Army Veterinary Corps Health Professional Scholarship Program

Veterinary Science Graduate Certificate from UofI
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Thank you for your help! He did indeed track down the correct board information, my MEPS physical has been completed, and he has been touching base about other information. I'll just hurry up and wait for my LORs to be submitted and for first semester grades to be in. I'm sure January will come sooner than I expect. Good luck to everyone else considering this career path/in the application process!
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COVetMed2021 said:
Thank you for your help! He did indeed track down the correct board information, my MEPS physical has been completed, and he has been touching base about other information. I'll just hurry up and wait for my LORs to be submitted and for first semester grades to be in. I'm sure January will come sooner than I expect. Good luck to everyone else considering this career path/in the application process!
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Sounds like you have a good recruiter, good luck this year. I have three competing with you!
 
Veterinarian '13 Grad looking into direct commission veterinary corps. I have been a large animal practitioner (all large animals not just horses) and wondering if this would make me stand in a good way or negative considering most of the hands on veterinary work is for the MWDs and base clinics. I am open to working with small animals but my experience is in large. Thanks this has been a very helpful forum!
 
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Armyhealth said:
This is the official qualifications-
  • Bachelor's degree emphasizing natural sciences
  • Enrollment in or acceptance to an AVMA-accredited D.V.M. or V.M.D. program in the United States or Puerto Rico
  • Must be a U.S. citizen
  • Ability to maintain full-time student status
These are the ones that are not official but won't be competitive unless you at least have the minimum.
3.0 GPA (undergrad), 300 GRE, Age restriction is 38 without a waiver and of course you have to meet all medical qualifications and height/weight standards.
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When you mention "meet medical qualifications", what exactly does that entail? If I have a well managed chronic illness that requires regular treatments, but in no way affects my physical capabilities, would I then not be eligible?

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Armyhealth said:
You could apply during your last year of Vet School so you would start right after you finish school. We have anywhere from 2-6 slots available per year and it isn't too competitive. You would be eligible for 120K student loan repayment as well.
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I am very excited to see this thread. Joining the Army for veterinary medicine has been a long-term goal of mine.

Regarding direct commission (not HSPS), are graduates from AVMA accredited Caribbean schools eligible to participate?

From this link (U.S. Army Veterinary Corps Opportunities) it lists the pay grades for enlisted officers, are these figures separate from the $120,000 in loan repayment?

thank you for taking the time for Q&A.
 
RZASRJ said:
Veterinarian '13 Grad looking into direct commission veterinary corps. I have been a large animal practitioner (all large animals not just horses) and wondering if this would make me stand in a good way or negative considering most of the hands on veterinary work is for the MWDs and base clinics. I am open to working with small animals but my experience is in large. Thanks this has been a very helpful forum!
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I don't really know how the board will look at that experience. Like you said most everything is small animal and MWDs. We do have the old Calvary units in Fort Hood that has horses. There are other ways to make you stand out besides your work experience and I would focus on those areas if I was working on your packet (letters of recommendation, personal statement so on.)
 
Kpizz92 said:
When you mention "meet medical qualifications", what exactly does that entail? If I have a well managed chronic illness that requires regular treatments, but in no way affects my physical capabilities, would I then not be eligible?

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Hard to say without seeing exactly what it is. The military has a regulation that covers medical eligibility and if it is not directly in that then it is up to the office of the surgeon general. I would suggest getting a physical done and go from there.
 
labrat9 said:
I am very excited to see this thread. Joining the Army for veterinary medicine has been a long-term goal of mine.

Regarding direct commission (not HSPS), are graduates from AVMA accredited Caribbean schools eligible to participate?

From this link (U.S. Army Veterinary Corps Opportunities) it lists the pay grades for enlisted officers, are these figures separate from the $120,000 in loan repayment?

thank you for taking the time for Q&A.
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Yes you are as long as you have a US license, those are separate from the student loan repayment. Give me a private message and we can talk in further detail if you want.
 
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Armyhealth said:
Any day now! This is one of the biggest boards of the year so it is always slow. I will post on here as soon as the results come out.
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I know you will let us know as soon as you find out... but any updates? Is the board still meeting, is it adjourned?
 
Boats n bbqs said:
I know you will let us know as soon as you find out... but any updates? Is the board still meeting, is it adjourned?
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Board was done a long time ago, they just started moving people in the system which means they have the results but just have not posted the official ones yet.
 
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Armyhealth said:
Board was done a long time ago, they just started moving people in the system which means they have the results but just have not posted the official ones yet.
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Is there any place to track the progress or do we just have to rely on the recurtier to tell us.
 
