Is it available to D.O. students?
I thought it was, but I recruiter just emailed me back saying otherwise.
I thought it was, but I recruiter just emailed me back saying otherwise.
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Army HSPS scholarship.
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+1
A lot of recruiters have no idea what they are talking about and this can be a death sentence to your application. Find another recruiter ASAP and do your own research. Don't ever take a recruiters word for it. Also, make sure they push your application quickly (once spots fill up there are no more left).
The *HPSP* is available to many health professions. There is a HUGE thread devoted only to the HPSP here on SDN. I recommend you search for it. You'll learn a lot.
That's a big missed opportunity for that recruiter...I hear they get a nice bonus for HPSP candidates...
I'll also confirm that it's for certain available to DO's
I'll also confirm that it's for certain available to DO's
Why would you say that? And is this with consideration of the GMO tours that the AF and Navy make their doctors do?
If you are doing HPSP just so you can get med school paid for then you are an idiot. if you wouldn't atleast give joining the military a thought without medical school then you shouldn't do it. It won't take long for your non-military friends to catch up to you financially after residency, unless you want to do something like primary care.
Tee hee lol...but im all seriousness find a new recruiter
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If you come from money its not for you. If you don't AND you want to serve your country, it is definitely for you.
This. It is the military. Being in the military has some major drawbacks, and if you're not prepared for them or think you will be exempt from them, you will be miserable.
The doctors I've met who were happy were also either prior service or doing it for love of country. The doctors I've met who were unhappy had no idea what they'd gotten themselves into. (And are typically the worst Soldiers I've ever met.)
If you are concerned about money, its not for you. It is a much better financial investment to accept loans and work in the private sector. There is a thread over 1000 responses strong and the vast majority advise against getting into military medicine. I wish that it was different, as I would like to serve my country but I am not willing to make the sacrifices necessary.
Best of luck.
This is probably without any consideration in mind. A brief look at the milmed forum will show you just how great AF med is.
Really? Even if you're interested only in primary care?
If you end up in primary care, yes, you make similar payout. Ultimately though, the military has some pretty big lifestyle disadvantages in most people's eyes. So you're going to be pretty miserable for four years of your life.
The only time anyone should ever consider HSPS is if they would join the military after med school even if HSPS didn't exist.
The military is a different lifestyle with a financially inept bureaucracy that makes hospitals look downright efficient. It can be incredibly frustrating for someone who likes to get **** done in a timely manner.
That said, if you join for the right reasons it's the best job on earth, hands down.
The military is a different lifestyle with a financially inept bureaucracy that makes hospitals look downright efficient. It can be incredibly frustrating for someone who likes to get **** done in a timely manner.
That said, if you join for the right reasons it's the best job on earth, hands down.
AKA I commend you for coming here for secondary advice. Recruiter knowledge is generally comparable to dog****. Gather knowledge from various different sources and make your own informed decisions.
That is a pretty generalized statement. I have loved my 6 years in the military and plan on doing 14 more.
The more truthful statement is that you should join the military because you want to be in the military, not for financial reasons. That being said some specialties (family practice, psych., etc.) can actually make more money in the military, especially when you consider the fact that many physicians moonlight while they are active duty. There are also many many perks to military service (both financial and otherwise) besides your base pay.
However, every person who joins the miitary needs to understand that they WILL deploy. They have little control over where they will live. You are pretty much the property of the U.S. government and will have to take orders. There are many things that you will have to do while serving besides practicing medicine (called collateral duties). You may have to do a GMO tour. If you decide to do a specialty such as Orthopedics you will make significantly less money than your civilian counterparts.
Before joining you really need to evaluate your goals and make sure that a military lifestyle is consistent with what you want. The military can be extremely rewarding, but make sure you are joining for the RIGHT reasons.
Also, many people asked if HPSP take DO students. The answer is absolutely yes. They took me and I am a DO student (althought technically I am HSCP, which has very similar requirements) and I know several hundred other DO physicians in the military who utilized HPSP to achieve their goals. However, if you want to do HPSP make sure you apply early.......as in you should be pushing your application now. Also, just because you have an acceptance does not necessarily mean the military will take you. Your MCAT must be competitive (often much more competitive than what many DO schools accept). You must be physically capable of completing military service (there are many medical disqualifiers). And there are several other factors.
If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
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haha...I used to buy into this sentiment. But, after speaking with several army/military docs, I now know this is bogus.
It not for everyone, but most people that I have spoken with have thought it was very worth while and even enjoyable.
I guess I should have put the, if you're going into it for the money qualifier.
I personally love being in the military and intend on serving as long as they let me serve, but I also know almost all of the doctors I work with who joined for the money are counting down the days until they're done.
