I realize that there is probably a HPSP forum, but I'm not sure of the location of it. This question is open for anyone here that can answer. If awarded the 4-year HPSP Scholarship for any branch of the military, is it possible to do residency training (example: oral and maxillofacial surgery) during those 4/5 years of paying back time? Or must you complete those years before pursuing a residency program through the military? If anyone could answer this or direct me to someone who can, I would greatly appreciate it! Good luck to everyone currently in the application cycle. It's a waiting game!
HPSP Army and Residency Training
- Thread starter nemolaws
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Assuming you enter the residency after dental school as you normally would, your time in residency would be "neutral". This means that it simultaneously expends payback years and incurs payback years. The end result can be thought of as delaying your payback until you've finished residency. So let's say you took a 3 year residency (idk, perio or something) on a 4 year HPSP... Four years dental school, say 1 year in, 3 years in the residency, 3 years of payback, then out (assuming you want out).
The residencies are supposedly quite a bit easier to get into and pay you as you would be paid as a (military) dentist. However, you go where they tell you to go for both residency and payback. Always a cost to be paid, isn't there?
Also, you would typically start residency a year after you're in, once you've completed something they call a snowbird year (that initial year in that I mentioned above). So for your OS example, it's more like 4 yrs d-school, 1 yr in, 4 yr residency, 4 yr payback (the last year of residency is no longer concurrent with your now-complete HPSP payback). So that's 9 years from residency to your leaving date, or if you'd like to look at it in terms of payback years, one extra net payback year for your OS residency.
Hope that helps. I like to answer these b/c I remember the process can be daunting considering all the big decisions you make during this time. GL with your choices.
