HPSP Medicine

[Blakeb_212]

I can't seem to find any updated information on this topic, so I was wanting to throw out a few inquiries for those of us who may be interested. As a Fall 2018 applicant, when should one begin applying for the HPSP program? Also, what are the general requirements throughout school and post-graduation? Thanks in advance

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

You can apply at the same time. There is also a military medicine forum here, but take what you read there with a grain of salt. Many salty folks there and not much representation from folks who enjoy the military.

 

[Medic741]

Be aware — Army Requires DCC + BOLC, meaning you will have 0 time to study for Boards if you go Army. Something to consider as you choose your branch of service. I took the Army HPSP and happy w my decision, but something to think about

 

[astrostellar]

Be aware that residency does not count toward the service obligation that you incur when you sign up. So, 4 years med school + residency, then you begin paying back your time.

 

[Blakeb_212]

Thanks for the insight everyone!

 

[IlDestriero]

The Mil Med forum can answer all of your questions. There’s a lot of information there.


--
Il Destriero

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Be aware that residency does not count toward the service obligation that you incur when you sign up. So, 4 years med school + residency, then you begin paying back your time.

Unless you intern then GMO and out.

 

[Mr Max]

Be aware that residency does not count toward the service obligation that you incur when you sign up. So, 4 years med school + residency, then you begin paying back your time.

I believe this is wrong. The Military recruiter and others I have spoken with have explained it as so:
Every year of med school = one year payback
One year of residency = Pay back one year from Med School BUT also incur 1 year of owed time.

Result == 4 years or length of residency is your time commitment, whichever is longer.

 

[Medic741]

I believe this is wrong. The Military recruiter and others I have spoken with have explained it as so:
Every year of med school = one year payback
One year of residency = Pay back one year from Med School BUT also incur 1 year of owed time.

Result == 4 years or length of residency is your time commitment, whichever is longer.

Semantics.... but during med school you accrue 4 years. Your time of residency will cause you to accrue 'x' number of years of payback. Your payback time (accrued between med school/residency) is then served concurrently.

 

[HappiSquirrel]

Also note that there are residency restrictions. Military needs physicians to practice FM, Gen surg, etc. Going into the fields the military dont necessarily need will incur more payback years. This is what the recruiter told me 4 years ago before I started med school so that might have changed.

 

[IlDestriero]

Also note that there are residency restrictions. Military needs physicians to practice FM, Gen surg, etc. Going into the fields the military dont necessarily need will incur more payback years. This is what the recruiter told me 4 years ago before I started med school so that might have changed.

If the military doesn’t need or want your desired field, they won’t let you train in it. They can’t make you take a residency you don’t want, but they won’t let you train in something they don’t need. That would mean intern year -> GMO -> civilian program.


--
Il Destriero

 

[HomeSkool]

Semantics.... but during med school you accrue 4 years. Your time of residency will cause you to accrue 'x' number of years of payback. Your payback time (accrued between med school/residency) is then served concurrently.

Not semantics. I know this from using my Post-9/11 GI Bill to fund my master's degree. I took a 2-year HPSP scholarship and went AD after graduation. Intern year is neutral -- it counts toward retirement and benefits calculations, but it neither pays off HPSP nor causes you to accrue additional obligation. Then I did three more years of residency and had a three-year payoff period.

Here's where it gets interesting: A year after completing my residency, I went to use my Post-9/11 GI bill. Time spent in service can only be applied to one educational benefit at a time (i.e., time spent paying back HPSP doesn't count toward GI Bill benefits). I applied for my GI Bill benefits just shy of five years in service and was approved for 90% benefits. I waited another couple months (until after my five-year mark), reapplied, and was approved for 100% benefits. If my residency time had not counted toward HPSP payoff, I would have been approved for 100% benefits the first time -- my first three years of residency would have satisfied the 3-year requirement for the Post-9/11 GI Bill. In fact, this is what happened:

- Intern year: one year toward GIB, no HPSP payoff
- PGY-2 & -3: paid off my two-year HPSP scholarship, didn't accrue any additional time toward GIB (can't double-dip educational benefits)
- PGY-4: one year toward GIB
- First year as attending: one year toward GIB

That's why I had to finish my first year as an attending (my fifth year of AD) to qualify for 100% GIB benefits.

