HPSP MEPS question

[Boronew]

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Hello.
My recruiter told me that my MEPS is scheduled from 10/4 to 10/5.
Since I'm a HPSP applicant, I was wondering if I have to swear in by the end of MEPS. Also, is there anything that I have to be careful about when signing the forms and contracts?

Thank you!

 

[orbitsurgMD]

Generally your completed MEPS physical has to be submitted as part of your application packet (and be qualifying) before your HPSP application is approved. Only then are you allowed to be sworn in as an officer. So, no.

 

[Boronew]

Generally your completed MEPS physical has to be submitted as part of your application packet (and be qualifying) before your HPSP application is approved. Only then are you allowed to be sworn in as an officer. So, no.

Thank you!

 

[DOswag]

Hello.
My recruiter told me that my MEPS is scheduled from 10/4 to 10/5.
Since I'm a HPSP applicant, I was wondering if I have to swear in by the end of MEPS. Also, is there anything that I have to be careful about when signing the forms and contracts?

Thank you!

Yes...................

Don't do it

 

[ObsequiousAplomb]

Yes...................

Don't do it

As someone who had a negative experience, I strongly encourage you to consider very carefully whether you really want to do HPSP or not.

It isn't better financially to do it, and you will likely find other work just as if not more rewarding when you graduate.
PSLF route is faster than HPSP for having everything forgiven / cutting all ties in many / most situations (especially when considering IRR years) with much more flexibility.
The armed forces have the right to medically discharge you after you match into a residency but before you start (which is where my negative experience comes from). That is a much, much worse situation than you could find yourself in as a civilian.

 

[DOswag]

As someone who had a negative experience, I strongly encourage you to consider very carefully whether you really want to do HPSP or not.

It isn't better financially to do it, and you will likely find other work just as if not more rewarding when you graduate.
PSLF route is faster than HPSP for having everything forgiven / cutting all ties in many / most situations (especially when considering IRR years) with much more flexibility.
The armed forces have the right to medically discharge you after you match into a residency but before you start (which is where my negative experience comes from). That is a much, much worse situation than you could find yourself in as a civilian.

Yes they do have this right, but I've seen it more often where they hang on to docs whereas other people would've been medically discharged. No trying to dig into your medical history but this kind of surprises me. I'm treating a doc who's currently AD now that I'm on the civ side and I asked why she hadn't been med boarded and she said they wouldn't because she "could still do her job" though she for sure has not been deployable for quite some time and won't be any time soon...

 

[Boronew]

I can still decide whether to turn down the offer after I get accepted to the program right?

 

[DOswag]

I can still decide whether to turn down the offer after I get accepted to the program right?

If you sign, they own you for the next decade + of your life. Well med school is mostly civ world except when you do you ADT's. Residency will likely be at an MTF though not 100% guaranteed. Then the 4 years (possibly more) of payback time.

Serious answer here though. I would echo what Obsequious said. I wouldn't necessarily even say I had a miserable time in as I got sent to a pretty cool place for a few years after residency. But working as a physician in the military (I'm psychiatry btw if that gives any perspective), is not just "Oh yay I'm a physician now but I get to put on the 'whatever branch I'm serving in uniform' when I go to work". Much of your duties will be as an officer in the military which at times will seem to clash with your duties as a physician. There is an absolute soul crushing amount of BS, admin work, meetings etc that you will be expected to do in addition to seeing your patients and that mountain of BS is only getting worse as the military machine moves forward. Frequently you will find that many things come down from above from people that have gotten far away from patient care so can't fully appreciate what you do on a daily basis and that typically comes in the fashion of "we're implementing this new policy that will improve patient outcomes". Literally never does it improve patient outcomes but it most certainly will add to your admin burden, paperwork/documentation, and will be a bullet for that person to put on their OPR to work towards getting a promotion some day...

Think very very hard before you sign on to this. The military is not for the faint of heart. I personally don't feel the trade off of paying for my school was worth it. You will make enough on the outside to payoff student loans.

