National Health Service Corps

[shorty_2783]

Anyone get the NHSC scholarship? Is it worth it? Am I gonna hate myself for selling four years of my life? I need some advice, Thanks

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[voltron77]

Did you get the National Health Service Corps Scholarship?

 

[Mutterkuchen]

Anyone get the NHSC scholarship? Is it worth it? Am I gonna hate myself for selling four years of my life? I need some advice, Thanks

I didn't apply for the scholarship, but if you think of it as "selling four years" of your life, you probably won't be happy with your decision. Taking the scholarship is a major committment. You should only apply for/take it if you are sure that you want to be they type of physician that they need.

Same thing goes for HPSP.

 

[Kimmer]

I want to apply to the NHSC as well. It would be nice to have an insider's perspective, but it doesn't look like it is happening. The web site says 1 in 7 applicants are accepted but I think that includes stats for nurses and PAs. I would really like to know what they like to see on an application. How to improve my chances. Hope someone knowledgeable stumbles across this thing.

 

[Amy B]

Just be VERY careful about taking money from any of the programs out there. The penalties for not completing the requirements can be upwards of 300%. Just read any and all small print as well as large print and make very sure what you are signing up for.

 

[Jillianrae]

I applied for NHSC this year. For me, it's a perfect fit since I want to do rural medicine anyway, and all of eastern Washington is considered underserved. They'll start sending out notifications for the scholarship program (this year) in the next couple of weeks and should have all of the scholarships awarded by Sept. 30 (according to the lady I talked to on the phone).

The initial application asks a bunch of multiple-choice questions, many of which seem to redundant (I think it's to check consistency of answers). They feed the forms into the computer and it spits back out a bunch of people to interview. I think they told me that this year they got about 1500 applications and interviewed about 1050 people. At my interview they told me that they'll be awarding 200-300 scholarships depending on funding and how the interview turns out.

I think that one of the things they're looking for in the applicants is a genuine committment to serving in underserved areas. One of the goals of the program is to recruit physicians who are likely to remain in underserved areas even after their service committment is up.

 

[Amy B]

Good luck When do they let you know?

 

[voltron77]

You usually find out between August-September!!!! Good luck!!!

 

[BACMEDIC]

I've heard the same as Jill and I'm in the same boat - I want to do rural FP. I can't wait till we find out, as going to a private med school is a bit expensive, and not having that expense really gives rural medicine a chance.

 

[shorty_2783]

Did you get the National Health Service Corps Scholarship?

I didn't get it, I'm debating whether or not I should apply

 

[voltron77]

Go to: http://nhsc.bhpr.hrsa.gov/join_us/scholarships.cfm

You can read up on the scholarship and get more information. There is a FAQ section that may answer some of your questions!!!

 

[johnhobbes]

I applied for - and didn't get - a NHSC scholarship before starting my first year. I agree with what people have said so far, you definitely should be someone who wants to serve in this capacity even if there were no scholarship for doing it. Bottom line, no amount of money is likely to make you happy if you are stuck somewhere you don't want to be. And there do seem to be stiff penalties for those who break their committments to the program.

I applied because: 1) $$$$$$ 2) I enjoy volunteering and serving in places that need it 3) I grew up near underserved rural areas & liked the idea of working in a rural area like one I grew up in 4) I'm interested in primary care 5) I liked that I had some level of control over where I went to work in the end (as opposed to some other service committments).

That's another thing to consider; as a medical student, you would be required to work in an area of 'greatest need'. They have a listing of all these places that have spots for NHSC folks, but as a doc, you would only be able to choose from a much smaller list of places deemed 'greatest need'. Only when those spots get filled, would you be able select a location on the bigger list (not likely).

The NHSC is a gov't program & they aren't just trying to altruistically help medical student debt & temporarily fill healthcare shortages. The goal is to fill these places long-term with people who want to be there (and often have connections to the area). Thus, they are selective. From what I've found, a great great number of students in the program are second & even third-time applicants. Just another way to be sure they're getting someone committed.

You probably have also heard about the 2-year loan forgiveness program that NHSC does as well. The $$$ is capped, so it might not be as good a deal (like if you went to a 40k/yr private school), but it is something to consider if you aren't sure about giving up some of your freedom just yet. You can sign up for it at any point in your career (as far as I know) & your options for locations are not limited to the aforementioned 'short-list'.

There certainly are lots of things to consider & you really need to search your own soul. My take is that service committments are usually only a good option when they fall in line with what you would do anyway & location is no issue.

Good luck

 

[musicman1991]

I have a friend who did it thinking he was going to do rural medicine and in the end hated clinical medicine and wanted to do radiology. Of course he couldn't because he had sold his soul. He went ahead with Family Practice and probably will be unhappy. Seems like a mighty high price to pay!

 

[The Best Psychiatrist]

I was just recently accepted into a DO school. Any thoughts on this? And what's the timeline of when and how to apply? If I'm interested in FM, EM, psychiatry, and dermatology, should I not consider this scholarship since I may change my mind later?