HPSP scholarship with ADD

[Singerpremed]

I'm feeling so sad at the moment. I did not realize an ADD diagnosis with treatment would disqualify me from the air force. I have never had school accommodations. I want to know if there are any other branches or scholarships I should look into. I wanted the monthly stipend along with it paying tuition... They said I need a doctor's note that says I was off meds for a year with no issues. I can do that without school while I'm in a gap year (I've had months without meds while in school and did fine but could've done better) but I fear I will need it while in med school in the fall. Thoughts?

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[HomeSkool]

I have ADHD and got an Army HPSP scholarship. That was in 2007, so things may have changed. Wouldn't hurt to look into it.

 

[Singerpremed]

I have ADHD and got an Army HPSP scholarship. That was in 2007, so things may have changed. Wouldn't hurt to look into it.

Were you qualified while taking meds?

 

[HomeSkool]

Were you qualified while taking meds?

I went off meds when I was 17, went back on them when I was 19, and was still taking them when I qualified several years later. Took them all through my years on active duty.

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[ciestar]

I went off meds when I was 17, went back on them when I was 19, and was still taking them when I qualified several years later. Took them all through my years on active duty.

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I am nearly certain this is disqualifying now. I have a friend on HPSP in the navy with mild test anxiety who was afraid to even see a counselor to talk through that... but that is obviously an anecdote here.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

For the Navy, under the physical exams and standards:

(9) Current or history of Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD) (314), or perceptual/learning disorder(s) (315) is disqualifying unless applicant can demonstrate passing academic performance and there has been no use or medication(s) or special accommodations in the previous 12 months.

I don't know about the AF, but you can get into the Navy if you have done well in school and haven't gotten any special accommodations or used medications for at least 12 months. The longer it's been since you've been on meds, the better.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I am nearly certain this is disqualifying now. I have a friend on HPSP in the navy with mild test anxiety who was afraid to even see a counselor to talk through that... but that is obviously an anecdote here.

(12) Current or history of anxiety disorders (anxiety (300.01) panic (300.2)) agoraphobia (300.21), social phobia (300.23), simple phobias (300.29), obsessive-compulsive (300.3), (other acute reactions to stress (308)), post-traumatic stress disorder (309.81), are disqualifying.

It's different once you're in. Anxiety will not get you kicked out (unless it's debilitating), it can just keep you from getting in.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

From what I recall, people have done calculations on these forums that show civilian physicians coming out ahead of their military peers in the long run.

As I noted in @HomeSkool's awesome thread, this is specialty and time dependent. If you match to a high-paying specialty, at the end of your commitment, you will not be appreciably behind your civilian colleagues, as they will have lots of debt that you will not have. Additionally, your residency salary will be significantly higher, and you won't have to pay for health insurance, malpractice, etc. If you go to USUHS, you will actually be even closer, as you will be getting paid even more while in medical school (average for civilian accessions is $65k/year, I believe, while for HPSP it's like $20k or something). If you are in a high-paying specialty and stay past your first commitment, you will see your civilian colleagues pull away from you. At retirement, you will have a good deal though, as you'll be getting a pension and then later your TSP.

If you are in a primary care specialty, you will do better than many of your civilian colleagues (or at least as good), and if you stay in, your pay will continue to increase until you retire, at which point you get that pension. Your civilian colleagues will have to really hustle, while you'll get annual COL raises and regular increases in pay that are no joke. And again, you don't have to pay malpractice or health insurance.

So the answer is that it depends. If you go into something like orthopaedics and stay past your commitment, you will not be making nearly as much as your civilian colleagues. Your retirement might be easier, but they will be making much more in the interim and will probably have a decent retirement. If you're in primary care, though, it's harder to say which is better, since the salary gap is very small or non-existent.

