1 yr HPSP and 3 yr obligation...HELP

[BlackNDecker]

I have been talking with a recruiter for a few days now and he is offering what seems to be a really sweet deal...just wanted to run it by some of yall who are on the inside looking out. His offer is a follows:

A 1 yr HPSP scholarship for MS4 w/ 3 yr obligation to the Navy.
He says that my internship might* be allowed to count for one of the 3 years. After that I would make DMO (hopefully) and the 2 years of deployment would conclude my 3yr obligation.

* I will find out for certain tomorrow.

Does this set off anyone's bull$hit meter This sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me b/c I am particularly interested in DMO & deployment...

Thanks in advance...

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[s42brown]

1 year of scholarship for 3 years of service??!!!! That deal succcckkkksss. Do an FAP and get most of your school paid for by uncle sam.

 

[BomberDoc]

This recruiter is laughing at you as you walk out of his office. He is sure to get a good bonus if you make the mistake of signing up.

 

[IgD]

How about a 3 year scholarship and a 3 year obligation???

 

[chopper]

* I will find out for certain tomorrow.

This is like someone who has never bought a car before paying $30,000 for a $10,000 car. And they think it's a good deal because the salesman told them it was.

The 1 year HPSP scholarship is a HORRIBLE deal for you. They give out 4 year scholarships for 4 year commitment. What you are being offered is 1/3 of that. And a 3 year 'comittment' can easily turn into 7 or 8 years of service. Because some things don't count as committment pay back, blah blah. Lots of 'fine print' when you make a deal with Uncle Sam.

What the other posters have said is correct - look into FAP and other options.

Just like the used car dealer, the recruiter will pressure you to sign quickly. This is NOT because the space will be filled. It is so you will sign before you realize what a crappy deal this is. They are DESPERATE for doctors, you can join at the time of YOUR choosing. Become fully informed before you sign ANYTHING.

 

[Ex-44E3A]

That deal succcckkkksss.

Couldn't have said it better myself... except maybe to say it in caps for emphasis ("SUCCCCKKKKSSS!").

Yes, OP, the deal you were offered sucks that badly. It's a virtual singularity of suckage.

 

[BlackNDecker]

Wow...

I guess I'm truly thankful for forums like this to hear the truth.

 

[resxn]

Tell you what. I'll give you $100, you give me $300 back.

That's a great deal, but I'll only have it on the table for 3 more days.

Also, I've got this diamond mine in Zimbabwe that if you agree to invest $5,000 in at the same time, I'll return your for your investment $1,500 within a week. Just think of it, you'll get $1500 back almost within a week of your $5,000 buy-in. Tell me where you can find an investment that good?

Oh, yeah, Navy HPSP.

 

[NavyFP]

I have been talking with a recruiter for a few days now and he is offering what seems to be a really sweet deal...just wanted to run it by some of yall who are on the inside looking out. His offer is a follows:

A 1 yr HPSP scholarship for MS4 w/ 3 yr obligation to the Navy.
He says that my internship might* be allowed to count for one of the 3 years. After that I would make DMO (hopefully) and the 2 years of deployment would conclude my 3yr obligation.

* I will find out for certain tomorrow.

Does this set off anyone's bull$hit meter This sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me b/c I am particularly interested in DMO & deployment...

Thanks in advance...

What you are running into is the Minimum Service Obligation. This is 3 years for any contract to join the military. The essence behind it is that there is a certain cost to train/move/do paperwork for every member and 3 years is mimimum time to make spending that money worth it.

Intern year does count if you do it on active duty. So, if you do a DMO tour, you could get out 24 months after arriving for your operational tour.

If you are graduating in 2009, he can offer you the 20K signing bonus, but this has a 4 year minimum service obligation. Again in your case of wanting to be a DMO, this might add 6 months to your time in service.

 

[colbgw02]

Intern year does count if you do it on active duty. So, if you do a DMO tour, you could get out 24 months after arriving for your operational tour.

whoa, whoa, whoa...how does someone make this happen? i was always told that the intern year was considered a wash regarding paying off/incurring more of an obligation.

i have a lot of classmates that are having to do 4 years of GMO for a 4-year scholarship after doing their internship. please to explain.

 

[NavyFP]

whoa, whoa, whoa...how does someone make this happen? i was always told that the intern year was considered a wash regarding paying off/incurring more of an obligation.

i have a lot of classmates that are having to do 4 years of GMO for a 4-year scholarship after doing their internship. please to explain.

Again we are confusing terms. 3 and 4 year students incur a 3 or 4 year TRAINING obligation. This obligation cannot be discharged with the intern year. The 1 and 2 year students both owe a 3 year minimum service obligation and 1 or 2 year TRAINING obligation.

