Can HPSP be used if you want to specialize? Please Help

[Expert]

I would appreciate it if anybody can help me with a question that I really want to know the answer to.

I know that the HPSP program pays for your dental school in exchange for a service commitment. But what if, instead of being a general dentist, you decide to pursue a specialty residency instead? How would your service commitment be affected then?

I know that the HPSP is a one-for-one program, meaning that for each year they pay for your school, it's one year of a service committment. But what if, after dental school, you want to specialize and pay for it yourself. Is this allowed?

From what I've read, the military has its own residency programs. Are you still allowed to pursue specialization through civilian residency programs? For example, let's say that you go to dental school with HPSP, and you get 4 years of dental school paid for. But then, what if you decided to pursue a civilian residency program? Can you choose to do that civilian residency by yourself (without having the military pay for it), and then choose to fulfill your original service obligation after you finish your residency program and become a trained specialist? If this is the case, then would you fulfill that original
4 year commitment as the specialist that you trained to become?

I am wondering if it's possible to use the HPSP to become a dental specialist without increasing your service obligation. If there is anybody knowledgable about how any of this work, please help. Thanks.

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[krmower]

I would appreciate it if anybody can help me with a question that I really want to know the answer to.

I know that the HPSP program pays for your dental school in exchange for a service commitment. But what if, instead of being a general dentist, you decide to pursue a specialty residency instead? How would your service commitment be affected then?

I know that the HPSP is a one-for-one program, meaning that for each year they pay for your school, it's one year of a service committment. But what if, after dental school, you want to specialize and pay for it yourself. Is this allowed?

From what I've read, the military has its own residency programs. Are you still allowed to pursue specialization through civilian residency programs? For example, let's say that you go to dental school with HPSP, and you get 4 years of dental school paid for. But then, what if you decided to pursue a civilian residency program? Can you choose to do that civilian residency by yourself (without having the military pay for it), and then choose to fulfill your original service obligation after you finish your residency program and become a trained specialist? If this is the case, then would you fulfill that original
4 year commitment as the specialist that you trained to become?

I am wondering if it's possible to use the HPSP to become a dental specialist without increasing your service obligation. If there is anybody knowledgable about how any of this work, please help. Thanks.

HPSP is only for dental school. If you have committed through HPSP, then in the Army you will be required to do specialty training through the military. If you choose to do both dental school and specialty training on your own and then try to come in...it depends on the specialty. The Army is full in certain specialties and will be selective in what type of specialties they accept.

So the short answer is no. You can not use HPSP for specialty training in the Army.

 

[vellnueve]

The Navy will take some students straight of of school and send them straight into residency following graduation. If this is done at a military residency, then the payback (1 year per year of residency, 1.5/1 for ortho and endo) is served concurrently with the original payback (effectively you serve whichever one is longer). If they let you do it at a civilian residency as an active duty officer, you will get pay and full benefits as well but will ADD that residency payback on top of your original payback. There is also a program called NADDS which allows you to go straight into residency without coming on active duty - you get no pay or benefits but incur no additional payback time at the completion of your residency.

All of these must be applied for.

 

[duke2121]

Question. I would really like to specialize. Its my goal to work extremely hard in dental school to achieve this. However, I want to do the NAVY HPSP. Is it possible after one serves their 4 year commitment, to then enter a residency training as a civilian??

 

[del Sol DOHC]

Question. I would really like to specialize. Its my goal to work extremely hard in dental school to achieve this. However, I want to do the NAVY HPSP. Is it possible after one serves their 4 year commitment, to then enter a residency training as a civilian??

Yes. Many dentists do just that.