ETA: But your other question is better. Why take the HPSP? I really don't recommend anyone taking it whose primary intention is something other than serving. If you're doing it for the free tuition and think you can just suck it up for a few years to pay back your commitment, you'll probably have a miserable time. But some people actually really enjoy the military (myself included), and that's because service itself is a major motivator.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

This is why I stopped pursuing HPSP. I'm 75% sure I'd enjoy serving. Working in the hospital, some of my favorite patients have been veterans and their families. But I have no idea where medical school will take me. If by the end I still think I'd enjoy the military and it is where and how I'd like to practice, then FAP might be the way to go. For now, it's a career I'm potentially interested in, but not ready to commit to.

You made the right choice. Anyone who isn’t at least like 90% sure that they want to serve, particularly for those for whom specialty is more important than service, should either not do it or wait. If you get to applying to residency and decide you love rad onc, and you’re on Navy HPSPS, you’re SOL. You can always try to join after you’ve gotten the specialty you want or simply try for a contracting job if you just like taking care of servicemembers and vets.

I would love to do rad onc, but it’s not in the cards right now for the Navy and is not likely to be any time soon (or when it’s time for me to pick a specialty). But I’m okay doing something else, because I’d rather be a Navy general surgeon or internist than a civilian rad onc. If that’s not you, then wait.

 

[workaholic181]

You could maybe get a waiver for ADD if as the above poster stated you can document that you’ve been fine in school. I got a waiver for asthma; it was a pain and waivers are never a sure thing but they do come down, especially for HPSP and I’m told the army is the most liberal.

With that being said if you’re still on ADD meds that would more likely than not be permanently disqualifying.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

You could maybe get a waiver for ADD if as the above poster stated you can document that you’ve been fine in school. I got a waiver for asthma; it was a pain and waivers are never a sure thing but they do come down, especially for HPSP and I’m told the army is the most liberal.

With that being said if you’re still on ADD meds that would more likely than not be permanently disqualifying.

As noted in the med manual above, OP would need documentation that he has not been on medication or used special accommodations for the last year. But with those it is certainly possible to get a waiver.

 

[workaholic181]

As noted in the med manual above, OP would need documentation that he has not been on medication or used special accommodations for the last year. But with those it is certainly possible to get a waiver.

As noted in the med manual above, OP would need documentation that he has not been on medication or used special accommodations for the last year. But with those it is certainly possible to get a waiver.

Right I’m speaking to the fact that each branch uses a different waiver authority and thus while the navy considers one thing pdq the army may be more likely to grant a waiver due to having more personnel. My point is that if he’s had recent usage of meds even the army, which gives the most waivers, likely wouldn’t qualify him either.

 

[CyrilFiggis]

I want to know if there are any other branches or scholarships I should look into.

OP, unfortunately, the armed services have very strict and somewhat asinine Medical DQs. I was fully accepted to USUHS but was DQed for having had recurrent pilonidal cysts (2 in 8 years). I got an appeal letter from my colorectal surgeon who himself was former military but was still denied. It's a tough rejection, but the bright side is that you must have gotten in to med school so congrats!

Additionally, your residency salary will be significantly higher, and you won't have to pay for health insurance, malpractice, etc. If you go to USUHS, you will actually be even closer, as you will be getting paid even more while in medical school (average for civilian accessions is $65k/year, I believe, while for HPSP it's like $20k or something).

I know there are topics on this and I think it might be a good idea to do a @HomeSkool -esque breakdown on military med pay because it's confusing. Unlike a civilian, you don't get one flat salary but a composite salary made up of your Base Pay (variable for time and rank), Housing budget (which is tax free and location/rank dependent), HPO special pay (based on 4 year commitment and specialty), etc, etc, etc.

All of this is to say that there is a time and place for those wanting to military medicine. If your motives are strictly financial and you have no prior service or background, the lifestyle and (general) loss of lifetime earnings should draw you away from this.

 

[HomeSkool]

OP, unfortunately, the armed services have very strict and somewhat asinine Medical DQs. I was fully accepted to USUHS but was DQed for having had recurrent pilonidal cysts (2 in 8 years). I got an appeal letter from my colorectal surgeon who himself was former military but was still denied.

Bummer!

