Dropping Out of Med School as HPSP???

[SanFran_FutureDoc]

Hi,

Really need some advice, please. I'm in my first semester of medical school and feeling quite sure that medicine is not for me. I have been reflecting and talking on this ad nauseam and it is not the academic rigor, etc., at all that is influencing my decision. It is really a matter of my lack of interest/passion and my fear that I will become a less-than-ideal physician.

My question is, what would be the consequences of my 4-year Air Force HPSP contract if I decided to drop out of medical school after this first semester and/or year? Would I owe both the money incurred thus far AND active duty time, or just one or the other? Would the time I need to "pay back" be equivalent to the amount of time I have been in the program so far (1 year), 4 years, or something else? In what capacity would I be serving (i.e. MSC, etc.)?

Thank you so much for any input.

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[HomeSkool]

I don't think they can require you to pay back both the money and the active duty obligation. But you need to do two things immediately:

1) Read your HPSP contract in its entirety. There's almost certainly a provision dealing with failure to complete medical school.

2) Contact your HPSP coordinator and make sure you understand your rights and obligations.

If push comes to shove, you may also need to consult an attorney, but I doubt it will come to that. You're hardly the first HPSP recipient to decide healthcare isn't for them, and the Air Force will have some procedure for handling this scenario. Good luck.

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[xffan624]

Hi,

Really need some advice, please. I'm in my first semester of medical school and feeling quite sure that medicine is not for me. I have been reflecting and talking on this ad nauseam and it is not the academic rigor, etc., at all that is influencing my decision. It is really a matter of my lack of interest/passion and my fear that I will become a less-than-ideal physician.

My question is, what would be the consequences of my 4-year Air Force HPSP contract if I decided to drop out of medical school after this first semester and/or year? Would I owe both the money incurred thus far AND active duty time, or just one or the other? Would the time I need to "pay back" be equivalent to the amount of time I have been in the program so far (1 year), 4 years, or something else? In what capacity would I be serving (i.e. MSC, etc.)?

Thank you so much for any input.

Follow the above advice. Read your contract.

I knew two people when I was in the Army who dropped out of medical school and were repaying their obligation. They were serving as medical service corps officers. It's not the end of the world.

 

[jabreal00]

If you quit now then you'll just pay back the loan with some interest. As alluded already, read the contract and contact your POC in HPSP right away. I think they require you to pay in one lump sum. If you quit after some skin in the game then they'd want you to pay back as a medical service corp officer, which is you've done active duty rotations and officer basic course.

 

[PressPforPi]

Follow the above advice. Read your contract.

I knew two people when I was in the Army who dropped out of medical school and were repaying their obligation. They were serving as medical service corps officers. It's not the end of the world.

I'm pretty sure if you fail the flight training to be a Warrant Officer in the Army, you become enlisted. Wouldn't that be some hell if the same applied for medical school?

 

[IlDestriero]

Welcome to the MSC.


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Il Destriero

 

[USArmyHPSP]

I have some experience with this and here is what happens from the Army side.

It’s an either or situation regarding time or money – they can’t get both

If they come at you for the money they can request everything paid to you (stipend, books, equipment) and on your behalf (tuition and fees) plus interest. This does not include any salary, travel, or per diem while on ADT. It’s been many years since I asked, but I have been told that the interest is calculated based on the Prime Interest Rate at the “time that the debt is realized”. Which basically means when DFAS gets notified by the Service Secretary that you have a debt that needs collecting. I have never seen DFAS come after the entire amount, unless that is what the member asked for. Usually, it is spread out over not more than 10 years.

Time gets to be a little tricky. If you did not take the accession bonus, you will owe no less than two years active and six reserve. If you took the bonus, you will owe four active and four reserve. Now is where it can get tricky. Title 10, Chapter 105, para 2123, the Secretary of the Service can impose several options including you having to serve this time in the Army or Navy, or double the time owed in the Reserves. As far as in what capacity, the needs of the Service will determine your choices. If MSC is over strength, then you may end up as something else entirely.

Everything listed above is based on the needs of the Service at the time of your drop. In the Army, there is an allowance throughout the process to “plead your case” for any of the above options. I can only imagine that it is not much different in the Air Force. That said, at the end of the day, it is the Service Secretary (or his designee) that will ultimately determine the outcome. Each branch has its own variability, the rules can change over time. For a long time the Army wanted repayment only, then MSC and no repayment. Then they wanted repayment. Then they wanted active service just not MSC. Here is a link to a thread from a long time ago that is still relevant: https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/hpsp-drop-cant-afford-recoupment.959884/

As everyone else has stated, read your contract, read Title 10, and talk to the HPSP office. It is the HPSP office that can outline your best course of action.