Does time spent specializing count as part of HPSP?

I apologize as I know this has probably been asked many times before. I couldn't find a clear answer quickly enough using the search bar.

Say I graduate from dental school with a four year HPSP scholarship and decide to pursue an endodontics residency. Does the two years spent doing that count towards the contract, or would that mean six years (four contract + 2 specializing) in the military?

Sorry in advanced if this annoyed any of you.

Most likely you will not get an endo residency right out the gate.

However, it is in your best interest to complete post graduate programs soon after you graduate from a purely financial and payback perspective.

4 yr HPSP = 4 yr payback
1 yr AEGD = neutral year, payback doesn't work but it doesn't add further obligation.

2 yr Endo = 3 yr payback. However while you are in endo residency (or any other besides the 1 yr AEGD) your HPSP obligation runs concurrently. That means while you are in the residency, you will eat through 2 yr of your HPSP payback. When you are done you will have the remainder of your HPSP obligation to complete, (so if you went straight in out of AEGD-1) you have 2 more years of HPSP + 3 years payback for he endo residency.

Hope that makes sense. Read up through the stickied threads and older threads on here for more info.

bob1 said:

I apologize as I know this has probably been asked many times before. I couldn't find a clear answer quickly enough using the search bar.

Say I graduate from dental school with a four year HPSP scholarship and decide to pursue an endodontics residency. Does the two years spent doing that count towards the contract, or would that mean six years (four contract + 2 specializing) in the military?

Sorry in advanced if this annoyed any of you.

Click to expand...

No, specialty training will be neutral and will increase the amount of time you owe.

bob1 said:

I apologize as I know this has probably been asked many times before. I couldn't find a clear answer quickly enough using the search bar.

Say I graduate from dental school with a four year HPSP scholarship and decide to pursue an endodontics residency. Does the two years spent doing that count towards the contract, or would that mean six years (four contract + 2 specializing) in the military?

Sorry in advanced if this annoyed any of you.

Click to expand...

There are some good explanations of this in some other threads, but here goes.

You would graduate with 4 years commitment with HPSP. Your 2 years in Endo training would be neutral. Endo is a 3 year ADSO for the 2-year program. Your HPSP payback and your training payback are served concurrently. Therefore you would payoff 3 years of HPSP and your endo at the same time and owe one more year for HPSP.

That should work out to a total of 6 years on AD.