Health Service Corp

[Matthew]

I was wondering if anyone had any information regarding the competetive nature of Health Service Corp Scholarships. THanks!

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[ReneeWB]

The number to call to receive info is 1-800-638-0824. Hurry -- applications have to be in by March 26th.

According to their application materials an applicant is scored according to several criteria and priority is as follows: 1st priority to those who have received NHS scholarship in the past or who received scholarships for students with exceptional need. 2nd priority goes to those who have HPSA retention characteristics (practicing primary care, willingness to stay in an area where there is need after repayment of committed time, etc.) 3rd priority is given to applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The places where you repay your service can be in rural or urban areas where needs are great, on Indian reservations or in the Federal prison system. It is my understanding that they choose, though.

Hope this info helps.

Renee

 

[Gregory Gulick]

From visiting their website, it sounds to me that you can also sign up after your residency. That is to say, if I am unsure that I want to sign up now then I can use any possible loans to pay for medical school and volunteer to join the NHSC after residency at which point they pay something like $25k yearly on my loans.

Did anyone else get this impression too? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Gregory Gulick
Accepted, NSUCOM '03
http://www.osteopathic.com/gregory

 

[summer]

When I was interviewing at KCOM the financial aid guy did mention being able to sign up after your residency. There is a list of cities and regions that they have designated as medically underrepresented, so if you end up practicing in one of these places you can qualify for a reimbursement plan. I don't remember the exact numbers, but it was something like for the first 2 years you give service you recieve $25000-$30000/year to repay loans. After that the amount goes up to $50000/year (??) until either your loans are paid off or until you discontinue to the program. As I said, I'm not sure about the exact amounts, but I'm quite positive that the amount they give you increases after the second year of service. From what I understand though you must be a primary care physician. For those who get their schooling paid for during the fact, you absolutely must go into primary care. If you break the contract and decide to specialize, you are required to pay back triple what they gave you, so make sure primary care is definitley for you before applying for it. You can always specialize after the years of service if you feel the need.

 

[Deb]

I have spoken directly with both the NHSC and the Indian Health Service
(they are completely seperate organizations). Unless the policy has
changed in the past 6 mos., some of the above info is incorrect. For
loan repayment the NHSC pays $25,000/yr and the IHS pays $30,000/yr.
The amount DOES NOT increase after 2 or more years. The NHSC would not
give me a salary quote, other than to say they were "competitive". The
IHS quoted $80,000-$120,000 depending on specialty and location. The
NHSC considers primary care applicants only (FM, peds, IM, OB/GYN, psych).
The IHS recruits all specialities, however, they obviously have a greater
need for family docs than neurosurgeons, so if you are highly specialized
you might end up in Alaska! Location, regardless of specialization, is
also an issue. The IHS allows you more flexibility in where you end up
(based of course on their current needs). I got the impression that the
NHSC is less flexible in that regard (it works somewhat like the residency
match). Because the IHS is less well known and therefore has fewer
applicants they are able to basically give you a list of locations and you
tell them where you want to go. Also, with either organization, it is not
a matter of just openning a practice in an underserved location. You practice
in the clinic or hospital they choose and treat the patients they send.
Lastly, I'm not excited about the prospect of prison service with the NHSC
(although they did say that they "try" to fill those positions with males...
sorry guys). As you can probably tell, I have decided to go with the IHS.
I was told to contact them and order the paperwork at the beginning of my
last year of residency. Hope this info helps.


[This message has been edited by Deb (edited 01-30-99).]