You weren't asking me but I might pick your brain about hpsp. A doctor I work with who did navy got me very interested in it, but I'm looking from the outside, never been in the service
Hey! Super excited to discuss it
🙂.
HPSP is an amazing program if you want to serve in the military at all. First, some benefits of that:
1. Typically you get a lot more clinical exposure to a wider variety of cases early on as a military doctor
2. The opportunities of military service in general, travel, starting pay, etc.
However you don't want to do it if:
1. It's only the money for med school. If you don't want to be in the military, you won't be happy with the obligated service (4 years) and more if you do your residency through the military (another year for every year of training).
2. You don't want to go through the military match system (I don't know as much about this, except that it varies greatly by service and what is available each year based on promotions, retirements, etc.)
On to the program:
1. HPSP pays for 4 years of tuition including books and any fees (no cap, EVERY school full paid for).
2. You also are paid a monthly stipend (living expenses) that right now is at about 2000 dollars a month (probably be a little higher next year).
3. You owe back 4 years to whichever service you do HPSP through (Army, Navy and Air Force all have HPSP).
4. As soon as you graduate medical school you are commissioned as an O-3 (LT in the Navy or Captain in Army or Air Force).
http://www.dfas.mil/dam/jcr:b6ef41d4-f071-45f9-b863-70b202be05a6/2015MilitaryPayChart_2.pdf (roughly 4000 dollars a month plus tax exempt housing allowance (anywhere from 1200-2400 depending on location as an O-3, more if married and goes up as you get promoted).
5. You do some summer training/clerkships with military hospitals during medical school, as well as officer training before commissioning.
That was pretty general, but I could talk about it WAY too much for it to be very understandable at first glance. I can go into more detail or help with service choices if you are interested, feel free to PM me, or just reply here as well. Below are a couple of good links with information too!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_Professions_Scholarship_Program
https://www.navycs.com/officer/hpsp.html
http://www.goarmy.com/amedd/education/hpsp.html
