yeah you're right, many of them work clinic but at least the mission and big push of HST is to produce basic science researchers (who often go on to do clinic in addition to research, but a disproportionate number go into fields with limited patient contact - something like 6 out of 30 went into rads last year, 6 more into anesthesia, etc). my admittedly limited interaction with a handful of HST faculty (i'm thinking my PI and my two faculty interviewers) has just given me the impression that physically seeing patients is not as big a priority in the HST culture as research. one of my faculty interviewers specifically said she went into pathology to stay away from patients
either way, HST gets the same clinical training in years 3 & 4 as NP so i guess the difference really just boils down to preclinical preferences. HST likely ends up being what you make of it, so bleargh is right in saying it will open doors to all sorts of things (not just research, despite the self-selection for people more likely to end up on that route).