Air Force Clinical Psychology HPSP

[ohiopsychology]

I've been scouring the forums for information about the Air Force Clinical Psychology HPSP but have found little information. It seems like the only information for psychology is for the Army or Navy programs. I have also had a lot of difficulty getting any response from the Health Professions recruiters in my area. Is anyone currently or previously on HPSP for clinical psychology with the Air Force? I have done a lot of research but still have some questions that I haven't found the answers to and would love to talk to someone in the know. Is there an automatic acceptance rate like with the medical program?

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[LeeS]

I've been scouring the forums for information about the Air Force Clinical Psychology HPSP but have found little information. It seems like the only information for psychology is for the Army or Navy programs. I have also had a lot of difficulty getting any response from the Health Professions recruiters in my area. Is anyone currently or previously on HPSP for clinical psychology with the Air Force? I have done a lot of research but still have some questions that I haven't found the answers to and would love to talk to someone in the know. Is there an automatic acceptance rate like with the medical program?

Yes, I am also interested in the HPSP in relation to the Air Force...

 

[deleted176373]

I don't think the USAF does much in the way of psychology in HPSP.

Mark

PS - I could be wrong, but I don't think so.

 

[ohiopsychology]

I don't think the USAF does much in the way of psychology in HPSP.

Mark

PS - I could be wrong, but I don't think so.

I know they have an HPSP program for clinical psychology (that can end up tying in with the Air Force clinical psychology internships), but the information on the program seems to be scarce. Not sure how old the program is or many of the details either, but I know somewhere out there it's real : )

 

[paramour]

From what I understand, it does exist although you would think otherwise with the limited information that seems available out there. I know a guy who was applying this route but I have yet to pick his brain over it.

 

[AirForcePsych]

I am actually one of the HPSP students in clinical psych for the AF. There is very little information about the program and this was the first year they offered the HPSP for the AF. There is also only to my knowledge 6 students who recieved the scholarship for this year. I would be happy to answer any questions to the best of my knowledge about the program.

 

[Eylbee]

I too have been looking EVERYWHERE online about information about the Air Force Clinical Psychology HPSP and have found very little. I have a boyfriend (whom I intend to marry in the near future) that is looking to pursue pararescue and so I am trying to figure out my options as far as jobs go post psych degree too. I am wondering if your experience i the program so far has been positive? And also if you believe it was worth it or would working at a civilian hospital be a more wise choice? Also... what are/were your obligations? When can you start? Is there deployment? What is the pay like? TELL ME EVERYTHING YOU KNOW....please!

 

[AirForcePsych]

There really is very little information on the program. In regards to your questions, the HPSP has been a very positive experience thus far. I am not very far into the program as I will be applying for internship in the fall but so far so good. I really cant tell you what the comparison with working in a civilian hospital since I haven't started internship etc yet. My biggest recommendation would be to learn about the AF scholarship and AF psychology....through going to the open houses and talking to current interns in order to understand if it is for you. My obligation is 3 years active duty after internship and 5 years individual ready reserve which would go away if I decided to stay on after the initial 3 years. If the same holds true as last year they are only offering 2 year scholarships...which means your last year of grad school (year 4) and your internship year would be paid for. Deployment is pretty much being told to us as a reality. A current intern just told us that in your three year commitment expect to be deployed 1x for 6 months. The stipend is good 1,600 a month which will go up to 1,900 in a few months. Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[Eylbee]

5 years ready reserve? I dont understand that. Wow I didnt know deployment would be like that, I dont understand what good clinical psychologists would do being deployed, that is a big upset. So the way I understand it is I would be getting roughly $1600 a month for every year that I am in school getting the PhD and only the last year+ the internship would be paid for? And also I was reading into the army thing and they said that basically people would have to go somewhere to do training for 45 days every summer that they're on scholarship-is this true? How long would the deployments be do you know?

 

[AirForcePsych]

Hmm... I think a good book to read concerning what psychologists do when deployed is "Rule #2." I think that psychologists can do a lot of good in war zones helping process trauma, death, separation from family and friends. Sure therapy is not going to be happening with comfy couches and lots of time but I guess that is what excites me about military psychology. I personally took this scholarship because I want to be dealing with severe mental health problems in a setting very different than community mental health. If the same holds true as last year, you would receive the stipend and have school paid for only during your 4th year of school and during internship. The stipend and the tuition coverage go together. So essentially you would be applying for the scholarship in the fall of your 3rd year. In my case I have "at school" active duty times because school is year round. So the first 45 days would be COT which will take place right before going off on internship. Hope that helps.

