DocHunter:
I am sorry if I offended you in some way. I know that we discussed it back in August. If you reread the post you will see that I was specifically discussing the Navy. The simple fact is that the recruiter has a different goal than the scholarship applicant. Not a single recruiter that I spoke with (each with the 3 different branches) lied to me. I don't want to ever imply that they did. Their goal is to provide the military with a recruit (hence the title) and to facilitate the scholarship process by helping the applicant through the paperwork and the questions.
Most of the information that I have is not from the recruiter, though a healthy portion is. Most is from former and current HPSP students with a good bit also from official military websites.
One big issue that no one here has yet addressed is the transient nature of the recruiter. Enlisted recruiters don't spend their careers being recruiters. They have to get up to speed with a lot of information that changes every year. Unless they are in the same situation as the applicant who is thinking of giving the next 10+ years of their life to the military in addition to trying to become a trained physician they will not appreciate some of the issues that can come up. A good example is the extended payback required from an extended residency to which I refered in my previous post. I think that this may lead to many understandings in which a recruit doesn't get the whole picture. Honestly, though, if you are basing your entire decision to commit the next 10 years of your life to the military armed solely with the information that you received from one person whose job is to get you into the military you deserve what you get. The information is out there. There are web pages for the:
Army,
Navy, and
Air Force. Please get your information from multiple sources. That is the only way that you can find the consistencies.
WYD,
Sorry that I don't have much info on the "quality" of military residencies and I am biased since I am an Army HPSP student. However, it is a fact that military residents are responsible for more than their civilian counterparts and as a result probably get more medical training. However, they don't deal with the same health insurance issues that a civilian resident would. There are obviously plusses and negatives to each. I come from the opposite side of the coin than BoonDoc since I see a lot of former HPSPs that are now civilians. Interestingly, the reasons that each of them had for leaving the military are different. One wanted to be able to raise a family in one place of their choosing. Another simply wanted more money. Yet another had a fantastic civilian career opportunity but as a die-hard military doc is still in the reserves. Unfortunately, unless you talk to someone who actively recruits or hires civilian physicians (like a headhunter or the department chair) I don't think that you will get much info here.
misfit & crafty:
I have heard about the automatic acceptance policy (with the stats that you mention), but the Amry webpage (see above) where I saw it last year no longer has any information about it. I would recommend you call the Army (or whichever branch) directly.
crafty:
I have looked into the pros & cons of 3-year v. 4-year scholarships. There are less 3 year scholarships than 4 year scholarships in all the branches of the military. Supposedly, at least with the Navy, they are trying to expand their program and also get 1- and 2-year scholarships (according to the recruiter). BE CAREFUL. You will most likely not be able to apply de novo for a 3-year Air Force scholarship. I spoke to a recruiter who told me that the Air Force takes the alternates from the 4-year scholarship pool and places them at the top of the list for the 3-year scholarship. Last year, he said, they had more than enough alternates to fill all the 3-year spots. The Army and Navy don't do it that way and you will be on the same playing field if you apply for a 3-year than those returning from the 4-year pool. I was virtually guaranteed a 3-year Navy scholarship, but for various reasons I took a 4-year Army scholarship. This is important because the boards for each meet at different times of the year (and several times a year at that). I was given a late acceptance and missed the deadline for applying for a 4-year Navy scholarship. Luckily, I had not missed the deadline for a 4-year Army scholarship due to the different scheduling of the scholarship boards. My Army recruiter fast-tracked all the paperwork for me and I made it in time to get a 4-year scholarship after school had already started. The Army retroactively paid off my tuition (which I had already paid for with student loans) and I only missed one stipend check of about $400. They also granted me an extension for filing a book/supplies reimbursement form. I wouldn't worry too much about when you get your acceptance, just be sure all your ducks are in a row so that you can get your paperwork submitted immediately.
Hope this helps,
Geo
[This message has been edited by GeoLeoX (edited 12-09-2000).]
