HPSP Question

[Retro Boomin']

Good morning SDN!

After reading this forum and weighing the pro's and con's of military medicine, I have decided not to take the HPSP. Though I am still interested in military medicine, I can't see myself committing to a program that influences the specialty that I end up in. As a result, I have been reading up on FAP.

However, my personal statement and other essays to medical school expressed my major interest in military medicine; I even spoke about my intent to take the HPSP. The school I was accepted to is very military medicine friendly, with a webpage dedicated to advertising the scholarship program.

I was wondering if turning down the scholarship could somehow affect my acceptance, since the medical school might think I was just using the HPSP as a platform to get accepted?

Thank you for any help!!

- Retro

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[HighPriest]

Seems doubtful, although you’re asking us to predict what someone we don’t know will do.

Lots of people change their minds throughout medical school. Everyone I knew told our med school admission board that they wanted to do primary care and work in an underserved area, primarily because the school made it obvious that’s what they were looking for. Ultimately only a portion of the class went that direction.

I would think that the school would appreciate that you can research and analyze information and made educated changes in your plans. Plus, if you look in to FAP, you’re still looking in to milmed. You’re just going about it in a modified way.

 

[backrow]

My guess is you are going to a D.O. school as they are typically the ones who advertise HPSP the heaviest. They aren’t going to rescind an offer based on you deciding not to take HPSP.


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[notdeadyet]

Nor would it have an affect at an allopathic school.

 

[AvoidMilitaryMedicine]

Good morning SDN!

After reading this forum and weighing the pro's and con's of military medicine, I have decided not to take the HPSP. Though I am still interested in military medicine, I can't see myself committing to a program that influences the specialty that I end up in. As a result, I have been reading up on FAP.

However, my personal statement and other essays to medical school expressed my major interest in military medicine; I even spoke about my intent to take the HPSP. The school I was accepted to is very military medicine friendly, with a webpage dedicated to advertising the scholarship program.

I was wondering if turning down the scholarship could somehow affect my acceptance, since the medical school might think I was just using the HPSP as a platform to get accepted?

Thank you for any help!!

- Retro

The military is NOT a healthcare organization (nor should it be). As such, if you want to be a physician, the military is not the place to pursue that goal. However, if you want to be an officer and dabble in medicine, the military could be a good fit for you.

The way the system is now (massive cuts to GME) and the way it's going (even more cuts, instability, low pay and being asked to do more with less, i.e. R-profis), going into military medicine is a HUGE MISTAKE.

All of this is not to say that you can't have unique/interesting experiences as a military physician or a military officer in another field, but myself and nearly everyone I've talked to from Captain to Colonel in the med corps have almost unanimously agreed that military medicine is over. It was declining for years but this is the coup de grace. Which sucks for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that I'll be one of the few sad sacks left to pick up the slack (until my ADSO is up).

DO NOT DO IT. Make sure your friends visit this forum, talk to a military doc (can even have them message me), before literally throwing their lives and careers away.

 

[backrow]

The military is NOT a healthcare organization (nor should it be).

I disagree with you a little here. The military is not a healthcare system; however, there is certainly a healthcare system within the military. It is certainly not the wrong place for every person who wants to be a physician.

The primary mission of the military is definitely not healthcare; however, the need for healthcare within the military is not going away, but taking a massive turn to pursue a new girlfriend.

I agree with your sentiments that now is not necessarily the best time to sign up with all the uncertainty, but that uncertainty will likely become less muddy over the next six months at which time people can re-assess what’s going on and make a better informed decision.

Unfortunately for those already in the game you are having the rules of the game change on you suddenly and without prior knowledge. It doesn’t necessarily mean the game will be wrong for those just coming along now. They just need to take several months to possibly years to read the new rules.


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[militaryPHYS]

The military is NOT a healthcare organization (nor should it be). As such, if you want to be a physician, the military is not the place to pursue that goal...

Just when I thought you understood the need for your opinion to be heard but not generalized to all of MilMed you go and post stuff like this. Yes we don't know where we will end up in 5 to 10 years, yes there are a lot of unknowns, but saying stuff like "I've talked to from Captain to Colonel in the med corps have almost unanimously agreed that military medicine is over" is such a naïve, sheltered statement to make. You are Army at an unknown location doing an unknown specialty. Maybe MilMed as they know it is over (which I think we would all agree is a good thing), or maybe their ability to keep extending is over because MilMed is decreasing their specific billets...but there will always be a need for MilMed in some shape or form as @backrow stated.

As such, if you want to be a physician, the military is not the place to pursue that goal.

I've had a great education for Navy Ortho. I expect Navy Ortho will continue to train well through all of this as it is an operational and high-volume specialty within the military (sports, hand, foot and ankle, general trauma at least). I was top 25% amongst all ortho surgeons for part I of my boards because of my MilMed residency experience and have interviews for top civilian fellowships because of my Military Medicine career thus far.

We know you are Army and went to USUHS. I think I missed what specialty you trained in and whether or not your personal opinions come from time CONUS or OCONUS. These would help provide objective information to premeds instead of regretful sounding doom and gloom ranting.

I was wondering if turning down the scholarship could somehow affect my acceptance, since the medical school might think I was just using the HPSP as a platform to get accepted?

As to the OP. Just make sure you have a solid honest answer when they ask you why you turned down the HPSP. I think a simple statement stating that the current unknowns of Milmed and how it relates to specialty choice left too many variables when trying to plan for the future should suffice. Nobody should fault you for turning it down as long as your are honest and don't second guess your decision.