Over in the MilMed forum, someone quoted me the passage about AF HPSP payoff to support what you're saying (that scholarship and residency payoff are done concurrently after residency). I don't know if the Army and Air Force are running things differently, but the simultaneous post-residency payoff is definitely not the way it worked out for me, as determined by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

 

[akuko2]

Here’s what my COT class was told about Air Force HPSP: starting with those who take the scholarship this year Intern year is no longer commitment neutral.

If you get a civilian deferred residency, you essentially suspend your military commitment until after residency and serve the AD commitment accrued from your scholarship.

If you get an active duty or civilian sponsered residency you get paid via the mil, so you accrue TIS and TIG but also 1 year of AD commitment per year of GME training. HOWEVER, this commitment is served concurrently with the amnt of time owed for the scholarship so you only really start adding extra time once your years in reaidency extend beyond what you already owed originally.

 

[Armyhealth]

Be aware — Army Requires DCC + BOLC, meaning you will have 0 time to study for Boards if you go Army. Something to consider as you choose your branch of service. I took the Army HPSP and happy w my decision, but something to think about

They changed it so you can report to DCC before you start 1st year as long as you get through the application process soon enough and get enrolled, so really important if your applying Army to start as soon as possible . The last couple classes got stuck with DCC inbetween

 

[Blakeb_212]

For those of you who are applying, or have applied already, where do you find the actual application packet? Is this something the recruiter hands to you, or is there an online application somewhere that I cannot seem to find? The recruiter I talked to, in my home state of Montana, really had no idea about the program other than some of the general information I should begin to gather based on the Navy's criteria. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[akuko2]

You need to reach out to a healthcare specific recruiter and they should be able to walk you through the process.

 

[Armyhealth]

For those of you who are applying, or have applied already, where do you find the actual application packet? Is this something the recruiter hands to you, or is there an online application somewhere that I cannot seem to find? The recruiter I talked to, in my home state of Montana, really had no idea about the program other than some of the general information I should begin to gather based on the Navy's criteria. Any advice would be appreciated!

I think you are talking to a regular recruiter instead of a healthcare recruiter. I don't believe we have a center in Montana anywhere. In fact the closest to you is most likely Spokane, WA. I can give you everything if you want to get started. I am in NY but work with people all over the country.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Also note that there are residency restrictions. Military needs physicians to practice FM, Gen surg, etc. Going into the fields the military dont necessarily need will incur more payback years. This is what the recruiter told me 4 years ago before I started med school so that might have changed.

Yeah this is not true. First, they cannot force you into a specialty. If you want a specialty they don’t need, they just won’t fund training spots in that specialty, so you won’t be able to match. But they will not force you into a different specialty.

Additionally, if they do fund a few spots in a specialty you’re interested in but that is not very operational in nature, you will not necessarily incur more time. The time you incur depends on whether the residency is longer than your scholarship commitment or not. For example, pathology is not an operational specialty. The Navy funds 2-4 spots for it. It’s a four year residency beyond internship. So if they really are taking away neutrality for intern year, you’d owe five years instead of four. But note that it has nothing to do with it being less needed. General surgery and orthopaedics will both get you a longer commitment (sometimes much longer depending on the program), but are obviously very needed.

However, in the Navy, they can use the GMO tour as a way to get operational time out of you. Take pathology. You will do your internship and then apply for residency. However, there were zero straight through spots this year. So if you want path, you’re doing a two-year GMO tour first. But, those two years do count as payback. So if you hit the end of those two years, you can either try for residency if you want to stay in or finish your commitment out and go civilian.

 

[Blakeb_212]

I think you are talking to a regular recruiter instead of a healthcare recruiter. I don't believe we have a center in Montana anywhere. In fact the closest to you is most likely Spokane, WA. I can give you everything if you want to get started. I am in NY but work with people all over the country.

Yeah I would greatly appreciate this!

 

[Armyhealth]

Yeah I would greatly appreciate this!

Sent you a PM

 

[Armyhealth]

MC HPSP class of 2023 can apply as early as September now. Big change, pretty much to help you get selected, enrolled and to DCC before you start school!

 

[bigreddoc]

Late to the game here but hoping someone can respond. If I were to take a 2 year scholarship, then a 4 year residency, does that mean I have to pay back 2 years active duty, or 4?

 

[Armyhealth]

Late to the game here but hoping someone can respond. If I were to take a 2 year scholarship, then a 4 year residency, does that mean I have to pay back 2 years active duty, or 4?

You would pay back the length of the residency whatever that ends up being.