Is anyone happy they did the HPSP in the end?

Oh God, here we go again.

73BARMYPgsp said:

Oh God, here we go again.

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Where are you in the military education pipeline? From your posts I gathered you are starting internship on active duty. I would be very interested to hear your perception after you are out of the womb and practicing independently.

Yes. But go into it with eyes open. I'm prior service, so I know how to handle the bureaucracy, couples with the much higher salary to start, and I am on the verge of retirement when I finish my committment.

I like soldiers and their families, I don't mind a few deployments (don't tell my wife), but I hate the bureaucracy. So, if you hate the bureaucracy and the financial incentives are not high enough, don't do it. For some of us, HPSP makes med school financially managable with children.

Happy about taking HPSP? Absolutely. I have been on active duty for coming up on 14 years. Done time in hospitals, clinics, and with the Marines. Deployed 3 times. And I still enjoy going to work everyday (well almost..but certainly way more than not.) Have there been ups and downs, yes. Have I gotten everything I wanted, no. I wouldn't trade the time for anything. I have been to interesting places. Seen interesting things. Met tons of interesting people. All at the Navy's expense.

Despite the negative trend on this site, there are many physicians who enjoy their time in the military. Most do their time and get out, and that's fine. But they leave with a whole bunch of stories to recant for years to come.

DogFaceMedic said:

Yes. But go into it with eyes open. I'm prior service, so I know how to handle the bureaucracy, couples with the much higher salary to start, and I am on the verge of retirement when I finish my committment.

I like soldiers and their families, I don't mind a few deployments (don't tell my wife), but I hate the bureaucracy. So, if you hate the bureaucracy and the financial incentives are not high enough, don't do it. For some of us, HPSP makes med school financially managable with children.

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I don't think the OP was looking for responses from current students. What med students don't love the military?

R1krazy said:

??? anyone???

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i'll let you know at the end. still have 7 years, 2 months and 6 days to go. but so far, i'm not so sure it was a good idea to add 4 more years of obligation to the 4 i already owed for ROTC. but i guess we will see.

--your friendly neighborhood calendar watching caveman

IgD said:

Where are you in the military education pipeline? From your posts I gathered you are starting internship on active duty. I would be very interested to hear your perception after you are out of the womb and practicing independently.

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I have 8 years prior active duty service enlisted. I am about to be a 73B (clinical psychologist) and I will never practice therapy "independently." I will stay in and retire and teach/do research after.

Very poor experience. Potential carreer slowdown. Potential career quagmire for surgical subspecialties. Be sure to read this forum thoroughly, and ask current AD physicians how they feel.

IgD said:

Where are you in the military education pipeline? From your posts I gathered you are starting internship on active duty. I would be very interested to hear your perception after you are out of the womb and practicing independently.

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I was looking at the "Pro Military" Thread and notice a stark contrast between your views a couple of years ago and now. What made you change your opinion?

No, I would never do it again.

There is no bonus that could extend me another day.

I did my time and served the ones that serve our country, there is no negativity there. If that was job I would have done 20.

I will serve them better from the civilian side.

I've been on AD for coming on 12 years now, no prior service, so like many out there, had no idea what I was really getting into when I joined the military. I have absolutely no regrets about doing HPSP. I was lucky enough to do a military residency in San Diego, did some time doing primary care, then did an outservice fellowship -- made WAY more than my civilian counterparts -- essentially at the facility of my choice because I was funded by the Navy. Are there politics? You betcha. But there are politics everywhere -- I have done moonlighting at 2 different academic centers, and the politics in both places are just as ridiculous as what I see in the Navy! The interesting thing I've seen is that everywhere I've been in the 'civilian world' -- fellowship, moonlighting, and interviewing for a civilian job -- I've met prior military, and they've all been happy that they served. I"m not saying that the military is for everyone, but there are tremendous benefits that you can take advantage of if you are willing to accept what the military asks of you. I did, and it was a great experience for me.

Galo said:

Potential carreer slowdown. Potential career quagmire for surgical subspecialties.

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I agree Galo on this one.

HPSP... again?.... HELL NO!!!!

I must confess that my short time in the Navy hasn't been completely awful. I have seen cool things and met pretty good people. But my beef is with navy medicine and its interruption of medical education. I do not care how many people say that GMO tours are valuable…THEY ARE NOT!!! GMO tours are nothing but an utter waste of f-ing time and an excellent way to forget basic medical knowledge. I also concur with ILUVRVU'S; there is no bonus in this planet that could make me stay an extra day or join the reserves.

