Hpsp?

[SilverAngel1110]

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Hi all... I am looking into applying for the HPSP offered by the armed forces to fund med school, and I was wondering if any current med students in this forum were participating in the program, and if so, if they would be able to say a little bit about it... The good points, the bad points, things you wish you'd known before, etc. Thanks so much!

 

[paean]

Thread about this in the financial aid forum already. Check it out.

 

[SilverAngel1110]

thanks, will do. i meant to ask if there was a thread about this already. 🙂

 

[007flint]

If you go to a state school and you are thinking about the military to pay the bills, look into the national guard progam also. Not many people know it exists. I almost went HPSP b4 I found out about this program. I'm a 2nd Lt in the Army National Guard. I get tuition assistnace ($3500/yr), GI bill ($300/mo), and monthly pay ($6000/yr). This is just for going to school with no militatry commitment once I graduate! I signed up for 4 years. If you don't know this already, all people in the guard or reserves work one weekend a month and 2 weeks a year in the summer. During our one weekend a month we practice HP's and are allocated study time. We also can go to trainging classes for the medics and other PME classes like ACLS. During our 2 weeks in the summer we can do a clerkship at a military hospital and get paid!!! Upon graduation our commitment is complete, however if we sign up for another for years we can get loan repayment options of upto $60K. This depends on your specialty. Surg, ER, FP, Ortho, and IM all quilify for this option. You also have the option of recieving a stipend of $1200/mo while you complete your resendency. If you do the math, this route actully pays more than HPSP. And you don't have the active duty commitment. Just one weekend a month and 2 weeks a year. For those of you that are worried about the crap with Iraq and Korea, as a med student or resident we are nondeployable. If this interests you talk to your state national guard recruiters (both AF and Army have these programs), b4 signing your life away with the HPSP. Hope this helps.

 

[Mutterkuchen]

This is really interesting, but I don't understand why the National Guard would want to do this. You have a 4 year committment during medical school and they cannot call you up? What do you do for them? What is the catch?

Also can you subspecialize? For example can you get an IM board certification, and then do a fellowship and still qualify for the loan repayment?

If anyone can speak to how this differs from being in the AF or Army reserves, please do, as well.

 

[perrum365]

so, this is basically just like joining the national guard, right? like, my cousin did this after getting his bachelor's degree in english, and they signed him up to a water purification unit or something. he's worried about being sent away right now, though. it makes it tough for him to get a job right now, when you may have to leave anyday.

but you say you can't be deployed while a student or resident? are there restrictions on what residency you choose? will you be in the match just like every other med student at State U.? that's pretty sweet.

ok, here's my math, does it sound resonable?

tuition assistance $3,500/yr
Gi bill 300/mo*12 mo.= $3,600/yr
monthly pay total= $6,000 /yr

= $13,100/yr

nice! i assume its taxed of course... so you'll lose a little there...

so, you can be called up, right, once you're a doc? how long is that window for? like 8 yrs or something? i mean, it isn't like you just quit the reserves and that's it. are you an enlisted man? what's your job while you're a med student? a medic? do you have a rank? is there a web page to find out more?

hey! thanks for the post! 🙂 sorry to ask so many questions!

 

[Mutterkuchen]

If anyone can speak to my questions above, I would appreciate it.

 

[The White Coat Investor]

I am HPSP. I would not do it again. You do not know everything you need to know to make this decision properly. Trust me. Take the loans. Most HPSP students I know (lots) also would not do it again.

Big Reason # 1) You will have to go through the military match. You may not be able to do the specialty you want. This happens frequently, not occasionally.

Big Reason # 2) Deployment sucks. Working for the military HMO sucks. Every military doctor I have met in my four years in the HPSP program is planning to get out as soon as he/she can.

Big Reason #3) Financially, it only works out if you do primary care and go to an expensive school.

Trust me, living like a resident for a couple of years while you put your attending salary toward loans is better than dealing with reasons 1,2, and 3. Recruiters don't lie, they just don't know. You'll notice there are no doctors recruiting.

 

[tomjr]

Hi Desperado,
thanks for your insight.. I was really excited about the HPSP after the recruiter's pitch, but the more I investigate (esp. on these boards) the less sure I am... could you flesh out your story a bit? Which branch are you a part of? what is your particular experience, as well as those of your colleages?

thanks in advance... we really appreciate the unique insight that you can bring to this discussion!

deuces,

Tom

 

[williestyle81]

I thought about doing HPSP also, but I met with the recruiter and my decision was to NOT take part in HPSP!!!!! He wanted me to sign these medical forms ASAP and his attitude was nasty. Once you sign a contract with HPSP you CANNOT get out of it!!! Just my 2 cents

 

[BenHoganFan]

There are a lot of minuses in choosing any military route to fund for your education. Taking a loan and paying it back is the best way to still have your 'freedom', unless you have a very rich uncle or aunt (most of us don't).

However, on a side note. I grew up in a military community and my father was enlisted in the service from 1960 to 1980. As a foreigner he was limited to being a deckhand or a steward. I always saw the military as a way to take the opportunities that father did not have. I joined knowing the good and the BAD. If you are willing to take the sacrifices of fighting for your country or supporting those people who go each day sacrificing their lives every day in combat or away from their friends and family for half of their civilian counterparts pay, then join. It has truly been a personally rewarding experience for myself and an honor to serve and continue to serve. If you're not willing to die for your comrades, then don't join.

As a medical officer, I heard one sob story after another about some poor schmuck who joined because a recruiter told him a falsehood. I don't want to have to deal with that type of heartache and I wouldn't want anyone who doesn't realize the sacrifices that you have to make to join. Look over the contract, if you don't like it, don't join.

We are all highly intelligent people who are supposed to pay attention to details. Read your contract. Research the best and worst case scenarios.

http://www.persnet.navy.mil/pers4415/gmo_2002.htm

http://www.vnh.org/Providers.html

http://www.vnh.org/Admin/Admin.html

If you're worried about serving as a GMO after one year of training, don't. It's not hard, just don't let anyone die. Simple enough 🙂