HSCP Questions

[submariner07]

First, some background info:

I am an active duty submarine officer (O-3) and am starting the long journey towards attending medical school. I have served one sea tour so far and I am on shore duty currently. I plan to complete the medical school prerequisites over the next couple of years and take the MCAT just prior to my next sea tour as a department head.

I am several years away from starting the application process, and after researching the many opportunities available I have decided that the HSCP program would be the best fit for me for the following reasons:

1) I will have 10 years on active duty already before entering medical school. With the four years of medical school counting as time on active duty I would be looking at reaching retirement after completing my internship/residency/4 year obligation (I would likely be at 21 years for the specialties I am considering). HPSP and USUHS would require me to reach 24 years for retirement (and depending on specialty I could be at 26-27 years before my obligation is up).

2) I will have the post-9/11 GI bill to pay for medical school. The pay as an E-7 over 10 is lower than what I would get at USUHS (save pay), but way higher than the stipend for HPSP.

If anyone has any advice as to why HSCP wouldn't be optimal I am all ears, but my question is:

My department head tour will likely end just prior to my desired medical school start date. I have found an instruction detailing the conditional letter of resignation contingent upon acceptance into USUHS/HPSP, but I haven't been able to dig up much info on the process for HSCP.

I know that I will apply to medical school about a year before starting, but I have heard that you can only apply to HSCP after medical school acceptance. Depending on how late I get accepted I may already be getting orders for a shore billet.

Would it be better to just resign completely and then apply to the program once out? I would prefer to not have a break in service. Another consideration is that I have heard rumors that if you resign intending to leave immediately after your sea tour they try to extend your sea tour (I guess to encourage people to go to shore duty).

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[numberwunn]

1) HSCP is definitely the best choice for you. I had originally planned on using HPSP without considering all of the perks of HSCP - i.e. more time on active duty, tricare, etc. Of course, this all assumes that you attend a "public" school - the GI bill will only reimburse $17.5k for private schools, but will cover all tuition for public schools. What counts as public or private can be crazy - i.e. I'm told that Duke is considered "public," but EVMS is "private." If you end up at a private or out of state school, HPSP may end up being better.

2) Do not know details for conditional resignation from Navy (I was USMC), but know that it is entirely possible to stay on active duty. Probably easier in many regards. There's a guy in my class, former fighter jock, who did continuous active duty.

3) Talk to a recruiter, but start applying early. When the economy was good and OIF was going strong, I gather that Navy scholarships were easy to get. Now, they go quickly. I'd call a recruiter now and get the ball going. I am fairly sure that you do not need an acceptance to med school prior to getting HSCP.

4) It is possible at some schools to defer a year - know a guy who was accepted and then deferred a year to finish out his sea tour and get settled in new location.

 

[Cooperd0g]

The only thing I can think of is that if you don't get your residency right away and do a GMO you would likely end up doing the same amount of time as if you went to USUHS. But you will have lost the pay of USUHS and burned your GI Bill. So I see it as a bit of a gamble: you gamble that you take less money now and possibly get to retire a few years earlier or take more money (at USUHS anyway) and knowingly retire later.

But yeah, seems like a way better deal than HPSP for in state school. I never looked into this as I was told it wasn't allowed for officers so I'm glad you brought it up. I'm an O-4 over 14, with three being in reserves. E-7 pay and BAH comes out to just under $6,000 per month! I have burned through 8 months of my GI Bill already for prereqs, but that leaves 28 left. That should cover part way through the third year of med school for me.

 

[NavPhys]

Are you a Nuke? I only ask since I know how difficult it can be getting released from that community. Of course with the amount of time you have in, you probably wouldn't have any additional obligation to that community.

 

[NavPhys]

1) I'm told that Duke is considered "public," but EVMS is "private." If you end up at a private or out of state school, HPSP may end up being better.

Maybe I'm being overly simplistic, but according to EVMS's fees and tuition site, they have listed both in-state and out-of-state tuition rates. Do you think there is some kind of caveat that makes them considered to be private?

 

[surfdr]

I know that I will apply to medical school about a year before starting, but I have heard that you can only apply to HSCP after medical school acceptance. QUOTE]

It is my understanding that your packet will not go to the review board until you have a letter of acceptance to medical school (but you definately can, and should, get all your materials complete early on in the application cycle during the year you are applying to med school). This is the position I am in, I have all my application materials complete for HSCP, and am just waiting for an acceptance letter (currently waitlisted) so I can go to the board. It definately sounds like USHUS or HSCP would be the best options for you.

 

[numberwunn]

Maybe I'm being overly simplistic, but according to EVMS's fees and tuition site, they have listed both in-state and out-of-state tuition rates. Do you think there is some kind of caveat that makes them considered to be private?

Of course, everything having to do with the VA is FUBAR.

Long story short, EVMS is a sort of public/private hybrid. Its accreditation is private, for instance. But it is getting increasing amounts of money from the Commonwealth of Virginia, and has in-state/out-of-state tuitions. Common sense would declare it a public school, but common sense is rare in the government. The VA recently changed its minds and declared it a public school, so it should be resolved now.

But bottom line - before committing to a school, talk to some of the veterans there and find out how much they really get from the VA.