Anyone heard from NHSC yet???

[jhug]

---

Members don't see this ad.

i know it is still early....but i'm anxious to hear how we all did!!! I try not to think about it or get my hopes up....still, every day we get closer to august i get more and more excited!!!

 

[Horseradish99]

I've been thinking about it too jhug... I looked up last year and the earliest anyone posted about hearing was August 15th.

I will be sure to let people know as soon as I find out... it should be interesting, as I start school the 13th and hopefully will be finding out right around that time... makes for a lot of scary excitement!

Crossing my fingers for y'all!

Scott

 

[jhug]

no news from anyone yet??? This is starting to keep me up at night🙂🙂🙂

 

[phd2b]

I called them today and got the standard, "We haven't made any awards yet and probably won't start until next week at the earliest, although we won't guarantee that you'll hear anything until September 30..."

Gotta love our government contractors at work...

😕

 

[booshwa]

Here's what I do every day...I get on the boards in the financial aid section and look for "NHSC"-and hope that nobody has posted that they got stuff from them (because I'm yet to recieve anything).

This waiting sucks...It was okay until Aug. 1st, but now I'm nervous-and I'm leavinng town next week-so I worry that I'll miss a package from them.

Oh, well....best of luck to everybody!

 

[Kate123]

Does anyone know how quickly people are expected to reply if given an offer? Do you get a few days to decide? Or a month?

Best of luck to you all!

 

[alina_s]

You need to reply only if you are offered a scholarship but have chosen not to accept. I believe that you have a limited time (2 weeks?) to do so without penalty.

 

[jhug]

i called today about the scholarship and they let me know that anouncements should be sent out closer to the end of august (aug.30th to be exact) Looks like the anticipation will go on another two weeks!!! This is killing me!!!

 

[panda01]

They're just having a hard time deciding because we're all so good!!
Good luck everyone
😉

 

[Horseradish99]

Maybe they're requesting more money from Pres Bush so they can give scholarships to all of us... and he's just been too busy with the whole blackout thing to make the OK. 😛

Keeping myself less anxious by immersing in the joys of gross anatomy...

scott

 

[jhug]

i havn't started school yet....for those of you who have-- how do you do the whole loan thing without knowing if you even need it? I'm a bit reluctant to have a $30-40k loan taken out in the first place....but then are you expected to just pay the whole thing off through the scholarship? (sorry for the tons of questions...i imagine the best thing to do is talk with my FA dept)

 

[roady]

Hey jhug,

Thanxs for taking the initiative and calling NHSC (how many hours were you on hold?). Could you tell me if they said the all mighty letters would be in our boxes or would just be sent out from their end around the end of August?

I can't wait for this $*%! to be over...

Thank you,
Roady

 

[jhug]

roady....no problem....i havn't started yet so i find myself with quite a bit of free time🙂
i wasn't on hold too long but i did get the transfer a few times!!
they said to expect word at the end of the month. I, in my optimism, took that to mean that i would get the letter the 30th......who knows?!?! i'm just happy that they didn't send it out already and somehow i was lost in the shuffle or my letter was lost!

 

[PACtoDOC]

"Some notifications if not all notifications should be going out by the end of this week"...per staff at NHSC today.

I was also told that for those of us who already paid for our school this semester that we will have a credit on our account at our school (should we receive the scholarship) and then we will be able to claim that money to repay any loans we took out already this semester..

hope that helps some people like myself who are slightly anxious!

Matt

 

[PACtoDOC]

Got my letter today guys from the FEDEX man!! I was very happy obviously....The stipend is retroactive to July, and for those of us who have already paid for this semester, the school will receive a check for tuition and fees (and you get reimbursed!). Congrats to everyone who found out today and expect to hear something by week's end if you got it. Then in a couple of weeks the next round of letters should go out as people decline the award...if they do.

Matt

 

[panda01]

Got my acceptance today via FedEx, very happy as well! Good luck everyone--got my fingers crossed.

 

[roady]

So the big week came & went--but no NHSC letter for me.

Now I wonder if I could get in at the last second as an alternate.

Has anyone actually received their notification of being on the list of alternates/been waitlisted, or know when it comes out? I am assuming being wait listed or becoming an alternate are the same thing.

