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^^^^ How much?
^^^^ How much?
How competitive is it with a 3.6 and a 29 to get AF? I want to be an OB/GYN - is that going to be competitive to get as my choice for military or civilian (don't care as long as it is OB/GYN)? Do they look at whether or not you are female or male? As in favor one over the other?
Also, don't extrapolate your undergrad performance with how you will do in medical school. 3.6/29 is fine, but isn't any indication how you'll do in medical school.You are competitive for the scholarship. Whether or not you will be competitive for OB in the future is unknown. Too many factors cloud the crystal ball.
I am meeting with a recruiter for the first time next week. I have asked many questions and think this is the best program for my situation....special thanks to all of those that have helped me. I could not have made such an informed decision had it not been for the input on this and other related threads.\
That being said, I don't eant to leave anything on the table. Is there anything negotiable or add ons that can be asked for upfront before signing. I know I may be opening myself up for some humorous responses, but I am just curious.
Thanks.
I am meeting with a recruiter for the first time next week. I have asked many questions and think this is the best program for my situation....special thanks to all of those that have helped me. I could not have made such an informed decision had it not been for the input on this and other related threads.\
That being said, I don't eant to leave anything on the table. Is there anything negotiable or add ons that can be asked for upfront before signing. I know I may be opening myself up for some humorous responses, but I am just curious.
Thanks.
I am meeting with a recruiter for the first time next week. I have asked many questions and think this is the best program for my situation....special thanks to all of those that have helped me. I could not have made such an informed decision had it not been for the input on this and other related threads.\
That being said, I don't eant to leave anything on the table. Is there anything negotiable or add ons that can be asked for upfront before signing. I know I may be opening myself up for some humorous responses, but I am just curious.
Thanks.
Figure $900 twice per month. A lot depends on what your state taxes are.
So I contacted a recruiter...
Received an application for commision
Filled out the application for commision
Went to MEPS...
Had my physical...
I needed to urinate twice, because one chick spilt my urine
Found out my ears needed cleaning....
Did the duck dance in my undies...
Got my ears cleaned....
Stamped as Physically Qualified....
Got Accepted into 5 DO schools...
Sent in my Official MCAT scores/LORS/Acceptance letters/official transcripts
Found out Last Week that all of this paperwork had been received Last Wednesday...
When do I find out if I've been accepted as an HPSP candidate?
All I have heard is that the board convenes and decides on whether to accept or reject.
Any experiences of previous/current applicants?
I've e-mailed/called my recruiter and the person in charge of processing my paperwork. ANy other advice to move a long the process!
Should I threaten them that I am considering joining a different branch of the military?
Any help is appreciated!
GMO tours are still very much done in the Army. Based on the last data someone posted, 25% of folks did GMO tours. That's less than Navy, but do not go Army thinking this will not be a factor for you.Are GMOs still done in the Army? The recruiter was trying to tell me that that was just a Navy and Air Force thing and not an Army thing.
Absolutely. If a GMO tour is a dealbreaker, go the FAP route. With HPSP, you need to be comfortable with the possibility of a GMO tour.Is there a risk that if I did want to do General Surgery that I would get put in one of those GMO positions?
Yes, GMO tours count towards your active duty payback.I understand that I have four years of active duty and four years of IRR, but what do the GMO years count for? The active duty years?
No. Residency years actually accumulate more active duty obligation, but it can be paid back with your obligation incurred from HPSP.Do your residency years count as anything toward that IRR? (If I did what I wanted [cardio-throracic surgery] which I think is 5 years of general surgery with 2 more years, what would my commitment be?
How? You can't get HPSP retroactively.Lastly, I am paying in-state tuition and took out 28,000 in loans this year to pay for part of my tuition and living expenses. I have figured that I can probably make it out of this with under 85,000 in loans. They tell me about that 20,000 bonus, which seems to actually only be about 14,000, but my mom seems to think that I can get them to cover all 28,000 of my loans and she works for the military.
