Army HPSP time commitment questions

[AlmostADoctor1996]

Hello everyone,

I will be starting medical school in the fall and I have decided to take an Army HPSP scholarship. I am interested in doing some sort of surgery (neuro, CT, orthopedics), but this may change after my clinical experiences. I am also interested in getting a civilian deferment if the opportunity is afforded to me.

1) How does getting a civilian deferment affect my time commitment? From my understanding, I owe a minimum of 8 years as part of my contract. Would that be 4 years of activity duty I owe because of my HPSP scholarship and then an additional 4 years in the IRR after completing a civilian residency?

2) I am considering a civilian deferment because everywhere I read online it says that civilian residencies are superior to military ones. Do they actual train better doctors?

3) How do fellowships work in the Army? If I decide to go CT surgery (general surgery residency and then CT fellowship) how does my military obligation affect this? Will I be required to pay back my military time before pursuing a fellowship?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

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[colbgw02]

Hello everyone,

I will be starting medical school in the fall and I have decided to take an Army HPSP scholarship. I am interested in doing some sort of surgery (neuro, CT, orthopedics), but this may change after my clinical experiences. I am also interested in getting a civilian deferment if the opportunity is afforded to me.

1) How does getting a civilian deferment affect my time commitment? From my understanding, I owe a minimum of 8 years as part of my contract. Would that be 4 years of activity duty I owe because of my HPSP scholarship and then an additional 4 years in the IRR after completing a civilian residency?

You have the eight years right. Your time in IRR while at a civilian residency might count toward the 8 years, meaning you could potential resign your commission entirely after your ADSO. The regulations are a little convoluted on this topic.

2) I am considering a civilian deferment because everywhere I read online it says that civilian residencies are superior to military ones. Do they actual train better doctors?

You're on a forum with a ton of people trained in military residencies, so you might want to pump the brakes on statements like that. It is true that large university programs, on balance, offer greater variety, acuity, and sometimes volume during training. It's also true that the quality of the individual is the single biggest factor, so to answer your second question - no.

3) How do fellowships work in the Army? If I decide to go CT surgery (general surgery residency and then CT fellowship) how does my military obligation affect this? Will I be required to pay back my military time before pursuing a fellowship?

The time commitment for fellowship in the Army is 6 months for every 6 months (so basically 1:1) with a 2 year minimum. You cannot serve GME obligations concurrently, so any commitment arising from fellowship will be added to the end of whatever residency obligation you have left when starting fellowship. Whether you get to go to fellowship at all and when is entirely dependent on the needs of the Army. I can't speak to the particulars of general surgery subspecialties, but it's common to have to serve a tour as a general [specialty] before going to fellowship.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

Civilian deferments in the Army are uncommon, and those that exist aren't always merit based. Don't do Army HPSP unless you're prepared to do an active duty residency.

 

[AlmostADoctor1996]

Thank you for the detailed response. I appreciate it.

 

[ArmyTiger]

You have the eight years right. Your time in IRR while at a civilian residency might count toward the 8 years, meaning you could potential resign your commission entirely after your ADSO. The regulations are a little convoluted on this topic.



You're on a forum with a ton of people trained in military residencies, so you might want to pump the brakes on statements like that. It is true that large university programs, on balance, offer greater variety, acuity, and sometimes volume during training. It's also true that the quality of the individual is the single biggest factor, so to answer your second question - no.



The time commitment for fellowship in the Army is 6 months for every 6 months (so basically 1:1) with a 2 year minimum. You cannot serve GME obligations concurrently, so any commitment arising from fellowship will be added to the end of whatever residency obligation you have left when starting fellowship. Whether you get to go to fellowship at all and when is entirely dependent on the needs of the Army. I can't speak to the particulars of general surgery subspecialties, but it's common to have to serve a tour as a general [specialty] before going to fellowship.



Civilian deferments in the Army are uncommon, and those that exist aren't always merit based. Don't do Army HPSP unless you're prepared to do an active duty residency.

Hello everyone,

I will be starting medical school in the fall and I have decided to take an Army HPSP scholarship. I am interested in doing some sort of surgery (neuro, CT, orthopedics), but this may change after my clinical experiences. I am also interested in getting a civilian deferment if the opportunity is afforded to me.

1) How does getting a civilian deferment affect my time commitment? From my understanding, I owe a minimum of 8 years as part of my contract. Would that be 4 years of activity duty I owe because of my HPSP scholarship and then an additional 4 years in the IRR after completing a civilian residency?

2) I am considering a civilian deferment because everywhere I read online it says that civilian residencies are superior to military ones. Do they actual train better doctors?

3) How do fellowships work in the Army? If I decide to go CT surgery (general surgery residency and then CT fellowship) how does my military obligation affect this? Will I be required to pay back my military time before pursuing a fellowship?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

To answer question 1, civilian residency is served consecutively with any prior ADSO. So for the standard HPSPer, that's 4 for medical school, and 5-6 for residency, for a total of 9-10. Residency time does count towards pay, promotion, and retirement. Military residency time, by contrast, can be served concurrently, which halves the service obligation (roughly). IRR time varies based on individual circumstances.

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