HPSP questions/service obligations?

[pinknic38]

I posted this in the pre-med section but thought I might get better hits over here....

Okay so I have a few questions and I am going to roll it all into one so please bear with me...

I am currently active duty military. I am doing ROTC/green to gold scholarship when I get back from my deployment (I am in Afghanistan until April 2008) and finishing up my undergraduate degree (got 3) years left), in either zoology or anthropology, I haven't decided yet, both fields interest me. I am trying to major in something that interests me and satisfies my requirements, and something that will stand out on my application. I intend on doing some research, working with the anthropolgy dept now on working on a project researching evolution of disease/paleopathology. I also intend on capitalizing on volunteer oppotunities at the children's hospital by campus as well as a summer study aborad opporunity. Not really to boost my application but because I genuinely want to.

My question is this. I owe the army 1 year of active duty for each year of the scholarship I receive. So that is three. I intend on applying to medical school and if accepted, applying for the educational delay to go to med school. I have heard about the HPSP program and FAP and stuff, but all of those tack on to active duty time you owe and I would rather practice medicine in the civilian sector. Plus I would rather do civilian residencies. Nothing against military medicine because I believe soldiers deserve much better medical care than we are getting at the time, but financially and personally, the military isn't for me.

So if I do the education delay does that tack on years of active duty in addition to what I will already owe from ROTC? I wouldn't think so but just in case. Because with med school, residency, and fellowship, that is A LOT of time I would owe. I have heard so many horrible things about the HPSP that I'm definately turned off of it. Honestly, I would rather pay student loans and be able to work in the civilian sector and have my own choices than have HPSP pay for it and be ruled under the iron fist of the military.

With HPSP, do the military residencies/fellowships count toward your active duty obligation? I also read somewhere that if your residency and fellowship combined is OVER 4 years then you owe one year for each year over. I just can't commit to something like that though no loans is nice and no malpractice insurance, but I think for ME, the costs outweight the benefits.

If I didn't do ANY scholarship programs, just did the educational delay to go to med school, would military residencies count towards that active duty obligation? What are the odds of getting that educational delay? I have talked to some people in the branch who said the army is hurting for doctors and it shouldn't be a problem.

Any answers/advice would be helpful!!

Thanks!
Nicole

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[IgD]

Thanks for your service. By "educational delay" are you referring to the payback you would owe from ROTC? For the service academies, USUHS and HPSP residency training does not count towards payback.

For example, my friend went to the Naval Academy and then USUHS. He just graduated residency and now owes like 12 years payback.

Here are some example payback scenarios that might help:
http://www.militarymedicine.com/node/72

 

[Mirror Form]

So if I do the education delay does that tack on years of active duty in addition to what I will already owe from ROTC?

Absolutely not. And not only that, but b/c you'll be paying for a degree which you'll actually use in the military, the time in med school will actually give you additional years toward your pay scale.

For example, if you have 8 years in, then get an ed-delay to go to med school for 4 years, you'll then graduate med school w/ 12 years toward your payscale (but no additional commitment). So ed delay is the way to go b/c if you did HPSP they screw you out of those years toward pay scale.

With HPSP, do the military residencies/fellowships count toward your active duty obligation?

For fellowships, the answer is yes. For residencies, the answer is very confusing (and has been discussed on these boards over and over and over, so check those links that IgD posted).

I'll answer the question once more here: To understand the system, you have first have to mentally separate internship from the rest of residency. For example, Internal Medicine is a 3 year residency; but in this context we need to think of it as one year of internship, plus two more years of residency.

The military obligation then works like this:
1. Internship is a complete wash
2. Residency training will only add time if you the length of the residency (once again, this doesn't include internship) is longer then the amount of time you already owe.

So if you owe 3 years, and then you do gen surg (1 year internship plus 4 to 5 more years of residency afterward depending on the program) you'll come out owing 4 to 5 years. Whereas, if you owe 3 years and do anesthesia (1 year internship plus 3 years residency) you'll come out of residency still owing 3 years.

What are the odds of getting that educational delay?

If you have the grades to get into med school, then you should be good to go. But make sure to apply very broadly to med school. You'll be screwed if you don't get in on your first attempt. Whereas, non-military people can just do a year of research and reapply.

 

[pinknic38]

So if I didn't do the HPSP, and assuming I make the grades and the MCATs and get into a medical school, I would apply for the educational delay, renew it each year I need it, do med school, residency, and fellowship of MY choice, come back into the army for the 3 years I would owe from ROTC from undergrad, then salute the flag and be done?

I feel like it has to be more complicated than that. Honestly I would much rather have a hundred grand in student loans than have to have the 7 years+ of service hanging over my head PLUS not get to choose my own residency/fellowship.

 

[NavyFP]

My 2 cents.

If you truly do not want to practice medicine in the Army, finish your degree and pay back your time. Once you are free an clear of the military, then go to med school.

To do otherwise has far too many assumptions.

Assumption 1: The Army will allow you to go to med school unsponsored. With the underrecruiting in HPSP, that may be a poor assumption. They may make the delay contingent upon acceptance of an HPSP scholarship.

Assumption 2: Once you have completed med school the Army will allow you to continue to train in the civilian sector vice bringing you into Army GME. Again, with shortfalls in recruiting, they need physicians in their GME pipeline. They would have the option to bring you in to do your internship. After that you could pay back your time as a GMO and get out.

You say the military is not for you. Why are you entering a program that will tie you to the service for at least the next 6 years?