Is HPSP as bad as people make it out to be?

[jpierce8802]

I am starting as an M1 this fall and was looking at potentially pursuing a 3 yr HPSP after receiving my financial aid. However, pretty much every thread or forum post I have looked at touts the shortcomings and major disadvantages of the program. I am currently interested in more surgical specialties and understand that there is limited availability in military residency programs which leads to most people taking a TY and doing a GMO tour. Fortunately, I am also interested in FS because I find aviation interesting and think working with a squadron would be a great life experience personally and professionally. Unfortunately, many of the forums I read say people find it difficult to match into civilian residencies after their tour. I have read that a lot of this is due to the difficulty of the leaving process and inability to participate in interviews, but is it extra work or is it detrimental to your chances? I also understand that when serving in the military there is gonna be less flexibility in your outcomes, which I believe is why most people say to just go FAP, but is the GMO and out route still a viable option? Also is there any point in doing it if you are interested in non-primary care specialties or will a GMO tour hinder your civilian application?

TLDR: Does a GMO tour reduce your likelihood of success in the civilian match program? Is it still feasible to do a GMO and out route to pay back your time? If you don't get into a surgical GME out of the gate is there any point in applying for one after a GMO tour?

Thanks for any insight!

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[SirGecko]

Likelihood of doing a GMO tour before residency depends on the service (ie Army, Navy or Air Force) The Navy is the most likely to do a GMO tour though they’ve had some movement to make that less required and have said they want to make it a thing of the past but they have said that for years so we’ll see how quickly that changes. Could be by the time you graduate? maybe not.

I don’t think matching after GMO as a civilian is generally a huge problem so long as you are trying to match a specialty that you are competitive for. Could be a headache applying but it shouldn’t materially hinder your application. This could of course vary depending on how specific your aspirations are. Specific programs may have a tougher time understanding the gap in training.

As for your question about doing surgery if you don’t match a surgical internship: depends a bit on the type of surgical program you are talking about. (Gen surg, ortho, ENT, etc) It’s possible to match a surgical program after having done an TY year and I know people that have done it. However if you don’t match a surgery internship it’s possible you weren’t as competitive on paper so matching into a program later you may need to be more flexible on the tier of surgery program you are looking at. Alternatively it may be that the year you apply is particularly competitive so that might not be true. (Though it is possible this perception could still follow you)

 

[jpierce8802]

Likelihood of doing a GMO tour before residency depends on the service (ie Army, Navy or Air Force) The Navy is the most likely to do a GMO tour though they’ve had some movement to make that less required and have said they want to make it a thing of the past but they have said that for years so we’ll see how quickly that changes. Could be by the time you graduate? maybe not.

I don’t think matching after GMO as a civilian is generally a huge problem so long as you are trying to match a specialty that you are competitive for. Could be a headache applying but it shouldn’t materially hinder your application. This could of course vary depending on how specific your aspirations are. Specific programs may have a tougher time understanding the gap in training.

As for your question about doing surgery if you don’t match a surgical internship: depends a bit on the type of surgical program you are talking about. (Gen surg, ortho, ENT, etc) It’s possible to match a surgical program after having done an TY year and I know people that have done it. However if you don’t match a surgery internship it’s possible you weren’t as competitive on paper so matching into a program later you may need to be more flexible on the tier of surgery program you are looking at. Alternatively it may be that the year you apply is particularly competitive so that might not be true. (Though it is possible this perception could still follow you)

Thanks for the info. I understand that if you aren't good enough for a competitive specialty odds are that won't change over three years. I also know that there are some specialties they don't always have a need for. Do you know if you can intentionally take an FS tour should this be the case/if this is what they are targeting for phasing out?

 

[DOswag]

Air Force seems like it’s still fairly easy to do FS after an intern year. Unless that’s changed recently. Typically doing gmo/FS in and of itself doesn’t hinder your chances of matching something civilian. Some programs like the fact that you’ve practiced mil and independently somewhat. But also may depend on the specialty you’re going for and some may not understand the gap in training as was said above. Ultimately the question comes down to, do you want to serve in the military? If you’re having a hard time answering this then you should reeeeeeeaaaaaaaalllllllllyyyyyy think hard before signing up for the military. There’s way more to being a doc in the military than just ‘taking care of active duty folk’ and that’s difficult/darn near impossible for premed/med students to grasp at this stage.

 

[DOswag]

And to answer your thread title question… yes

 

[afteranesthesia]

I am starting as an M1 this fall and was looking at potentially pursuing a 3 yr HPSP after receiving my financial aid. However, pretty much every thread or forum post I have looked at touts the shortcomings and major disadvantages of the program. I am currently interested in more surgical specialties and understand that there is limited availability in military residency programs which leads to most people taking a TY and doing a GMO tour. Fortunately, I am also interested in FS because I find aviation interesting and think working with a squadron would be a great life experience personally and professionally. Unfortunately, many of the forums I read say people find it difficult to match into civilian residencies after their tour. I have read that a lot of this is due to the difficulty of the leaving process and inability to participate in interviews, but is it extra work or is it detrimental to your chances? I also understand that when serving in the military there is gonna be less flexibility in your outcomes, which I believe is why most people say to just go FAP, but is the GMO and out route still a viable option? Also is there any point in doing it if you are interested in non-primary care specialties or will a GMO tour hinder your civilian application?

TLDR: Does a GMO tour reduce your likelihood of success in the civilian match program? Is it still feasible to do a GMO and out route to pay back your time? If you don't get into a surgical GME out of the gate is there any point in applying for one after a GMO tour?

Thanks for any insight!

it absolutely blows. Basically your post is saying, "Everyone says this thing is really awful and bad and not to do the thing. Should I do the thing? is it that bad?"

Seriously? Are you actually serious?

How many threads of people telling you it is absolutely horrendous do you need...