Also, I read old posts to the effect that there is an accepted group, an alternate/wait list group, and a 3d group that were "too high for the one list, and too low for the other"--does that make any sense to anyone? If so, please try to explain it to me!

I guess there's going to be at least 2, 3, or even 4 more weeks of waiting. Hey, I'll wait until Christmas if I have to, all doubts in my mind not withstanding...I have realized that NHSC is definitely the wrong choice for someone with uncertainty regarding primary care--and yet how do I REALLY know before even seeing the wards what's best for me!? I mean, I could always do work with the underserved as a radiologist, surgeon, etc--why throw those possibilities away so early?

It's great to have a short-term stipend and scholarship, but when they force you to pay back 3.5 times the cost of the loan if you decide to become a surgeon, radiologist, or pathologist, etc...Hmmmm--that would be a real problem!!! So maybe I am just rationalizing not getting the scholarship when I say it's really just a small amount of money compared to the salary of a surgeon (which you must sacrifrice). Then again, somewhere pushed to the back of my mind , I feel I am actually doubtful. I will ultimately cross that bridge when/if I get to it in the next few weeks, though.

Thanks for any feedback you may have. Best to everyone~

 

[panda01]

Hey roady,
I think it's definitely feasible for you to serve your commitment and then train in a fellowship afterwards to specialize. I'm 99% sure I don't want to, and I've always wanted to work with rural populations, so I'm not too worried about that. But it is an option for many people I'm sure. I've also heard that getting an area designated as acceptable to serve your commitment is tough, but possible. I'm working with a doc now that managed to get the hospital he wanted to work in put on the list, and then do his payback there.
As far as how to know, I think you really just have to trust your gut. If you're in medical school now, talk to people that have the scholarship to get their impressions, or spend a day shadowing a surgeon and a primary care doc. I agree that you have to be sure.
Another option is deferment, if that's even possible. That way you could spend a year in medical school and see where you're tending. 1 year of debt is much more managable than 4. That's what I ended up doing, but only because I didn't know about the program until I met classmates that were doing it in my first year. I'm not sure if you would have to reapply though and recompete.
If you don't get the scholarship, that just means you're not supposed to go down that path. When one door closes another opens elsewhere... All the best with this!

 

[roady]

Thanks for the nice thoughts, Panda01! I think you'll be a compassionate doctor if these threads are any indication...

Best wishes

 

[roady]

Hey, it's been about 4 days--anyone have any news they could share? Letters, phone calls to NHSC, prayers answered, stone-cold rejections..? Lets come together here and post some news, and see if we can't put our fingers on the pulse of this monster.

 

[johnhopeful]

Interviewed in Cleveland. Last name w/ 'S'
No news. Called 2 weeks ago - said everyone would hear something by end of month. I didn't.
Called end of last week. Said 2 batches have gone out. 3rd one would go out sometime during week of Sept 7th or so. I'm not sure about the post stating that the 3rd round is just rejections. I haven't gotten any information out of the folks @ NHSC or IQ Sol'n, period. So, I'm not buying that post. Good luck, all. Would be nice to get the money but won't keep you from your dreams.

 

[roady]

Hey Johnhopeful,

Thanks for the heads up buddy! As you know, I am still believing it could happen too--and you're right, we can still be the doctors we dream of if it doesn't.

Nice post and regards,
Roady Miami interview, last name w/ H

P.S. No news yet either, school keeping me busy helps to not think about it--but sometimes I do anyway.

 

[roady]

Any new word for anyone this week--or heard about friends with news?

 

[johnhopeful]

Not good. Not even an alternate. 300 of over 1900 were picked up. Snail mail - letter dated 05 September

As I said before, not the end of the world.

Back to the books....

 

[roady]

Johnhopeful,

Thanks so much for sharing about the letter from NHSC. I think you have exemplified a winning attitude, and what's more, a perspective on the meaning of NHSC in your life that is befitting to what I would most hope every recipient of the scholarship believes: that your spirit and goals will live with or without NHSC.
I know you will succeed.

Bravo! And thank you.

 

[roady]

Now I can move on: my rejection letter from NHSC dated September 9 arrived today.

Wishing the best news for all those still waiting--it's not over for you yet.

Back to the books...

Roady