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I’m currently an aviation-branched CPT in the army and will be getting out this June. Should I decide to pursue this program, would I still have to re-do BOLC? I assume so since they are branch-specific, but one can always hope.

Will my current time in grade factor into future promotion to MAJ? Or would I be starting with “a clean slate” so to speak?
 
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Armyhealth said:
I wanted to make a separate thread on the VC HPSP because I get so many questions about it. Cornell is in my area so I know this program very well. Let me know if I can answer any questions for you!

So here is the blurb from the official 2017 program guide-

Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) Provides a 3 year scholarship for students enrolled in an AVMA accredited DVM or VMD program. Applicants must be a US citizen. HPSP provides full tuition, monthly stipend of $2,229.30 for 10 and one half months and reimbursement of certain academic fees. Provides Second Lieutenant pay for 45 days during active duty training. Appointed and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant branch unassigned while participating in the HPSP program. Soldier is commissioned as a VC Captain upon completion of training. ADO is year-for-year for each year receiving the scholarship with a minimum obligation of 3 years. HPSP grads are required to apply for and attend the First Year Graduate Veterinary Education (FYGVE) Program, a one year hands on training covering clinical medicine, public health, leadership and hospital management. Time spent in FYGVE does not count towards repayment of the HPSP ADO.
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Hi! After reading the thread I came up with a few questions about this scholarship.

-Will being a Cornell Vet student make it more competitive to get the scholarship?

- If my goal is to do a residency after vet school, will accepting this scholarship get on the way of that?

- I am 5’4 and weight around 110 pounds. Will that fall under the height/weight standard? If not (which is probably my case), what’s the standard weight for my height? I know I can gain more than 10 pounds if I go to the gym. I’ve been 124 pounds before, I just need to go back and exercise.:D
 
Dra. Cula said:
Hi! After reading the thread I came up with a few questions about this scholarship.

-Will being a Cornell Vet student make it more competitive to get the scholarship?

- If my goal is to do a residency after vet school, will accepting this scholarship get on the way of that?

- I am 5’4 and weight around 110 pounds. Will that fall under the height/weight standard? If not (which is probably my case), what’s the standard weight for my height? I know I can gain more than 10 pounds if I go to the gym. I’ve been 124 pounds before, I just need to go back and exercise.:D
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1). Your Vet School/GPA is only one portion of the application -- FWIW I was accepted as a Cornell student but there is good representation of many other programs as well.

2). You will be required to pay back the Army before pursuing a residency -- it is a 'scholarship' program in that there is financial support provided while in school, but the ultimate goal is to commission officers to serve on Active Duty as veterinarians. Your obligation will be for eight years; you will perform an intern year (FYGVE) immediately after graduating veterinary school and then you will owe another 3 years of service thereafter. The remainder of the time will be in the Individual Ready Reserve if you choose to leave Active Duty -- basically, your name is on the list to be called back to Active Duty if you are needed. There are opportunities to specialize as an Army veterinarian, but it may be several years before you can pursue this option and certain specialties may be very competitive.

3). An Army Healthcare Recruiter can help you with this question.
 
Bismarck said:
1). Your Vet School/GPA is only one portion of the application -- FWIW I was accepted as a Cornell student but there is good representation of many other programs as well.

2). You will be required to pay back the Army before pursuing a residency -- it is a 'scholarship' program in that there is financial support provided while in school, but the ultimate goal is to commission officers to serve on Active Duty as veterinarians. Your obligation will be for eight years; you will perform an intern year (FYGVE) immediately after graduating veterinary school and then you will owe another 3 years of service thereafter. The remainder of the time will be in the Individual Ready Reserve if you choose to leave Active Duty -- basically, your name is on the list to be called back to Active Duty if you are needed. There are opportunities to specialize as an Army veterinarian, but it may be several years before you can pursue this option and certain specialties may be very competitive.

3). An Army Healthcare Recruiter can help you with this question.
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- Does that mean you can do the last 3 years in the IRR? If so, wouldn’t it be possible for people to do a residency while being in the IRR?

- Do you mean specializing will be years before serving as an active veterinarian? If so, does that mean I’ll have to serve more time?
 
Dra. Cula said:
Hi! After reading the thread I came up with a few questions about this scholarship.

-Will being a Cornell Vet student make it more competitive to get the scholarship?

- If my goal is to do a residency after vet school, will accepting this scholarship get on the way of that?

- I am 5’4 and weight around 110 pounds. Will that fall under the height/weight standard? If not (which is probably my case), what’s the standard weight for my height? I know I can gain more than 10 pounds if I go to the gym. I’ve been 124 pounds before, I just need to go back and exercise.:D
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You would be fine for Ht/Wt. Top notch schools for sure make a difference but they look at everything. I had three Cornell students apply this year and only 1 out of 3 were awarded the scholarship.
 
