My fiancé and I were both recently accepted to Navy HPSP. I have a 503 MCAT, 123/124/129/128.
As someone who has had no prior exposure to the military (via family, friends, etc.) the decision was difficult, and it took a LOT of investigation. A lot of this process revolves around asking the right questions, and that can be challenging when we are at such an early stage of our medical careers, and may be unfamiliar with military culture and what the commitment really entails. My advice is this: seek out people (i.e. medical students, residents, attending physicians) who are familiar with the process and will be able to provide you with first-hand accounts of medicine in the military, and specifically with HPSP. I have read over and over, and been advised by military physicians, to not always take your recruiters advice at face value. I went through three different recruiters (it's a long process) and some were certainly more reliable than others. Often, things I would read online (and on these forums) about HPSP would turn out to not be completely accurate when compared to information gleaned from physicians who had first-hand experience.
I learned that it is a very personal decision that is a wonderful option for some folks, and maybe not the best route for others. It's a decision that no one else can make for you. For me, I ultimately chose to accept the scholarship because I am willing to accept a little bit of risk, and unknowns, for the benefits of the experience. To name a few:
1. I have a genuine interest in service. Through work in a level 1 trauma center, I have had an opportunity to get to know and work with military healthcare workers who rotate through our facility. It's changed my perspective on military service and given me insight into military culture - and I honestly find it very interesting and have truly enjoyed learning about what drives them to serve. I discovered that I shared a lot of common goals, passions, and personality characteristics with these individuals. Additionally, I toured the naval hospital in Pensacola, and am scheduled to visit the naval hospital at Camp Lejeune next month. I am sitting down with physicians in these facilities and getting further exposure to daily life as a military doc (you can request these tours via recruiters, or ask people you interview with if they'd be willing to provide any assistance in setting up these kinds of opportunities).
2. I am pursuing internal medicine, and have no interest in highly competitive specialties. This is a complaint that I see often (that you will be less competitive). Although this is anecdotal, I will add that I have spoken with an HPSP physician who was the director of a competitive interventional radiology program, interviewed with a naval dermatologist and orthopedist, and met/personally know many emergency medicine residents and physicians who completed HPSP. I feel that although this claim may hold some validity, it is clearly possible to pursue and practice within specialty fields in military medicine. Also - if you complete a GMO tour, I have been advised (by physicians who did them, and a couple of residency directors) that they can actually serve to make you MORE competitive for residencies due to the immersive, diverse, and quality leadership opportunities that you gain from the unique experience/exposure.
3. I am open to the possibility of a GMO tour. This is also a major point of misinformation and misunderstanding. Again, it took asking multiple people with GMO experience about what this commitment entails, how it can affect residency, what you will be doing, is it mandatory, how long it is, etc. Feel free to PM me if you want further info on this – there is a lot to be aware of and understand.
4. I am open to the idea of there being ambiguity in where I may be stationed. Although you are able to make stationing requests, it is not guaranteed. One reason I chose the navy was because I will be much more likely to end up living on the coast, and I am comfortable living on any coast for a short period of time if required of me.
5. I have a passion for humanitarian work, international medical relief, and travel. The navy offers a LOT of really cool/unique/adventurous opportunities to pursue these paths.
6. I am open to the possibility of deployment. This was a major area of concern for me. This will expose my initial naiveté about military medicine, but I had absurd visions of being strapped with some kind of high-powered weapon and thrown into some terrifying combat situation. This took a lot of education on my part to learn exactly what physician deployment entails in the military, how it will differ between different branches, lengths of stay, frequency, safety, and finally that “deployment” does not necessarily = going to a combat zone, or even near one. Although, I have accepted that deployment to a combat zone is a possibility. I have spoken with many military physicians who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. But physician safety in the military is taken very seriously – you are a valuable resource in which they have heavily invested. All in all, after learning about these physicians experiences in combat zones, I think it would be an incredibly rewarding and unique experience. Their stories were truly remarkable.
7. Finally, my fiancé and I are 28, and we are both attending medical school. We are looking at $500,000+ of debt when we are 33, and your income as a resident won’t really make a dent in it – so that’s another 3 – 4 years at least before you can really start to address that mountain of debt. In my experience, and after speaking with many residents and attendings regarding this, I have come to a few conclusions about this kind of debt, mainly – I don’t want it. I don’t want that kind of debt bearing down on my husband and I after working so hard to get to that point in life. Not only will you come out debt-free with the military, but you are provided with a monthly stipend and a sign-on bonus (Navy offers $20,000), effectively making your experience in medical school more comfortable and less stressful. Of course, like everyone says, don’t join just for the money, but certainly don’t bat your eyes at the economic opportunities that this kind of debt relief will afford you in the future, and while in school.
Anyway – this was meant for you, and whoever else may be interested in this path, to get a glimpse into my decision process and why I ultimately chose this. Clearly, it took a lot (seriously, like, a ridiculous amount) of investigation to decide that this was a path I was willing to travel, and I strongly recommend to anyone considering HPSP to do the same.
Edit: I wanted to add an additional point to consider: the military really, really wants you to be happy, enjoy your experience, and provide you with as much control over your time served as possible. By being offered the scholarship and accepting it, you are accepting a job offer. I have spoken with many military docs who choose to become career military. They have provided me with many different reasons for why that is, but one seems to remain pretty steady: they gave me an offer I couldn't refuse. The military needs doctors. They don't want to lose you - your happiness is their ticket to keeping your services. For example, I was initially concerned about potentially being separated from my husband but after multiple conversations with military residents and attendings, I learned pretty quickly that that would never happen unless there was some kind of extreme circumstance. They will make honest attempts to station you in your top 5, and you have some say over deployment. I would say that there is more choice in military medicine than a lot of people give it credit for.
