Air Force HPSP

[NAVYLABTECH08]

Hi all,

I overheard someone say that the Aif force was "hurting" for docs to take their HPSP scholarship. This person said that the AF HPSP scholarships were so "plentiful" that they are accepting foreign medical school applicants (ie. Ross or St. G) for scholarships. Last thing i heard, HPSP was only for US schools. I wanted to jump in and correct him, but I wanted to check in here and see if anything "new" has changed. Thanks!

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[spicedmanna]

I don't believe any of that is actually true. The USAF usually does pretty well filling it's HPSP slots. I was actually wait listed when I applied last year. Fortunately, it all came through at the end.

The last I checked, both the Army and the Navy are hurting in terms of filling it's slots, Navy more significantly than the Army. I don't believe any of the branches are giving out HPSP scholarships to foreign medical students, unless something has changed.

 

[DrRoast]

Hi all,

I overheard someone say that the Aif force was "hurting" for docs to take their HPSP scholarship. This person said that the AF HPSP scholarships were so "plentiful" that they are accepting foreign medical school applicants (ie. Ross or St. G) for scholarships. Last thing i heard, HPSP was only for US schools. I wanted to jump in and correct him, but I wanted to check in here and see if anything "new" has changed. Thanks!

I have a hard time believing this. In a recent visit to SAMMC, they said that they can't select foreign school students b/c its U.S. tax money and they can't give it to foreign countries. Sounded like their was no way around this. Also, I thought Air Force filled all spots every year. Could be wrong about that.

 

[The White Coat Investor]

I don't think we're taking foreign med school students (yet.) As far as I know, the AF (unlike the Navy) is still managing to give away all its scholarships each year, but I've never heard of someone who applied for one, passed the physical and background check and got into med school, who didn't get it. Can ANYONE here say they know someone who was turned down (not waitlisted, but turned down?)

 

[NavyFP]

Last I heard, AF is not hurting for applicants. Navy and Army both met goal last year, and I suspect with the poor economy, will again this year.


No, foreign medical schools are not acceptable for the program. This is a point of actual law and waivers cannot apply. Even at its lowest point, Navy did not consider paying for schools such as Ross. This past GME board, FMGs were permitted to apply for internship, but I understand most were rejected. (and the Navy did not fill all of its intern spots.)

 

[mitchconnie]

The AF is hurting for Doc's, but it's not on the HPSP ascensions end, it's a severe shortage of trained physicians in certain specialties. Hence the 150K per year bonus for general surgery. Word on the street is that the AF is now giving serious consideration to recruiting non-citizen, foreign-trained physicians into the AF with some kind of path-to-citizenship deal. So it's not paying for foreign medical schools that is under discussion, but taking foreign-trained physicians onto active duty. I'll leave it to others to judge whether this is a good thing or an act of desperation.

 

[NAVYLABTECH08]

The AF is hurting for Doc's, but it's not on the HPSP ascensions end, it's a severe shortage of trained physicians in certain specialties. Hence the 150K per year bonus for general surgery. Word on the street is that the AF is now giving serious consideration to recruiting non-citizen, foreign-trained physicians into the AF with some kind of path-to-citizenship deal. So it's not paying for foreign medical schools that is under discussion, but taking foreign-trained physicians onto active duty. I'll leave it to others to judge whether this is a good thing or an act of desperation.

I don't really see a big deal with that. I know many enlisted guys who still don't have their citizenship papers. I actually talked to the kid who started this and he told me that his"recruiter" told him this info. I actually called the recruiter and he said that Ross was a possibility for HPSP becasue several US states have them in thier database or something like that. I had no clue what he was talking about be the recruiter repeated himself several times stating that AF HPSP is a option for "US students" attending Ross school of medicine. Something stranger he told me was that ST. G was not elgible, but Ross was. I still am very confused.

 

[spicedmanna]

I don't really see a big deal with that. I know many enlisted guys who still don't have their citizenship papers. I actually talked to the kid who started this and he told me that his"recruiter" told him this info. I actually called the recruiter and he said that Ross was a possibility for HPSP becasue several US states have them in thier database or something like that. I had no clue what he was talking about be the recruiter repeated himself several times stating that AF HPSP is a option for "US students" attending Ross school of medicine. Something stranger he told me was that ST. G was not elgible, but Ross was. I still am very confused.