Keri said:
I’m currently an aviation-branched CPT in the army and will be getting out this June. Should I decide to pursue this program, would I still have to re-do BOLC? I assume so since they are branch-specific, but one can always hope.

Will my current time in grade factor into future promotion to MAJ? Or would I be starting with “a clean slate” so to speak?
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You wouldn't have to go to our DCC course but would have to attend BOLC again. The student version is only 10 weeks so not too bad. You will be pretty bored for the first 6 weeks of it though being prior service.
 
Hello and thank you for creating this thread! I recently heard from my recruiter that I am "pending exceptions" as my acceptance status. Do you know what this means? I am under the impression it means they need the Secretary of Defense to approve the number of vet students they would like to join the HPSP, but I am still unsure. Does it mean that if the Secretary of Defense says that it is too many people, I will be pushed to the OML (waitlist)? What are your thoughts on my chances of an official acceptance?
 
PtolemysCassiopeia said:
Hello and thank you for creating this thread! I recently heard from my recruiter that I am "pending exceptions" as my acceptance status. Do you know what this means? I am under the impression it means they need the Secretary of Defense to approve the number of vet students they would like to join the HPSP, but I am still unsure. Does it mean that if the Secretary of Defense says that it is too many people, I will be pushed to the OML (waitlist)? What are your thoughts on my chances of an official acceptance?
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Pending exceptions can mean a few things, can mean you are pending a waiver or medical clearance. Can mean that you are awaiting your scroll (secretary of defense). However if you recruiter said you were selected then you were selected, congrats! It will clear up just have to be patient, I had one selected as well that is waiting her medical waiver so it happens sometimes.
 
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1. If GRE is so important would it be worth retaking to be more competitive for the HPSP even if I’m already accepted to vet school?
I only took it once and didn’t retake it since it was good enough. But I did not do as well as I wanted on the essay portion.

2. Is there a window in which MEPS must be completed? Is it too early for the the 2018/2019 cycle?
 
Armyhealth said:
You wouldn't have to go to our DCC course but would have to attend BOLC again. The student version is only 10 weeks so not too bad. You will be pretty bored for the first 6 weeks of it though being prior service.
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What is DDC?
 
Keri said:
Will my current time in grade factor into future promotion to MAJ? Or would I be starting with “a clean slate” so to speak?
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I’m in a similar boat got- got out as a O-3 with 7 years AD.
I’m about 90% that you with be reassessed into a different year group based on your graduation from Vet school thus your time to major restarts. HOWEVER, you will get O-3E pay as long as you’ve served 4 years + 1 day.

What I am not sure of is for the 45 days of active duty a year during the HPSP do those in our boat (former CPT/O3 types) get O3e pay? And do we run around as LTs or retain our rank? I can see how that situation would get confusing but it would be a little sad to have to be a butter bar again.
By no means a deal breaker just something I’m curious about.
 
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Camccamm said:
1. If GRE is so important would it be worth retaking to be more competitive for the HPSP even if I’m already accepted to vet school?
I only took it once and didn’t retake it since it was good enough. But I did not do as well as I wanted on the essay portion.

2. Is there a window in which MEPS must be completed? Is it too early for the the 2018/2019 cycle?
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I wouldn't worry too much about the GRE, I would focus that time on community service/work experience. Plenty of other ways to make your packet shine besides the GRE. The MEPS physical is good for 2 years so as long as your within that window.
 
Camccamm said:
I’m in a similar boat got- got out as a O-3 with 7 years AD.
I’m about 90% that you with be reassessed into a different year group based on your graduation from Vet school thus your time to major restarts. HOWEVER, you will get O-3E pay as long as you’ve served 4 years + 1 day.

What I am not sure of is for the 45 days of active duty a year during the HPSP do those in our boat (former CPT/O3 types) get O3e pay? And do we run around as LTs or retain our rank? I can see how that situation would get confusing but it would be a little sad to have to be a butter bar again.
By no means a deal breaker just something I’m curious about.
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For this program you would be a butter bar again, I had a former Air Force Captain who was back to 2LT as well when selected. You get it back as soon as you graduate but it does take some getting used to be called a LT again at BOLC. The OE pay you will get of course.
 
So I'm really confused on this army and vet stuff. If I join the army how much do they cover for veterinary school? Can I do army reserve or do I have to do active duty? How many years am I required to be in the army? Thanks!
 