I literally can't think of a worse financial decision that someone who is looking at $85K in debt who is thinking of going into cardiology taking HPSP. It would literally end up costing you close to a million dollars or more, depending on your career.Is this program worth it right now? I want to do something different with my life. I would love to get out of the country and to serve my country, but I don't know if it is worth taking the risk of not getting into a General Surgery residency and having to waste more time in a GMO, if the Army even has that anymore.
So I finally heard back from my recruiter, and apparently passed the first hump, by being professionally recommended for the scholarship.
I have read through these forums, and I am wondering how much weightage I have in negotiating the scholarship terms.
For example before signing the contract, may I demand certain things? I know it's hard to demand no GMO tours, but what other factors could I negotiate?
Thanks for the input, this forum has been such a great insight into determining whether I wanted to take this scholarship or not!
No Deployment ever? Oh C'mon....that's best you can do?
And if only there was a demand for smoking HOT Male nurses.....
Are you trying to put me in my place? Because...frankly ouch
Essentially he is saying, no, there is no room to negotiate. The deal is the deal. The military pays for med school, you owe the military your time. They cannot guarantee internship, GMO tours, deployments, or place of assignment. Read the contract, if you can live with it as is. Sign. If not, don't.
No, unless your school lumps your insurance in with tuition or something like that. If you have to pay for insurance separate from tuition, then HPSP only covers you. I know, that sucks.For the HSPS scholarship, is government health insurance included for the wife and kids?
For the HSPS scholarship, is government health insurance included for the wife and kids?
1. 20 yearsI am sorry if this has been answered already, but what is the time required to serve in order to retire. If I sign up through the HPSP do the years in medical school and residency count as enlisted years? I am particularly interested in the NAVY. Also, what are the benefits of the retirement plan? Thanks in advance!
Dear All,
I've been reading these forums, and y'all have given me a lot to think about (namely, "don't trust the recruiters"). Even so, I'm really unsure about what to do, and so as the genius that I am, I decided to ask hundreds of perfect strangers to help me make the most important decision of my entire life.
You should feel honored. I know I do.
Current situation:
I am 21, a junior in undergrad, pre-med, looking into applying to med schools a year or so after graduation. I am thinking about doing Peace Corp/Americorps/Healthcorps/ something service-oriented in my gap year. Depending on my MCATs, I'll either apply the year after I graduate, or apply to a Post-Bacc program to boost my GPA and whatnot. I'm not exactly "poor," but there's no way in Hell I could put myself through med school without incurring AT LEAST the average $250K in loans (if not more).
Academics:
GPA is about a 3.27, but my Science is much, much lower (somewhere around 2.7 at last count). Haven't taken the MCAT yet, but will hopefully pull off a 29+ when I take it this summer. I've volunteered for a couple hundred hours, will shadow in a few weeks, and am (cautiously) optimistic that I will get into med school...someday.
Aspirations:
Leaning towards Osteopathic Medicine (for philosophical reasons, as well as "admissional" ones), and am interested in doing PCP (not the drug), probably in the form of Family Practice, General/Internal Medicine, or Rural Medicine. I do not want to do Surgery, ED, or Research. Not now, and probably not ever. I might change my specialty to something sexier in med school, but I doubt it, and it would still be some form of clinical work. My long-term goal in life is to be the stereotypical "country doctor" or suburban family practitioner, complete with the wife and 2.5 children. [cues theme song to "Leave It to Beaver"]
That said, I am currently single, no dependants, and there are no signs in sight that this will be changing for the next 10-20 years or so, if it ever will. I am willing to move around if I have to (I've done it my whole life anyways), but I would like some reliability and stability as I get older, and to have the option of settling down and putting down roots if I ever get the chance to start a family. I am not above spending a decade or two in the military, however I have never thought of myself as career military (although the uniforms and benefits are incredibly badass).
I don't care about getting rich, but I don't want to be scraping by or struggling; $100k-150K after taxes will MORE than meet my needs (at least until the "family planning stage" sets in, if it ever does). I just want to have a job where I can take care of myself and loved ones, do something good with my life, and not hate myself/my employer every minute of the workday.
