Armed Forces HPSP in clinical psychology

[Anastacia]

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Hello community –

I am hoping to get feedback from current or prior recipients of the HPSP on the following points:

- What were the reasons for selecting the military branch (Army, Navy, AF) that you did?
- How competitive was the selection process?
- When is the best time to apply: at time of program application, upon acceptance, at some point after matriculation?
- What are some pros/cons of funding your training through the HPSP?
- Is there an age limit for the scholarship candidates + is there an age limit to employment eligibility as a psychologist in the armed forces?

Thank you so much!
Ana

 

[psychlife19]

I looked into this 5 years back and it was my understanding that for psychology only Army and Navy had this (not Air Force).
Now again, I last looked into it a long while back so it could have changed.
I picked Navy because they had easier physical standards...

There are also special recruiters who deal with HPSP, not the regular ones, so I would look on the army/navy website for the contact info of your closest one.

Also, you have to be already accepted/enrolled into a doctoral program before you can apply to this.

 

[psychlife19]

One more thing is that for this program, you still end up paying for the first semester or first year out of pocket. And there is also no guarantee you will be accepted, so if you aren’t, you will have to have a backup plan on paying for school. I believe they only pay for 3-4 years so keep this in mind in case you end up taking an extra year of grad school.

 

[Anastacia]

Thanks for your response! Can I ask if you completed your doctorate with Navy sponsorship? I would love to find out more about the navy's practicum and internship experiences. I have to make a decision which military branch to apply to (or if I can apply to several?) and I am not sure which one is the better fit.

 

[psychlife19]

Thanks for your response! Can I ask if you completed your doctorate with Navy sponsorship? I would love to find out more about the navy's practicum and internship experiences. I have to make a decision which military branch to apply to (or if I can apply to several?) and I am not sure which one is the better fit.

Yeah no problem! Also, I stand corrected. Looks like Air Force DOES have this program. AIR FORCE CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGISTS SCHOLARSHIP | Duke Psychology & Neuroscience

Here are some threads on this topic (they are a few years old however, so find out for yourself if all this info is still accurate! I don't imagine they would change it too much but still)

HPSP for clinical psychology students

Alright- This is intended to be the first post in a sticky about HPSP for clinical psychology. I will attempt here to cover the basics, and then check in periodically if there are specific questions not answered. 1. What is it? HPSP stands for Health Professions Scholarship Program. It is a...

forums.studentdoctor.net

Army HPSP Entry Requirements

Hi I read on the goarmy.com webpage that in order to apply all you need is a letter of acceptance, however I am hearing from people (and forums) that you actually have to be enrolled and taking classes. Can anyone tell me which one is correct? Also if you can answer these questions I would much...

forums.studentdoctor.net

HPSP Psychology Program

Hey everyone, I had some questions about the HPSP program for Psychology if anyone could help me out. I'm currently an undergrad due to graduate this May. I've been accepted for grad school for a Master's in Counseling Psychology program. 1. Do I need to be a Ph.D student before I apply for the...

forums.studentdoctor.net

When you are ready to apply to an internship through APPIC, where you will apply is highly dependent on what branch you get the HPSP with. For example, the Navy has their HPSP internships in Maryland, San Diego, and a third place I can't remember. The Army/Air Force will have their internships at their specific bases. Of course you are also welcome to apply to non HPSP internships too. If you know where you want to live and get licensed at, maybe pick the branch that has an internship spot where you would eventually settle down to begin forming connections in the area?

You also asked about age limits. You cannot be older than 41 by the time you start active duty (aka you are licensed and ready to work for them).

Also, I ended up not applying for the HPSP after looking at the pros and cons of the program.

 

[Anastacia]

I appreciate all of these resources and info! Thank you!

 

[psychlife19]

I appreciate all of these resources and info! Thank you!

Sure thing! It’s a big committment (much like a doctoral program lol)
I hope you can get some comments from people who actually participated in the program and can provide more info!