 

[deleted176373]

5 years ready reserve? I dont understand that.

Means that they can call you back up during those 5 years. It's a standard thing, it doesn't require any time on your part unless you are "activated", in which case you go back on active duty. They have not re-activated any psychologist that I know of from the IRR list.

Wow I didnt know deployment would be like that, I dont understand what good clinical psychologists would do being deployed, that is a big upset.

To be honest, if you don't understand that and you think that being deployed is a disappointment, then I would recommend that you stop considering the military as an option. No Offense, it's probably not for you. Especially the Army where deployments are normally 12+ months in Iraq or Afghanistan.

So the way I understand it is I would be getting roughly $1600 a month for every year that I am in school getting the PhD and only the last year+ the internship would be paid for?

$1600 a month plus all tuition and books. Depending where you are going this could be a substantially greater amount of money. Internship pays fairly well, especially for us prior service types.

And also I was reading into the army thing and they said that basically people would have to go somewhere to do training for 45 days every summer that they're on scholarship-is this true? How long would the deployments be do you know?

USAF Deployments are roughly 4-6 months, Navy have been 6-12 months and Army has been running 12-15 month deployments. This is what I have been hearing locally in DC at USUHS from other service members.


Mark

 

[paramour]

I dont understand what good clinical psychologists would do being deployed, that is a big upset.

I think that psychologists can do a lot of good in war zones helping process trauma, death, separation from family and friends.

To be honest, if you don't understand that and you think that being deployed is a disappointment, then I would recommend that you stop considering the military as an option. No Offense, it's probably not for you. Especially the Army where deployments are normally 12+ months in Iraq or Afghanistan.

I'd have too agree with Markp. If you don't understand how psychologists could be of assistance to others during deployment, then it makes me wonder why you are even considering/going this route. For the money? For some other misguided reason? If you do not know what you are getting into and find it such a great "upset," then I beg of you to select another path. I know a number of individuals who are and who have been in the military and they certainly would not benefit from someone telling them that he/she is upset and views deployment a waste of his/her time. They struggle enough with those on the "outside," without having to deal with similar ignorance on the inside, particularly from persons who are allegedly there to help them. The military is not for everyone. Perhaps it is not for you.

 

[cheath]

I've also been considering this option. I guess you talk to the healthcare recruiter in the local area to get info???

I've read various sources of information about the scholarship, and have even exchanged emails with a couple of current interns, but I now have just two questions that hopefully somebody could help me with.

1) I would REALLY like to talk with a working AF psychologist (i.e. someone who is done with internship and is actually working as a clinical psych).

2) Since the AF scholarships are so limited, can anybody point me to resources for the Navy scholarships? (I've read plenty about the Army scholarships, and I just don't think the Army is the right branch for me).

Thanks in advance.

 

[deleted176373]

I've also been considering this option. I guess you talk to the healthcare recruiter in the local area to get info???

I've read various sources of information about the scholarship, and have even exchanged emails with a couple of current interns, but I now have just two questions that hopefully somebody could help me with.

1) I would REALLY like to talk with a working AF psychologist (i.e. someone who is done with internship and is actually working as a clinical psych).

2) Since the AF scholarships are so limited, can anybody point me to resources for the Navy scholarships? (I've read plenty about the Army scholarships, and I just don't think the Army is the right branch for me).

Thanks in advance.

In the Navy you want to speak with either Dr. Eric Getka or Capt. Petrillo.

Dr. Getka has been with the program for years and is the national training director and is in Bethesda, MD at the NNMC (National Naval Medical Center) and Capt. Petrillo Capt. is the Specialty Leader for Clinical Psychology and is at the United States Naval Academy.

www.bethesda.med.navy.mil/careers/navy_psychology/index.aspx

More info at the above address with complete contact information to get you started. You will have to do some digging to see about scholarships, they are currently only offering loan repayment as far as I know... You should check with them though, because there was discussion about that changing IIRC.