I'm so sorry, I just couldn't help myself. I know that makes me an ass.

I totally agree with your post and think @Matthew9Thirtyfive should put together such a breakdown.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I know there are topics on this and I think it might be a good idea to do a @HomeSkool -esque breakdown on military med pay because it's confusing. Unlike a civilian, you don't get one flat salary but a composite salary made up of your Base Pay (variable for time and rank), Housing budget (which is tax free and location/rank dependent), HPO special pay (based on 4 year commitment and specialty), etc, etc, etc.

All of this is to say that there is a time and place for those wanting to military medicine. If your motives are strictly financial and you have no prior service or background, the lifestyle and (general) loss of lifetime earnings should draw you away from this.

I’ve been active duty for almost 6 years. I’m pretty aware of how pay works in the military. If anyone is curious about how it works, just ask. I’m sure between @HomeSkool and myself, the question will be answered.

Actually, @militaryPHYS does an excellent breakdown of why military physicians are not as far behind their civilian counterparts by the end of their commitment as one would assume.

And as for the DQs, some of them may seem asinine, but they are there for a reason. Some are more waiverable than others. I myself received a waiver for a DQ condition discovered in boot camp. Additionally, once you are in, many things that are disqualifying will not kick you out—they may just change your service, either temporarily or permanently.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Right I’m speaking to the fact that each branch uses a different waiver authority and thus while the navy considers one thing pdq the army may be more likely to grant a waiver due to having more personnel. My point is that if he’s had recent usage of meds even the army, which gives the most waivers, likely wouldn’t qualify him either.

Yes, and my point is that if your service of interest has a similar qualification, med usage outside of a year is likely to get waived. Additionally, branches with more people clamoring to get in are less likely to grant waivers.

But yeah, I know people with ADD/ADHD in the Navy. They just needed copies of their medical records showing they weren’t on medication and had done well in school.

 

[CyrilFiggis]

I’ve been active duty for almost 6 years. I’m pretty aware of how pay works in the military.

Sorry, I wasn't trying to make it seem like you don't, I was more speaking to anyone like OP who may be interested in military med but unfamiliar with pay structure, hence why I thought it would be good for you to write up an insiders perspective. Sorry for the confusion.

And as for the DQs, some of them may seem asinine, but they are there for a reason.

I totally get it, but in my case it was egregiously assinine

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Sorry, I wasn't trying to make it seem like you don't, I was more speaking to anyone like OP who may be interested in military med but unfamiliar with pay structure, hence why I thought it would be good for you to write up an insiders perspective. Sorry for the confusion.

No worries. I figured that's what you meant. I was just trying to say there are people who can answer those questions (or point to the right resource).

I totally get it, but in my case it was egregiously assinine

lol.

 

[Singerpremed]

I was talking with my boyfriend who doesn't know much about meds or ADD but that I do better with the meds. He reminded me my bottom line is to be the best physician I can be because I am dealing with other people's lives. And if the military prevents me from being medicated I can not be the best even though I can still be okay. I am going to look at the national health service corps. My dad told me to look at the coast guard. If anyone knows of scholarship stuff I should consider please feel free to let me know and give info. Thanks so much for everyone's input.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I was talking with my boyfriend who doesn't know much about meds or ADD but that I do better with the meds. He reminded me my bottom line is to be the best physician I can be because I am dealing with other people's lives. And if the military prevents me from being medicated I can not be the best even though I can still be okay. I am going to look at the national health service corps. My dad told me to look at the coast guard. If anyone knows of scholarship stuff I should consider please feel free to let me know and give info. Thanks so much for everyone's input.

The Coast Guard does not have physicians. They use physicians from the Public Health Service, which will have similar standards.

 

[Singerpremed]

The Coast Guard does not have physicians. They use physicians from the Public Health Service, which will have similar standards.

What about the national health service corps?

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

What about the national health service corps?

The NHSC is a completely separate organization. I doubt they have any requirements beyond the technical requirements med schools have. PHS is a uniformed service, so it’s a little different.