Why I am Considering HPSP:
The usual financial reasons, plus I've always wanted to do something with the military, that didn't involved the risk of death or killing (I'm a conscientious objector, but my faith permits "humanitarian" work in military services). The benefits are great, the possibility of graduating working without debts or malpractice is amazing, and the idea of being an officer and serving my country is certainly tempting to a degree.
Also, when I first began exploring military medicine, I was tempted by the idea that the military, perhaps more so than civilian or private practice, really cares more about what is in the patient's best interest, and not what is the most profitable or economically-viable course of action. I don't like politics, in my personal or professional life, and I'll only play them if it will actually work and I will absolutely have to.
But I really don't want to have to.
Why I am hesitating about HPSP:
The title of this post; namely, having my future mortgaged away without at least knowing what I'm getting myself into. I don't know enough about military medicine to know whether it is or isn't for me, but my biggest concern is about life after HPSP, and life in the military as a whole.
Dress and attire, rules and regulations, orders and drills, these I can learn to live with if I have to. Dictating what or how I practice might be more difficult, especially if I have to trade wrestling with insurance agencies for wrestling with government agencies over a patient's best interests and treatment. GMOs--that aren't in combat zones--and dictating where I practice, that's more reasonable as long as I have at least some input, even if it gets ignored some or most of the time. Until I start a family (if I ever do), I can move whenever and wherever I need to, although I'd certainly prefer not to.
Most of all, I like having the freedom voice my objections to something I find objectionable. I can work, or work within, the system if I have to, but I have to be confident that the system is workable and that I'm not just wating my time. I just want to do my job, to the best of my ability, and todo so in a way that takes care of my patients', and also my own, best interests.
To be honest, I just wanted to know if HPSP might not be the best thing for me, and how difficult life is in Military Med, since I don't really have access to any Military Docs in my area. What I'd like to know is:
[Sorry to be so demanding, but with so much BS and runaround (and I don't mean the degree-programs and PT), it's hard to get a straight answer, even if I spent my whole undergrad on the forums.
Does anyone know whether I can get a military service (army probably) to pay for two years of med school with a two year active duty commitment? The HPSP sheet on the army website says a "minimum of two years" but I have hears nothing about a 2 for 2 program.
Get another recruiter! I have been working with three, and all of them have been on top of my questions and application material. You are very competitive and my stats arent as high as yours! So....I would just contact the branch and ask for a different recruiter. Good luck!Has anybody else applying had a really hard time with their recruiter. I honestly feel like the guy I've been working with is one of the most disorganized people i've ever worked with, and he regularly makes comments asking if I really want to go through with this because of things like paperwork.
I come from am multi-generational military medicine family. I feel like i'm at least a competitive candidate (3.7gpa,35mcat) yet this guy has given me nothing but a hard time since day 1 (which was actually almost 6 months ago).
Is this pretty typical and I need to suck it up, or did I just get screwed over by my particular recruiter (and I guess still need to just suck it up).
Plenty of Army doctors have good experiences. The biggest problem I see with HPSP and the military medical school is that the Army may train you for your desired specialty, then deploy you outside of your specialty, for example, as a brigade surgeon. This is basically, a clerk job with a fancy title--it involves NO surgery. Unfortunately, if you get this tasking during your last year as staff (which I've seen several times), and if you are in any specialty which requires you to actually practice during the year prior to your discharge, you will find yourself unemployable. The Army will be pretty thrilled with this, since they'll sign you on for 3 more years during which they will 'retrain' you. I can tell you, this tasking has been 'awarded' to very good doctors, in fields where the Army is short of specialists. They'll send pathologists, nuclear medicine, dermatology...you name it. Unfortunatley, the civilian world won't always understand the randomness of the Army in making these taskings. It will be assumed that you were a problem child, or that you were incompetent. This is simply not the case.
I've been thinking about the HPSP on and off for awhile now and I'm still just not sure. I wonder, though, is it perhaps to late in the game to apply for this year?
