Air Force HPSP, Please help!

[Hrycian]

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Hi all!
Listen to my sad story and perhaps someone can give a word of advice...
So I got into VCOM. The school will start this August. Ever since December I have been dancing around Air Force HPSP. The problem is that I am "damaged goods" -- 8 years Army active duty, PCN allergy and an old knee trauma, which has healed though. I got my medical clearance from AF, but ever since then I have been fed promises like: "next month we will let you know, next week now, in the beginning of next month you will be notified if you were accepted"
I know that all recruiters have to "adjust info", and my only friend in the Air Force has died of cancer last Summer. So I have nobody to ask for advice.
Meanwhile, during the orientation day at the school (April 5) I met people who have already received their Navy and Army HPSP. I had 3 AF recruiters changed on my case. The reasoning was that one of them was "not doing the job right" the other was not even HPSP but a nursing recruiter, and my last one had just started the job. Somehow, I am getting an impression of either screaming incompetence or a situation when one is being held back just in case if not enough people applied.
This worries me, because I do not want to lose my HPSP opportunity. At this time I don't even care for the branch of service anymore. Today was another "final date". When I called the recruiter, she said that the "final date will be on May 7th".
People: can somebody let me know when did you get approved or disapproved for Air Force HPSP?
This way I may at least get a hint and a stimulus to ditch AF and try elsewhere.
Of course any advice on the matter would be appreciated.
Thank you

 

[FruitFly]

Hi,

I moved this from the US Public Health Service forum as this would be better suited for our Military medicine forum. You should benefit from reading some of the HPSP FAQs provided in this forum.

Good luck, 👍
Fly

 

[Jolie South]

i got my AF HPSP acceptance letter in March sometime and i just commissioned this past week.

as far as i know, AF has already filled all of their slots for this year. to offer the 20K bonus, they had to cut back the number of scholarships.

it doesn't seem like (from what i've read on this board) Army or Navy are in this position. i don't know anything about your health conditions, but it might be worth it to call one of the other branches.

 

[Hrycian]

I guess this story came to the happy end. Got comissioned the very last minute in July. Will not go to COT till end of school. That one is going to be weird, but a captain's pay during the training period seems like a very good idea...

 

[AndyM]

People: can somebody let me know when did you get approved or disapproved for Air Force HPSP?

Selection in HPSP for me came about two weeks after submission. This was BSC, however, not the Medical Corps. Persistance will be rewarded, as the fortune cookie says. Try to get the mobile phone number of the recruiter to whom you're assigned.

This way I may at least get a hint and a stimulus to ditch AF and try elsewhere.

The source of your commission may not matter to you now or even throughout your scholarship, but when it comes time for real life in the military, you'll be glad to have the QOL issues squared away. The AF uses an AEF concept for its deployments, which are shorter in duration than Army/Marines. I don't really know how the Navy operates with medical folks, but I'd bet you'd be OCONUS for a significant period of time, as well.

 

[The White Coat Investor]

The reason it took so long is your school is expensive and they were waiting to see if they could fill the slots with someone cheaper. Obviously, they couldn't. Don't kid yourself that it had anything to do with your qualifications.

 

[BomberDoc]

The reason it took so long is your school is expensive and they were waiting to see if they could fill the slots with someone cheaper. Obviously, they couldn't. Don't kid yourself that it had anything to do with your qualifications.

Oooh! It is true. You're just a number filling a box.

ActiveDutyMD from the top rope!!!

 

[exPCM]

deleted

 

[The White Coat Investor]

I have been out of the military for several years. Is it really true that HPSP uses the tuition charges of the applicant's medical school as a criterion in selecting their HPSP scholarship recipients?

They have a certain number of slots of expensive schools and moderate schools. They certainly prefer students paying in-state tuition at inexpensive state schools. They were thrilled with my $10K/year tuition (yea, I was pretty dumb.)

 

[NavyFP]

Can't speak for Army or Air Force, but Navy doesn't differentiate. These days, if your in a school and willing to serve, that is all it takes.

During times of prolific applications, I could see that happening, but would the services really turn down an Ivy league student based on cost?

 

[IgD]

Can't speak for Army or Air Force, but Navy doesn't differentiate. These days, if your in a school and willing to serve, that is all it takes.

During times of prolific applications, I could see that happening, but would the services really turn down an Ivy league student based on cost?

I looked at the Air Force when I initially applied to HPSP and they mentioned having different tiers based on medical school tuition that were decided on different dates.

 

[The White Coat Investor]

Can't speak for Army or Air Force, but Navy doesn't differentiate. These days, if your in a school and willing to serve, that is all it takes.

During times of prolific applications, I could see that happening, but would the services really turn down an Ivy league student based on cost?

The Navy can't afford to differentiate. It can't fill its ranks even if it only took students from the most expensive school in the country.

The Ivy leagues aren't the expensive schools, by the way. Have you looked at tuition for most of the D.O. schools in the country? Don't forget to include the cost of the required manipulation table.

 

[Milamber]

The Navy can't afford to differentiate. It can't fill its ranks even if it only took students from the most expensive school in the country.

The Ivy leagues aren't the expensive schools, by the way. Have you looked at tuition for most of the D.O. schools in the country? Don't forget to include the cost of the required manipulation table.

Just to let you know my school doesn't require a manipulation table.

 

[The White Coat Investor]

Just to let you know my school doesn't require a manipulation table.

Too bad, because then you'd get a free one. I had to get my school to make a lot of the highly recommended equipment "required" so I could get HPSP to pay for it.

I still ended up paying out of pocket for the books I actually used. But HPSP paid for all the "required ones" that no one ever used.

 

[futrdvm]

The reason it took so long is your school is expensive and they were waiting to see if they could fill the slots with someone cheaper. Obviously, they couldn't. Don't kid yourself that it had anything to do with your qualifications.

is this the same for vet schools too? i'm hoping to go through hpsp to cover my expenses for vet school, but i'm at a private college and tuition is less than a state school.

 

[The White Coat Investor]

is this the same for vet schools too? i'm hoping to go through hpsp to cover my expenses for vet school, but i'm at a private college and tuition is less than a state school.

I don't know.