Can you get commissioned and go active prior to med school (HPSP) starting?

[newguy357]

I am accepted to med. school for the summer of 2007 and I'm strongly considering HPSP with the air force or the navy (interested in aerospace medicine). I've already graduated from college and have recently moved across the country, just beginning a job search in my new location.

My question is: is it possible to get commissioned now and be active duty until med school starts (just under a year from now) at which point I would go onto HPSP? Does anyone know someone who has done this? Is it a stupid idea? Is it even possible? If yes, would it even be possible to do that basic officer training before med. school even starts rather than during one of the summers later on? It would be nice to get that out of the way.

Just an idea I had today as I was thinking about the job prospects around here....

Thanks for your thoughts

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[midn]

Let me just start by saying this: I'm a Pre-med student who does not have significant knowledge on HPSP (compared to all the other veterans here).

That being said, I do know a little about commissioning from ROTC. You have to go to OIS before actually getting commissioned (I think it's about 6 weeks) and even after that, in order for you to go active duty, you would need a job to do. I only know about the unrestricted line officers in the Navy and each one of those jobs requires training that is longer than a year and the Navy would not send you to that anyways since they know that a warfare specialty is not your goal. I do not know any job you could do for a year having no prior experience or training.

As for when you can go to OIS, I don't know, sorry.

 

[colbgw02]

Let me just start by saying this: I'm a Pre-med student who does not have significant knowledge on HPSP (compared to all the other veterans here).

That being said, I do know a little about commissioning from ROTC. You have to go to OIS before actually getting commissioned (I think it's about 6 weeks) and even after that, in order for you to go active duty, you would need a job to do. I only know about the unrestricted line officers in the Navy and each one of those jobs requires training that is longer than a year and the Navy would not send you to that anyways since they know that a warfare specialty is not your goal. I do not know any job you could do for a year having no prior experience or training.

As for when you can go to OIS, I don't know, sorry.

This is essentially correct. You have to have a job to do, and to do your job you have to be trained. If you sign up for HPSP, at this point they're not going to pay to train you to do anything besides be a physician.

I have heard of folks doing OIS/OBC before medical school starts, but it depends on when you're commissioned, the number of open spots available, and probably any number of proverbial little old women in white tennis shoes in and around the D.C. area doing their jobs, not to mention how on top of things your recruiter is.

 

[encourageable]

I did OIS the summer before, which I stronly recommend to free up your schedule later. Your recruiter has to get all your paperwork completed on time. However, they have nothing to do with getting you an OIS spot. You have to go through NROWS and talk to NMETC to get that set up. Given the shortage or HPSPers, getting a spot wasn't hard for me, and I don't imagine that has changed. Talk with the NROWS processor and let them know the need be expeditious.

I commissioned late march 05 and was in OIS in June.

good luck

 

[kaikai128]

As far as I know, it is not possible to get accepted into the scholarship and go duty for a year. It would take them a year or more to get sufficiently trained to do any sort of officer position for them, at which time you would be leaving for medical school.

AF Specific: If you get accepted for a 4 year HPSP scholarship early enough, you will be expected to attend COT before the start of your first year of medical school. I think it is definately an advantage to go before starting school--but many ppl don't get their scholarship and paperwork done in time to go summer before med school, and the spots fill up quickly. The biggest advantages are 1. understanding your scholarship, and 2. they will let out OUT if you decide that the military isn't for you--but only if you make this decision BEFORE any money is paid to the school (per Major Kimberly Frisco, the previous director of the HPSP program in 2005).

All that being said, if you really DO want to do HPSP for all the right reasons, and have made this decision. Get accepted to med school early and get your Air Force scholarship package in to the earliest selection board...and when you do get the scholarship--get your paperwork done asap.

 

[la dottoressa]

As far as I know, it is not possible to get accepted into the scholarship and go duty for a year. It would take them a year or more to get sufficiently trained to do any sort of officer position for them, at which time you would be leaving for medical school.

AF Specific: If you get accepted for a 4 year HPSP scholarship early enough, you will be expected to attend COT before the start of your first year of medical school. I think it is definately an advantage to go before starting school--but many ppl don't get their scholarship and paperwork done in time to go summer before med school, and the spots fill up quickly. The biggest advantages are 1. understanding your scholarship, and 2. they will let out OUT if you decide that the military isn't for you--but only if you make this decision BEFORE any money is paid to the school (per Major Kimberly Frisco, the previous director of the HPSP program in 2005).

All that being said, if you really DO want to do HPSP for all the right reasons, and have made this decision. Get accepted to med school early and get your Air Force scholarship package in to the earliest selection board...and when you do get the scholarship--get your paperwork done asap.

Best idea is to do COT before med school---AF prefers you do that---the recruiters arrange.....

 

[bliss72]

I am pre-med major who just happens to be a HPSP counselor for the Army , (I am not here to recruit but I can give some info). Yes you can go Active beofre medical and the apply for HPSP but you may run into the problem of being bound at least for two years the AOC ( MOS) that you joined the military for. When you go to OCS you are not branched until you graduate and then you are branched to the needs of the service. You incur an obligation. Now you may apply for the scholarship while you are in but your command has to sign a conditional release in order for you to even apply. If they don't want to...you're stuck, because you already obligated yourself to the military but not to the medical field per se. It is a risk you run.

If you have any other questions I will try to answer them. FYI the Army also offers aerospace medicine. The Army is the largest service so we have to be self-sufficent and have our own everything.

PS. OBC (Officer Basic Course) is different from OCS (Officer Candidate School). OBC is like (AIT for officers) it is what you get to under the scholarship it teaches you elements of your function in the military. OCS is like Basic training, officers who complete OCS usually go to OBC to learn their job for whatever they branched in. Scholarship students do not attend OCS only OBC.

 

[kaikai128]

I am pre-med major who just happens to be a HPSP counselor for the Army , (I am not here to recruit but I can give some info). Yes you can go Active beofre medical and the apply for HPSP but you may run into the problem of being bound at least for two years the AOC ( MOS) that you joined the military for. When you go to OCS you are not branched until you graduate and then you are branched to the needs of the service. You incur an obligation. Now you may apply for the scholarship while you are in but your command has to sign a conditional release in order for you to even apply. If they don't want to...you're stuck, because you already obligated yourself to the military but not to the medical field per se. It is a risk you run.

If you have any other questions I will try to answer them. FYI the Army also offers aerospace medicine. The Army is the largest service so we have to be self-sufficent and have our own everything.

PS. OBC (Officer Basic Course) is different from OCS (Officer Candidate School). OBC is like (AIT for officers) it is what you get to under the scholarship it teaches you elements of your function in the military. OCS is like Basic training, officers who complete OCS usually go to OBC to learn their job for whatever they branched in. Scholarship students do not attend OCS only OBC.

Short answer...If you are looking for something to just "tie" you over for a few months while you apply to medical school....DON'T go active duty unless it is to complete your officers training AFTER you have gotten the scholarship.

 

[cyclegirl]

The short answer is that no it is not possible. Like others have said you will have atleast a 2 year obligation to the job you entered in at and you would not be able to leave for med school summer of 2007. I recommend that you go to OIS before med school. My school is year round so I had to go before school starts but they were telling us that they are recommending that all people go before. If you want the scholarship you need to apply now for all of that to happen. It is a long process that involves a lot of paperwork and waiting. The longest wait is on Congress because they have to put your name on the scrolls before you can be commissioned and that can take up to 4 months. I was accepted for the scholarship in Jan of this year and I was not able to be commissioned until the middle of May. Good Luck.