I personally love being in the military and intend on serving as long as they let me serve, but I also know almost all of the doctors I work with who joined for the money are counting down the days until they're done.
What are these collateral duties you speak of? I'd heard of just about everything else.
Also, what medical disqualifiers are there besides being overweight or having cancer or something? Lol
Yes. PCOM graduates close to the most, if not the most, from the scholarship each year.
Collateral Duties are extra things that you have to do besides your standard job description while serving in the military. Things like serving on boards, review committees, being the safety officer for your department, command uniform inspections, etc etc.
There are many medical disqualifiers. Asthma is a big one that comes to mind. There are several types of past surgeries that might disqualify you. And a hundred other things. Sometimes you can get a waiver for these conditions, but often you cannot.
Hey Corpsman 33, I'm not sure what year you are so I wanted to ask if you have done any rotations at military facilities, and if so what your opinions of them are? Also you mentioned that you were in the HSCP program. I've done a great deal of research into military med and haven't run into this. Is is something just for people with previous service? Thanks in advance.
Hypertension, certain medications, depression...
corpsman33,
If someone only takes a 3 year HSPS scholarship but does a 4-year military residency, does he owe 4 years? If so, what are the chances that he will be required to complete such a residency instead of a civilian residency?
Do you know of anyone who incurred less than a 4-year obligation after going the HSPS route?
Thanks
If someone only takes a 3 year HSPS scholarship but does a 4-year military residency, does he owe 4 years? If so, what are the chances that he will be required to complete such a residency instead of a civilian residency?
Do you know of anyone who incurred less than a 4-year obligation after going the HSPS route?
Thanks
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Thanks for the response. So from the sound of it there is really no reason to do the 3-year HSPS over the 4-year, even if you have enough saved up to cover the first year of medical school, since you'll probably be serving 4 years anyways.
If the 4 yr is including the intern year, then I don't think there will be an added year. IIRC, internship year doesn't accrue towards the payback requirement. A 4 yr HPSP will not earn more years unless he does a 6 yr internship+residency.
Correct.
I am pretty sure HPSP aquires a debt that is equal to the amount of time they pay for your schooling (i.e. 3 year HPSP equals 3 year repayment). But if your residency is longer than you owe the longer of the two (don't quote me on the specifics because I am not 100% sure in this regard, I plan to retire, so it was never a huge issue for me). There is many many threads dedicated to this topic in the military forum that I suggest anybody considering HPSP check out. Just be wary that there are many negative comments on there from unhappy doctors in the military which you must take with a grain of salt. The ones that come on SDN are here to complain because they typically joined for the wrong reasons, but there are many many happy military doctors. I have worked with hundreds who wouldn't do it any other way.
Also, do not plan on doing a civilian residency if you elect HPSP. Although it is a possibility, you must be granted special permission and the majority of phsyicans are expected to complete a military residency (which isn't that bad considering you make 6 figures as a resident in the military compared to 40-50k on the civilian side). If you want to do an ultra competitive residency like neurosurgery in which there are very few military residency positions available, then occasionally the military will grant you the ability to complete it as a civilian, BUT DO NOT COUNT ON THIS.
Currently, I am an OMS1 (just finishing my first semester) so I cannot comment on rotations yet. My knowledge comes from 5 years of active duty service as a Hospital Corpsman working at a hospital on the medical side of the Navy. I have also worked very very closely with many recruiters (although I was waaaay more knowledgable about the program then most of them, so be very weary of anything a recruiter tells you and research it yourself. Not all recruiters are bad, but this is your career so don't leave it in somebody else's hands).
That being said, while working at the hospital (Naval Medical Center San Diego, aka Balboa Hospital) I saw many 3rd and 4th years rotate through and they seemed to love it. Balboa is a great hospital though and I have very few complaints about the military side of things. Most physicians I worked with were very happy.
HSCP is for anybody (prior service and civilians), but it probably benefits prior service members a bit more. It is only for the Navy and instead of paying tuition they pay you active duty pay as an E-6/E-7 with full benefits and also your time counts towards retirement while in school, and you graduate making more money then people in HPSP. But again they will not cover tuition, so it benefits people with the GI Bill more who can use this to cover part of tuition. However, if you are considering retiring in the military then this option would probably be better, because in the long run you will get more money out of the military (depending on the tuition of your school). Also, if you cannot live off of the stipend they provide in HPSP (I couldn't because I have a family of 5 to support) then this option is also appealing for this reason.
Hope this helps.
Thanks for the information. HSCP does seem like a nice offer, especially if you have a way to help pay for tuition like the GI bill. I'm pretty sure I'll be taking the HPSP route but its nice to know that there is another option. Thanks again and good luck with the rest of the year.
No problem.
Good call. Forgot about that. It's so convoluted sometimes that I forget.