Mark

PS - Here is a link to the medical recruiters. They will have scholarship information as well. Always best to start there.

http://www.bethesda.med.navy.mil/careers/navy_psychology/Web_Medical_Programs_Recruiters.pdf

 

[paramour]

1) I would REALLY like to talk with a working AF psychologist (i.e. someone who is done with internship and is actually working as a clinical psych).

Markp, do you know whether most of the psychologists serving in the military are individuals who also completed internships with them? Or do they usually come from non-military internships?

Our program has a couple of professors who have received numerous research grants & mucho dinero over the years from both the navy and the air force, which also makes me wonder how much research do (or can?) military psychologists actually partake in?

 

[deleted176373]

Markp, do you know whether most of the psychologists serving in the military are individuals who also completed internships with them?

Nearly all of them.

Or do they usually come from non-military internships?

There are some that come from non-military internships, but these are nearly all fully licensed practitioners.

Our program has a couple of professors who have received numerous research grants & mucho dinero over the years from both the navy and the air force, which also makes me wonder how much research do (or can?) military psychologists actually partake in?

Normally, clinical military psychologists don't do a lot of research unless they are really into it. There are some research only positions available in the services and some military psychologists are exclusively researchers.

It all depends on how you play your career out. It's not cut and dried that you will do x, y, or z. You can find yourself in any number of interesting places, some that offer great research opportunities and others that may be more limiting. Working in a military treatment facility could go either way. Working with operational units is the same, we had one Army psychologist who conducted a study while in Iraq on service utilization. I know of psychologists working at the Office of Naval Research, and all they do is research.

I hope to work with operational units, possibly MARSOC, SEAL, or in another high tempo environment like on a carrier. I don't want to work in a medical treatment facility. I will for a short time, but the operational billets are pretty easy to come by, you just have to want to do them. Simply put, that career trajectory isn't for everyone.

Mark

 

[paramour]

Nearly all of them.

There are some that come from non-military internships, but these are nearly all fully licensed practitioners.

Normally, clinical military psychologists don't do a lot of research unless they are really into it. There are some research only positions available in the services and some military psychologists are exclusively researchers.

It all depends on how you play your career out. It's not cut and dried that you will do x, y, or z. You can find yourself in any number of interesting places, some that offer great research opportunities and others that may be more limiting. Working in a military treatment facility could go either way. Working with operational units is the same, we had one Army psychologist who conducted a study while in Iraq on service utilization. I know of psychologists working at the Office of Naval Research, and all they do is research.

I hope to work with operational units, possibly MARSOC, SEAL, or in another high tempo environment like on a carrier. I don't want to work in a medical treatment facility. I will for a short time, but the operational billets are pretty easy to come by, you just have to want to do them. Simply put, that career trajectory isn't for everyone.

Mark

Thanks for the info, Mark!

Most of the military psychologists I know who are not research-oriented did not go the internship route with the military--Most of the research military psychologists I know did do the military internship. Still trying to determine the 'norm' and all my options.

 

[Nicolas Wilson]

found something that might help

http://www.airforce.com/assets/images/careers/pdfs/hpsp_scholarship.pdf

 

[AthenaQ]

Wow I didnt know deployment would be like that, I dont understand what good clinical psychologists would do being deployed, that is a big upset.

I am a veteran of the AF, six years as a communications troop, 2001-2007.

With that being said, I wholeheartedly suggest you take the following poster's advice. If you don't really want to be in the military, with all of it's accompanying bullsh**, you will not be happy in the least bit. The fun thing about the military, is that when/if you realize you are miserable and made the wrong decision... You can't just turn in a resignation and go about your business.

To be honest, if you don't understand that and you think that being deployed is a disappointment, then I would recommend that you stop considering the military as an option. No Offense, it's probably not for you. Especially the Army where deployments are normally 12+ months in Iraq or Afghanistan.

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[AthenaQ]

Just to clarify, I did enjoy my time in the Air Force, and would make the decision to enlist again if I could go back in time. However, the military is not a career for everyone. You have to "be like Gumby," which requires a level of flexibility many people just don't have.

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[JJAF]

Where are you located? I may be able to help you find an AF Recruiter. The AF is offering a 2 yr Psych Scholarship this year. The final deadline for applications, as of right now, will be 26 Jan 2009.