DiveMD
52 days away from freedom.

BTW, I could have been an attending by now... but I decided to join the Navy when I was younger and stupid. There is no need to recreate the wheel my friend; learn from other people's mistakes…

J123 said:

I've been on AD for coming on 12 years now, no prior service, so like many out there, had no idea what I was really getting into when I joined the military. I have absolutely no regrets about doing HPSP. I was lucky enough to do a military residency in San Diego, did some time doing primary care, then did an outservice fellowship -- made WAY more than my civilian counterparts -- essentially at the facility of my choice because I was funded by the Navy. Are there politics? You betcha. But there are politics everywhere -- I have done moonlighting at 2 different academic centers, and the politics in both places are just as ridiculous as what I see in the Navy! The interesting thing I've seen is that everywhere I've been in the 'civilian world' -- fellowship, moonlighting, and interviewing for a civilian job -- I've met prior military, and they've all been happy that they served. I"m not saying that the military is for everyone, but there are tremendous benefits that you can take advantage of if you are willing to accept what the military asks of you. I did, and it was a great experience for me.

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So it looks like you've had a pretty good career if you got residency in San Diego, a fellowship of your choice (I assume?), and then were likely stationed at a med cen instead of podunk. Would I be incorrect to assume that many HPSP applicants will not be as fortunate? And if you hadn't gotten a good residency in San Diego, and hadn't been approved for fellowship, and had gotten sent out to some small community hospital . . . would you still do it again?

Trying to resist...trying to resist...just can't.

Maybe its because of my specialty.

Am I the only one who thought "HPSP" and "in the end" could have a different connotation?

Gastrapathy said:

Trying to resist...trying to resist...just can't.

Maybe its because of my specialty.

Am I the only one who thought "HPSP" and "in the end" could have a different connotation?

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Well, not anymore.

Mirror Form said:

So it looks like you've had a pretty good career if you got residency in San Diego, a fellowship of your choice (I assume?), and then were likely stationed at a med cen instead of podunk. Would I be incorrect to assume that many HPSP applicants will not be as fortunate? And if you hadn't gotten a good residency in San Diego, and hadn't been approved for fellowship, and had gotten sent out to some small community hospital . . . would you still do it again?

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Actually, I did get sent to a "podunk" small community hospital where I did primary care -- in between residency and fellowship. It certainly wasn't my choice of duty stations to go to when I left residency, and I would never want to go back there. There were long hours, and with limited docs on staff, essentially Q2-3 call. In retrospect, I was pretty miserable there. Everyone was. But, I think having some experience as a staff helped me get into the fellowship of my choice, and I think I had more confidence when I got there. It definitely solidified the fact that I didn't want to do primary care forever!

DiveMD said:

I have seen cool things and met pretty good people.

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I hate to say this...but I did cooler things as a civilian resident and also met pretty good people as a civilian resident. The population I served was in many ways just as deserving too, although overall it is hard to beat the military population.

I thought joining the military would give me the opportunity to do cool things and see cool places. Despite traveling halfway across the world the military still hasn't sent me to any cool places and hasn't given me the opportunity to do any cool things. In fact, I frequently worry about whether I can ever make up for the 4 years I put my career on hold to serve my country. And don't get me started on the money side of the equation (big loss, I assure you.)

Doing HPSP was a terrible decision. Knowing what I do now, I would never make such a bad choice again. I wouldn't stay another day for anything.

Trying to resist...trying to resist...just can't.

Maybe its because of my specialty.

Am I the only one who thought "HPSP" and "in the end" could have a different connotation?

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Nah, sentence structure´s all wrong.

If the title was "anyone happy they took HPSP in the end" it would be a different story.

ActiveDutyMD said:

I hate to say this...but I did cooler things as a civilian resident and also met pretty good people as a civilian resident. The population I served was in many ways just as deserving too, although overall it is hard to beat the military population.

I thought joining the military would give me the opportunity to do cool things and see cool places. Despite traveling halfway across the world the military still hasn't sent me to any cool places and hasn't given me the opportunity to do any cool things. In fact, I frequently worry about whether I can ever make up for the 4 years I put my career on hold to serve my country. And don't get me started on the money side of the equation (big loss, I assure you.)

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I agree 100% with you. Why do you think I am GTFO to do a civlian residency? Good luck!

BomberDoc said:

Doing HPSP was a terrible decision. Knowing what I do now, I would never make such a bad choice again. I wouldn't stay another day for anything.