Also, I'd like some advice/experiences from HPSP/military medicine folks regarding family dynamics, etc. Really, the only issue that has been keeping me from signing up is that family is fairly important to me. I'm single now, but I would like to get married/start working toward a family in the next 3-5 years - which would put me right at the end of school/begining of residency. What is the life of a HPSP student's SO/wife look like? Obviously deployments are deployments, but I can see real issues with having a career driven SO and finding an appropriate job while following around a HPSP student who's being stationed nationally/internationally come active duty years. Are many SOs/wives stay at home, or do many people simply live apart for some time? Any personal experiences that anyone would care to relate would be wonderful. Thanks in advance!
Look at these links! Ive always believed in learning from other peoples experiences; thats how I made my decision about HPSP. If you want to do it for the money, you will regret it!I've been thinking about the HPSP on and off for awhile now and I'm still just not sure. I wonder, though, is it perhaps to late in the game to apply for this year?
Also, I'd like some advice/experiences from HPSP/military medicine folks regarding family dynamics, etc. Really, the only issue that has been keeping me from signing up is that family is fairly important to me. I'm single now, but I would like to get married/start working toward a family in the next 3-5 years - which would put me right at the end of school/begining of residency. What is the life of a HPSP student's SO/wife look like? Obviously deployments are deployments, but I can see real issues with having a career driven SO and finding an appropriate job while following around a HPSP student who's being stationed nationally/internationally come active duty years. Are many SOs/wives stay at home, or do many people simply live apart for some time? Any personal experiences that anyone would care to relate would be wonderful. Thanks in advance!
Has anybody else applying had a really hard time with their recruiter. I honestly feel like the guy I've been working with is one of the most disorganized people i've ever worked with, and he regularly makes comments asking if I really want to go through with this because of things like paperwork.
I come from am multi-generational military medicine family. I feel like i'm at least a competitive candidate (3.7gpa,35mcat) yet this guy has given me nothing but a hard time since day 1 (which was actually almost 6 months ago).
Is this pretty typical and I need to suck it up, or did I just get screwed over by my particular recruiter (and I guess still need to just suck it up).
Look at these links! Ive always believed in learning from other peoples experiences; thats how I made my decision about HPSP. If you want to do it for the money, you will regret it!
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=560604&highlight=HPSP
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=354000&highlight=HPSP
There is plenty more if you want to read them, just search HPSP in SDN.
***I know that these links for the most part point out all the negatives, but if you have spoken to a recruiter or looked at the program you should already know all the positives; they are advertised. It is the negatives that are also important to consider. I was in your situation 2 months ago, and even completed almost all the paperwork before finding these forums and deciding against it. I am not anti-military by any means, I just want to have a good medical career and a good family life, without being yanked out of place.
Best of luck!
Has anybody else applying had a really hard time with their recruiter. I honestly feel like the guy I've been working with is one of the most disorganized people i've ever worked with, and he regularly makes comments asking if I really want to go through with this because of things like paperwork.
I come from am multi-generational military medicine family. I feel like i'm at least a competitive candidate (3.7gpa,35mcat) yet this guy has given me nothing but a hard time since day 1 (which was actually almost 6 months ago).
Is this pretty typical and I need to suck it up, or did I just get screwed over by my particular recruiter (and I guess still need to just suck it up).
Is he enlisted?
I can't find a definitive answer on this one...For HPSP, Does time in med school/internship count towards rank/pay but not retirement?
My pay date on virtual MPF is listed as the date I graduated med school. You are "recommisioned" on your graduation date as an O-3. Med school does not count for service time or pay (unless you serve 20 years)
If I start the ball rolling for the scholarship and everything is not completed by the time I start my second year in August, will I still be able to get the first semester covered? Is there a cut off for paying for the first semester? I have heard that as long as you are commissioned prior to completing the semester it can be covered. I also heard that there could be some problems if it is beyond the end of the fiscal year. Does anyone have any experience with this?
Until you sign the paperwork, you own them.
.
I see. So what would a GMO's salary look like? Does the internship year count?
For a fresh GMO right out of internship, without any prior service...
Base Pay (as O-3 with <2 years of service) +
BAH (dependent on area) +
BAS +
VSP (5K/year) +
ASP (15K/year) +
Flight/Dive Pay (if applicable)
Salary ranges because of the BAH and Flight/Dive Pay, but expect to be making about 70K/year before taxes