So yes, if you choose to payback your TRAINING obligation as a GMO, you would do 4 years as a GMO.

I agree that obligated service is difficult to grasp. When you start throwing in concurrent and consecutive payback, it can be a real headache.

 

[|2idicu|ous]

You may want to look at the thread I started that is attempting to show different HPSP obligation possibilities (though mine is more Navy specific). It helps me to see the info graphically laid out.


http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=382849

 

[BlackNDecker]

|2dicu|ous, first off, that is a great chart and I've viewed it previously. But it doesn't really address my post....I'm talking about a 1 yr scholarship.

Hold up before anymore of you click "Post reply..."

I understand from a purely financial standpoint this is not most student's ideal route. But let's say you wanted to do something completely differentfor a few years and actually make a decent earning doing it... How else would you be able to dive, shoot, parachute, deploy, and stay fit all while ADVANCING YOUR MEDICAL CAREER

I am beginning to realize that most people who commit to military medicine abhore the idea of actually having to get out in the sun and sweat But this is precisely what I find most appealing...call me crazy for wanting to rev up my Krebs cycles.

If any one knows any other way to take a break from the books, make great money, do something off the beaten path AND remain competitive for residency please....LET ME KNOW! Just doesn't seem that crazy to me. I understand that If I'd considered this my MS2 year I would have gotten 2 additional years of HPSP. Unfortunately, I came to this conclusion @ the end of MS3.

 

[BlackNDecker]

Tell you what. I'll give you $100, you give me $300 back.

This is precisely what I'm talking about...you see the time in svc as "money lost." I see it as "experience gained." IMHO, you are the type of person who should NOT consider Mil Med...

Again, it appears my biggest mistake is not considering this sooner...but that is now in the past. As far as FAP I don't think this is the best route for me b/c I'm not entirely sure what career course I want to pursue(refer to my Navy SEALs post).

a 3 year 'comittment' can easily turn into 7 or 8 years of service. Because some things don't count as committment pay back, blah blah. Lots of 'fine print' when you make a deal with Uncle Sam.

DO TELL!!! This is the very reason I presented this scenario on the forum...I want to make an informed leap of faith!!!

 

[AF M4]

Well, if gaining experience is what you want to do then more power to you.

BUT CHECK THE FINE PRINT. There's something called IRR - Inactive Ready Reserve, I think - that is typically attached to military contracts. In the case of HPSP recipients, the total length of possible military service is usually 8 years and the IRR time makes up for whatever is not in the HPSP active duty commitment. So for example, a med student takes out a 4 year HPSP contract that pays for all of school. He owes 4 years of active duty time as a trained physician plus he is on the hook for 4 years after that for IRR time where he can be called back to active duty whenever his service branch considers his services needed. This has not happened to physicians yet (although it has happened to combat and support troops) but given the current state of military medicine it's definitely not out of the realm of possibility. Go through your contract with a fine-toothed comb and check for any paragraph mentioning this, since that particular paragraph could have very powerful ramifications for you a few years down the road when you've gotten the military experience you wanted and have moved onto something else.

 

[NavyFP]

This is precisely what I'm talking about...you see the time in svc as "money lost." I see it as "experience gained." IMHO, you are the type of person who should NOT consider Mil Med...

Again, it appears my biggest mistake is not considering this sooner...but that is now in the past. As far as FAP I don't think this is the best route for me b/c I'm not entirely sure what career course I want to pursue(refer to my Navy SEALs post).


DO TELL!!! This is the very reason I presented this scenario on the forum...I want to make an informed leap of faith!!!

I would agree with your assessment. Yes, you will be able to do things that are outside of the norm. While the fine print does say you will be in the Individual Ready Reserve, it does not mean you will be activated. As I have said multiple times on this forum. The Navy has not reactivated any IRR and does not have any plans to do so. And who knows, you may decide you have found a home and stay for 30.

 

[resxn]

How else would you be able to dive, shoot, parachute, deploy, and stay fit all while ADVANCING YOUR MEDICAL CAREER

I would be careful about the idea that you're advancing your medical career. No doubt getting your testosterone revved up is available and if that's what you want go for it, but don't think that you'll be advancing your medical career. It may be a nice discussion topic in interviews for residency and may make you a more interesting candidate, but you're going to lose time and experience (at least in terms of medical learning). There is a giant leap in learning that takes place between MS-4 and R-1. It's stunning how much I learned in that year. You would definitely get a piece of that, but I'd argue it's not nearly the same as the grilling you get as a resident.

Also, my point was not to rip on the commitment, my point was that you're taking it for a 1/3 of what everyone else is getting. Why spend 3x as much for the same experience/product/service? If you don't care, have all the time in the world on your side, and you're not trying to become an Hopkins chair, then maybe you'll be happy with that choice.