There’s already a thread with information on this, which you can find by using the search function at the top instead of creating a new thread, as required by the SDN TOS
 
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Also another question? Would I be in the army at the same time I'm in vet school or after school?
 
Update!! They have changed the board date to September for those applying to this program this coming year. That means you should get everything done before you arrive at Vet school. Make sure if you are applying you start getting with your recruiter very soon! Most applicants will not know about this change so I am giving you a huge advantage!
 
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Armyhealth said:
Update!! They have changed the board date to September for those applying to this program this coming year. That means you should get everything done before you arrive at Vet school. Make sure if you are applying you start getting with your recruiter very soon! Most applicants will not know about this change so I am giving you a huge advantage!
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Thanks for the heads up!!
 
Armyhealth said:
Update!! They have changed the board date to September for those applying to this program this coming year. That means you should get everything done before you arrive at Vet school. Make sure if you are applying you start getting with your recruiter very soon! Most applicants will not know about this change so I am giving you a huge advantage!
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Should I contact a recruiter from where I am currently living or from cornell?
 
Are you eligible for this if you will be a commissioned officer before vet school. I did ROTC during my undergraduate career.
 
Armyhealth said:
Update!! They have changed the board date to September for those applying to this program this coming year. That means you should get everything done before you arrive at Vet school. Make sure if you are applying you start getting with your recruiter very soon! Most applicants will not know about this change so I am giving you a huge advantage!
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What is the best way to get in contact with a health professions recruiter nearby me? I'm planning on submitting an application this cycle and wanted to inquire about the process, etc.
I've tried clicking on the email on the Army Veterinary Corp website but it doesn't seem to load any email address.
 
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Nalra095 said:
What is the best way to get in contact with a health professions recruiter nearby me? I'm planning on submitting an application this cycle and wanted to inquire about the process, etc.
I've tried clicking on the email on the Army Veterinary Corp website but it doesn't seem to load any email address.
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You are welcome to PM me, my team can start working with you or we can send you to the local center. Whichever you prefer, send me a PM and I will give you my number and email.
 
vetschoolapplicant said:
Are you eligible for this if you will be a commissioned officer before vet school. I did ROTC during my undergraduate career.
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You can still apply from ROTC, however you will have to get an approved educational delay if you are still in ROTC. Since the scholarship is only a three year scholarship makes it a little tricky but possible.
 
So I'm definitely planning on applying, but I just want to be aware of everything up front -- are there any downsides to this program? From what I've read both here and elsewhere there doesn't seem to be anything negative about the program, but I thought I'd ask just in case.
 
AFutureDogtor said:
So I'm definitely planning on applying, but I just want to be aware of everything up front -- are there any downsides to this program? From what I've read both here and elsewhere there doesn't seem to be anything negative about the program, but I thought I'd ask just in case.
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Well the Army owns you career for four years and they tell you where you will be assigned and you have to follow the army regulations and wear a uniform and all that. You could be deployed as a veterinarian. If none of that army stuff scares you off then there is no downside.
 
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Armyhealth said:
Well the Army owns you career for four years and they tell you where you will be assigned and you have to follow the army regulations and wear a uniform and all that. You could be deployed as a veterinarian. If none of that army stuff scares you off then there is no downside.
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Thanks for your honest feedback!
 
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How competitive is it to join the Army Veterinary Corps reserve component? I am not looking for any scholarships or any bonuses/Loan Repayment. I am simply seeking to serve in another field in the military while also being closer to home (I.e. The reserve units in Colorado or Texas).

Thank you!
 
Bullseye_18 said:
How competitive is it to join the Army Veterinary Corps reserve component? I am not looking for any scholarships or any bonuses/Loan Repayment. I am simply seeking to serve in another field in the military while also being closer to home (I.e. The reserve units in Colorado or Texas).

Thank you!
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As of right now we have slots open for this year. As long as you don't have any prior serious medical history or law issues you could join. There is a position open in Aurora, CO and a bunch open in Round Rock, TX. I would be glad to assist if you send me a PM we can discuss the options.
 
Hi!

So this Fall I will be a senior, and will be graduating from undergrad with a dual degree in Pre-Veterinary Medicine and Spanish next spring. GPA is 3.849, as of right now. I have not taken the GRE yet, will be doing that this summer, and will also be applying to vet schools this summer as well. But I was accepted into Tufts Vet School as a sophomore, so I have a spot saved for me for the Fall of 2019, if I decide to go there. I'm not sure if that's where I will attend, depending on where else I get accepted. My question is, since I already have an acceptance letter, should I aim to apply for this September? Or should I wait until next year to apply.

Thank You!
 
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