 

[ObsequiousAplomb]

Yes they do have this right, but I've seen it more often where they hang on to docs whereas other people would've been medically discharged. No trying to dig into your medical history but this kind of surprises me. I'm treating a doc who's currently AD now that I'm on the civ side and I asked why she hadn't been med boarded and she said they wouldn't because she "could still do her job" though she for sure has not been deployable for quite some time and won't be any time soon...

Then she was lucky, and whatever branch she was in was going far out of their way to accommodate them when they didn't have to.
In my situation it was RA that developed while I was in medical school. I require long-term immunosuppression. During the two times we tried coming off of it, I had severe flares.
That's an automatic disqualification.
I contested it.
They didn't care.
Because I had been accepted by the military match, I had to withdraw all of my civilian applications.
I was discharged in March, considerably after the match.

It doesn't matter if "someone else had it nicer."
What happened to me is what the military WANTS to happen in that situation.
Just because someone else one time got a waiver in no way means that the military WANTS doctors on waivers.
Please stop spouting nonsense like this. All you do is trick people into thinking HPSP is flowers and marmalade.

 

[DOswag]

Then she was lucky, and whatever branch she was in was going far out of their way to accommodate them when they didn't have to.
In my situation it was RA that developed while I was in medical school. I require long-term immunosuppression. During the two times we tried coming off of it, I had severe flares.
That's an automatic disqualification.
I contested it.
They didn't care.
Because I had been accepted by the military match, I had to withdraw all of my civilian applications.
I was discharged in March, considerably after the match.

It doesn't matter if "someone else had it nicer."
What happened to me is what the military WANTS to happen in that situation.
Just because someone else one time got a waiver in no way means that the military WANTS doctors on waivers.
Please stop spouting nonsense like this. All you do is trick people into thinking HPSP is flowers and marmalade.

I am terribly sorry for your situation and cannot imagine going through that. I apologize and was not trying to imply anthing ESPECIALLY that the military is flowers and marmalade as I have never promoted that idea and literally stated this in response to the OP above. The military can do whatever they want to and the vast majority of time do without regard to the individual. I was merely expressing shock over this as I have seen it in other instances where doctors specifically were retained even though they had what is typically an automatically disqualifying condition (i.e. I've seen a doctor retained with bipolar disorder). I in no way am saying I believe this to be a good thing, just something that is. This could be branch specific as I was Air Force though. Again, there was no intention to offend, and again, I am not one who tries to trick people into thinking anything good about HPSP. You can go look through my many previous responses on this matter including the one right above your response to me where I completely agree with what you said above about HPSP.

 

[HighPriest]

I remember when I signed on the line. I had a couple recruiters who were honestly very nice guys who knew absolutely nothing about HPSP or being a doctor, but who knew the party line very well (very good at their jobs). I met them at the office. My (now wife) fiancé was there with me. It was a big deal. I knew that it was kind of a point of no return and I had struggled with it for a long time. Lots of family in the military for generations, but still - this was my life. I felt good signing it, but walking out I got really anxious. I mean, that was that. For better or worse I was doing HPSP. But, you know what? I’m hindsight it was so much worse than I ever could have imagined. Scarring, really. Something so ridiculous I simply never could have imagined how short sighted I was at the time.

 

[DMBandFan86]

Military medicine seems to eb and flow. But right now is probably one of the worst times to join in a while. The military has always been jacked up and it’s not going to change. I.e. catch 22.

So in 6-10 years it might go in the upswing, but who really knows. If we go to an active war things might change quicker. But any policy changes can take years to implement.

As I always say, only join if you truly want to serve regardless of the money or what happens over your service time. If you have expectations to have great training and a great physician experience that may not happen. If you are okay with that then maybe join. If not, then don’t join or join the reserves later in school/residency.

 

[DMBandFan86]

Also I think always best to listen to people’s opinions and then make your own decision. You will hear the worst of the worst experiences and the best of the best. Both true, but those are the outliers.

In general though, I agree with the above that the military it is generally an unlikable experience. That being said it is sometimes very miserable and sometimes pretty good. But most of the time a disquiet of ‘I’d rather be doing something else’.