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In med school, I was very happy. I might of even been considered by some to be a "Military Cheerleader, that could do no wrong". However, towards the end of 4th year, reality set in.

Now, I can't wait to get out and resume my medical education.

R1krazy said:

Is anyone happy they did the HPSP in the end??? anyone???

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It may not be true, but I heard from a friend who had another friend that said he actually met someone that was happy in the end.

I haven't been able to substantiate this yet, so take it for what it is worth.

sethco said:

In med school, I was very happy. I might of even been considered by some to be a "Military Cheerleader, that could do no wrong". However, towards the end of 4th year, reality set in.

Now, I can't wait to get out and resume my medical education.

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Then how come you have the "attending" title under your name? It should read “Glorified Intern” instead.

DiveMD said:

Then how come you have the "attending" title under your name? It should read “Glorified Intern” instead.

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I remember during the few weeks after I finished my internship, while I was waiting for my class in flight surgery to start, being stashed at an outpatient medical clinic where I worked (without any real supervision on really complicated patients with multiple significant medical problems, serious cardiac dysrythmias and the like--my token supervisor was one of those doctors about whom the less said is better.) A third-year medicine resident came down to see a patient on consultation and remarked, with sarcasm and mocking irony (he was actually a good guy) that I outranked him in the medical heirarchy as I was "staff" and he was merely a resident (who had once also been a shipboard GMO) and that he would have to clear an admission decision with his attending.

It is one of the cruelties of the military medical system that they make you stop training to become an under-trained fake "attending" (who would never be employable anywhere else in that capacity with such incomplete qualifications) to patients who are clueless as to how much less training the doctors serving them have relative to those in the civilian sector. It is really an immoral and unethical practice, made all the more wrongful in that it is forced on doctors unwillingly.

"Glorified intern" doesn't do the facts justice. A third-year resident in any specialty has more professional support and supervision than any GMO.

It is one of the cruelties of the military medical system that they make you stop training to become an under-trained fake "attending" (who would never be employable anywhere else in that capacity with such incomplete qualifications) to patients who are clueless as to how much less training the doctors serving them have relative to those in the civilian sector. It is really an immoral and unethical practice, made all the more wrongful in that it is forced on doctors unwillingly.

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Is the part in bold really true? I´ve been told that if you´re interested in rural primary care Internship to practice is still an option.

Can't wait to switch my tag back to Resident in a few weeks...

DiveMD said:

Then how come you have the "attending" title under your name? It should read “Glorified Intern” instead.

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How about "Arrested in Development Resident"?

Perrotfish said:

Is the part in bold really true? I´ve been told that if you´re interested in rural primary care Internship to practice is still an option.

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It would have to be pretty damn rural (like antarctica).

Perrotfish said:

Is the part in bold really true? I´ve been told that if you´re interested in rural primary care Internship to practice is still an option.

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Not really. You will have difficulty gaining admission to a hospital staff without being at least board-eligible; some hospitals will hold you on provisional status until board-certified. You will also have difficulty getting adequate malpractice coverage and of course, some states will not license you at all.

i'd be interested in the same answers, but from a vet side.
it seems that the biggest beef people have is the way the military affects the practice of medicine and the financial handicap of an AD physician versus a civillian.
the way i see it, these issues won't really apply to me since i won't be practicing human medicine and i already know that a large part of my job will be paperwork and admin duties. also, there is no way i'd make 400,000 until several (many several) years in practice and then only if i own my own practice and specialize. since at this point, i have zero interest in working in private practice and even less in owning my own private practice, i have a different outlook on the matter. considering that attending vet school is roughly equivilent in cost to med school (the 4 years to get the degree anyway) and salaries for vets are much less than for physicians, wouldn't i still be in a better position to let the army pay for it and have a career option outside of private practice?
running the numbers for a vet, it would seem that i would come out ahead. but i'd still like other's opinions especially those that have been there.
i'll admit that gettting my first budget and financial aid letter and approval for 60,000 in loans for 1 (o.n.e.) year (!!!) and knowing that there'll be 3 more just like it before i'm done was very frightening, but i don't want to make a decision based on fear.
i want to serve and have plenty of other reasons for choosing the army for my career/financial aid but i want to make sure that it makes sense too.

Quote:
Trying to resist...trying to resist...just can't.

Maybe its because of my specialty.

Am I the only one who thought "HPSP" and "in the end" could have a different connotation?
"Nah, sentence structure´s all wrong.

If the title was "anyone happy they took HPSP in the end" it would be a different story."


LMAO!!! its good to know that vets aren't the only ones with a twisted sense of humor!!!!