuition Assistance ($4,500 or 16 credits per FY); does anyone have any suggestions for the best course of action to earn my degree and become an Army psychologist?
My plan, so far, is to earn my undergrad, take the GRE, and apply to USUHS. What are some other recommendations if I don't gain acceptance into that university? HPSP?
Finally, if I were to get out of the Army, and use the Post 9/11 GI Bill to further my education; would I be able to use the Post 9/11 Bill and HPSP simultaneously?
Any assistance or advice is appreciated.

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[Qurmish]

You will not likely find a wealth of knowledge on the topic here because most people are coming from the medical school perspective. You may have better luck here (http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forums/psychology-psy-d-ph-d.57/). I know a little bit about this from dating someone who was an HPSP psychology recipient. I would advise that you do quite a bit of independent research on the kinds of training available before you start heading down this road. There are a lot of really sketchy psychology graduate programs out there trying to milk federal loan money from students. There are several different avenues and training pipelines available towards practicing psychology and there is quite a bit of variance between them. The major degree distinction is Psy.D. and PHD.

Getting the necessary experience as an undergraduate in order to be competitive for legitimate psychology graduate programs will be rigorous and extremely challenging (I would even say impossible) while on active duty. If this is really your dream and you can't imagine yourself doing anything else, then the best course of action for you is to plan on getting out of the Army when you can, matriculate into the best and most highly regarded undergraduate institution possible, and use your GI Bill to really dedicate yourself to classes and internships. Most programs (including USUHS) are going to want to see that you have produced meaningful work within the field and that you have demonstrated potential for publishing substantial research. This will mean getting your name on publications and having a real background in a research area that you will then carry over into graduate study.

The punchline here is that there aren't any shortcuts. Don't get bluffed by the Argosy degree-mill schools who are going to bend over backwards to see you admitted so that you can start accumulating debt. USUHS takes a total of 2 people from the Army per year, all programs combined have only 47 students, and the admissions process is likely to be hyper personal (based on the faculty members currently at USUHS and the type of research you are involved with) so you need to think about casting a wider net. The HPSP is very small for psychology and may not be the best option for you. Keep in mind that a majority of PHD students are 100% funded (meaning they receive a stipend and have no tuition requirements.) There are ways to use your GI Bill with HPSP, but this may or may not be the best option giving your circumstances. It's probably not worth worrying about now.

I would advise that you adjust your focus from the end result (being an Army psychologist) and start focusing on your path getting there. The decision to practice psychology in the army is something that should mostly be off your radar considering the 7+ years of unrelated work you are going to need to put in before you are eligible. Take things one step at a time and focus your attention on whether you are interested in completing the necessary steps to get there.

http://www.usuhs.mil/mps/mpspeople.html
http://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2010/01/funding-stats.aspx

 

[bentaylor]

Thank you so much for all of the info. I didn't know it was that competitive to get into USUHS. My OIC went from NCO to Officer and is now a psychologist, and he recommended the university. He told me to also apply to various schools at the same time of course. My first step is completing my undergrad, and with these new restrictions to TA it causes people to look at using their GI Bill while on AD as an option; rather than taking forever to earn their degree (16 credit hour per FY is ridiculous). He didn't go the USUHS route, but I'm going to give it my best shot.