I don't know, whenever I hear the phrase, "and the recruiter said," I pretty much write it off as misinformation or at least consider it highly dubious information and check up on it with people who know what they are talking about. You can probably check with AFIT. I believe they coordinate the HPSP. If they don't know the answer, they can at least lead you to someone who does. That's what I'd recommend that your friend do. I've never heard of such a thing and I seriously doubt that the USAF or any branch is allowing American students attending Caribbean medical schools into the HPSP program. Of course, things could have changed, but I doubt it.

 

[Jolie South]

I don't know, whenever I hear the phrase, "and the recruiter said," I pretty much write it off as misinformation or at least consider it highly dubious information and check up on it with people who know what they are talking about. You can probably check with AFIT. I believe they coordinate the HPSP. If they don't know the answer, they can at least lead you to someone who does. That's what I'd recommend that your friend do. I've never heard of such a thing and I seriously doubt that the USAF or any branch is allowing American students attending Caribbean medical schools into the HPSP program. Of course, things could have changed, but I doubt it.

I agree. I've never heard anything to this effect. Last time I checked, HPSP was for US citizens attending US schools.

 

[Croatalus_atrox]

The AF is hurting for Doc's, but it's not on the HPSP ascensions end, it's a severe shortage of trained physicians in certain specialties. Hence the 150K per year bonus for general surgery. Word on the street is that the AF is now giving serious consideration to recruiting non-citizen, foreign-trained physicians into the AF with some kind of path-to-citizenship deal. So it's not paying for foreign medical schools that is under discussion, but taking foreign-trained physicians onto active duty. I'll leave it to others to judge whether this is a good thing or an act of desperation.

I wonder how this would work. By US law, commissioned officers must be US citizens, and I don't think there are any loopholes for this. I can't imagine that non-citizen physicians would be enlisted in the Air Force until they could get their citizenship and receive a commission, with massive bonuses to cover the compensation differential until then.

 

[sethco]

I wonder how this would work. By US law, commissioned officers must be US citizens, and I don't think there are any loopholes for this. I can't imagine that non-citizen physicians would be enlisted in the Air Force until they could get their citizenship and receive a commission, with massive bonuses to cover the compensation differential until then.

Unless they are not commissioning them and are instead increasing the number of civilian contractors. This seems much more "feasible"

 

[notdeadyet]

By US law, commissioned officers must be US citizens, and I don't think there are any loopholes for this. I can't imagine that non-citizen physicians would be enlisted in the Air Force until they could get their citizenship and receive a commission, with massive bonuses to cover the compensation differential until then.

The DOD seems pretty explicit on going forward with this. Here's the DOD press release talking about accepting foreign doctors into the service.

This has NOTHING to do with HPSP scholarships going to foreign students, by the way. But this pilot program will apparently get by the U.S. citizenship requirement.

 

[Croatalus_atrox]

Unless they are not commissioning them and are instead increasing the number of civilian contractors. This seems much more "feasible"

Apparently the Secretary of Defense can make exceptions regarding the citizenship requirement for appointment as a commissioned officer if it is in the interest of national security (see subsection f of Section 532, Title 10 of the US code). Given that the previously mentioned program is titled "Military Accessions Vital to National Interest Recruitment Pilot Program", I'd guess that doctors and nurses qualify.

 

[NAVYLABTECH08]

This thread has evolved to far. The question was for a US citizen attending a caribbean school like Ross, can that student get the Air Force HPSP?

 

[spicedmanna]

This thread has evolved to far. The question was for a US citizen attending a caribbean school like Ross, can that student get the Air Force HPSP?

Well, if you have followed this thread, the consensus is, to the best of our knowledge, no, a US citizen attending a Caribbean school cannot get the USAF (or another other) HPSP.

 

[Jolie South]

Last time I checked, HPSP was for US citizens attending US schools.

I'll reiterate^^^

 

[NavyFP]

This thread has evolved to far. The question was for a US citizen attending a caribbean school like Ross, can that student get the Air Force HPSP?

Well, if you have followed this thread, the consensus is, to the best of our knowledge, no, a US citizen attending a Caribbean school cannot get the USAF (or another other) HPSP.

I will be definitive. Per Title 10 of the US code, only US citizens attending accredited schools in the US, Candada or Puerto Rico are eligible to receive support via the Health Professions Scholarship Program.