Navy

[Infinitydrop]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Has anyone thought about the navy program where they pay for medical school, it seems too good to be true, so what's catch?

 

[Compass]

You have to stay in the service for 4 years after graduating from medical school. Not including your residency, IIRC.

 

[BlueElmo]

Yup, you gotta serve in the military. Nothing in life is free.

 

[aggie08]

Yup, you gotta serve in the military. Nothing in life is free.

Yup, gotta sign your life over.

Although, I would have considered it if I didn't have my husband and plan to have a family before I'm out of residency. It's actually a pretty good set-up, assuming you don't mind working for the government for a while.

 

[Infinitydrop]

Four years doesn't seem that bad....

 

[aggie08]

Four years doesn't seem that bad....

I agree. I thought the set-up was good and if I didn't have a future already planned out that didn't involve being moved around I might have considered it more seriously.

I also don't know how it works out if you want to do residency and a fellowship. That would be 4 years of school + 3 - 4 years of residency + 3ish years of fellowship + 4 years of army = LOTS of time before you are the one in control of your life.

 

[Infinitydrop]

Is it a very competitive program or do they accept everyone? And after 4 years, you can do whatever you want?

 

[schrizto]

Go visit the Military Medicine forum for thorough answers to your questions. It seems as if you're very new to the idea of HPSP. Often people who commit to HPSP don't do it just so medical school is fully paid for, they do it because they also want a career in military medicine.

 

[Compass]

Is it a very competitive program or do they accept everyone? And after 4 years, you can do whatever you want?

I don't believe it's uber-competitive. You have to apply, but IIRC, our recruiter made a big deal about how you should probably be able to get in.

 

[09javcar]

Oh, something I've considered. Maybe I'll take a deeper look into it. I have a question though. When do you apply? After undergrad career? Or like ASAP! lol

 

[Infinitydrop]

Do they accept both women and men?

 

[mbdenver]

Do they accept both women and men?

Yes, the military is equal opportunity these days, they'll screw anybody over Seriously though, I was enlisted for 6 years and I will quote Charles Dickens and say, "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times." Sometimes I miss it though and I keep going back and forth on the HPSP. I guess it will depend on where I get in.

 

[FloatOn]

Go visit the Military Medicine forum for thorough answers to your questions. It seems as if you're very new to the idea of HPSP. Often people who commit to HPSP don't do it just so medical school is fully paid for, they do it because they also want a career in military medicine.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=72

You should read the Pros, Cons, and Opinions sticky and know what you might be getting into.

 

[mbdenver]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=72

You should read the Pros, Cons, and Opinions sticky and know what you might be getting into.

👍

 

[ruiner]

Ill probably end up doing Navy HPSP, also depending on where I get in, but like others have said, it's a good deal if you are young and single. I would be a little more hesitant if i were looking to start a family in the next couple of years but part of the application is interviewing with Navy physicians and they will not BS you, like the recruiters might. I found that to be the best part of the process and what cemented it for me.

 

[Infinitydrop]

thanks for the redirection.
So there;s navy, airforce, and army? Is it all interchangeable, if not, what's the biggest differences?

 

[xmsr3]

Under HPSP you have to do a military residency.

Army: biggest program so best chance of going straight through to residency. Army match offers the best chance of doing your preferred specialty, better than even civilian match.

Navy: about 50% chance of having your residency interrupted by General Medical Officer tour, (you go and play FP on deployment).

AF: might have to do GMO tour as a flight surgeon but most likely to get a civilian deferal and do a civilian residency.

The pros and cons of each branch are discussed at the mil med forums. Keep and open mind and do your research.

I started out 100% certain that Navy was for me but ended up going Army because it offers me the best possible chance to both serve my country and maintain the flexibility to do whatever specialty I end up falling in love with.

 

[silverhorse84]

Oh, something I've considered. Maybe I'll take a deeper look into it. I have a question though. When do you apply? After undergrad career? Or like ASAP! lol

I ended up not choosing HPSP, but did go most of the way through the application.

Most people apply at the same time they apply to medical school. One of the requirements is an acceptance to a medical school, so there's not much point in applying in the years earlier. While you're off interviewing and working on getting the acceptance you can deal with the other requirements like the physical.

There is a way to bypass some of the steps. If your GPA and MCAT are high enough, you don't have to do some things like the interview. The numbers aren't too bad either, something like a 3.5 GPA and a 28 MCAT puts you in that category.

It's not real competitive, however, they do only have a certain number of slots, so if you apply later in the fiscal year (which for the military starts in October) they may run out, but it hasn't happened too much lately from what I know.

I've heard of a number of people who after their schooling do the 1 year of internship then complete their 4 year commitment as a GMO and then get out and do a civilian residency.

That said, no one should do the military for the money! There are several people in the mil med forum who did, and are highly unhappy with it. Do your research and make sure you have more reasons than just the money (this goes for anyone interested not just the OP or person I responded to).

 

[redsquareblack]

Under HPSP you have to do a military residency.

Whaaa? This isn't true. You don't have to do a military residency.

 

[silverhorse84]

Whaaa? This isn't true. You don't have to do a military residency.

Technically, no you don't. You can either spend you time as a GMO and get out of the service to do a civilian residency (more common), or you can defer and do a civilian residency while still in the service (EXTREMELY rare)

 

[mbdenver]

Whaaa? This isn't true. You don't have to do a military residency.

I believe you have to apply for the military match. If you don't match into a military residency then you can do an internship and then go GMO as previously mentioned, or you can try to get a deferment for a civilian residency which can be difficult to obtain, depending on the branch you have chosen. If you are seriously interested in this program you should really check out the military medicine forum as you can get information from people who have actually done it. Be forewarned though, there are a lot of bitter people in that forum 😉

 

[Jolie South]

Is it a very competitive program or do they accept everyone? And after 4 years, you can do whatever you want?

Are you breathing and not medically disqualifiable? If yes, then you're a lock.

 

[SirGecko]

Definitely check out the milmed forum if you want to learn more about HPSP. I'd also make sure you do a bit more research into what the military is like in general. (your question about whether they accept females or not reveals a level of ignorance about the way the modern military functions that should probably be corrected before you decide to join or not) As others have said, don't join for the money. You really need to want to practice in the military for it to be worth it. (and if you look on the milmed forum it is a rare, rare person that comes out financially ahead by doing the military route)

 

[Perrotfish]

Whaaa? This isn't true. You don't have to do a military residency

Yes you do. This is the most important thing to understand about HPSP: you HAVE to apply to military residencies. Now you will have the option to request a deferal (i.e. beg the military to let you do a civilian residency) but they can and almost always do say no.

Now applying for military residencies isn't an all together bad thing. The military has a great program of medical education. The board pass rates are very high, the military residencies pay twice as much a civilian residencies not even counting the full benifits, and (though there are exceptions) most military docs I've met have been pretty satisfied with the quality of training they recieved. The problem is that your odds of getting a residency might be much lower than your odds of getting the same residency in the civilian world. EM, for example, is WAY more competitive in the military.

Finally you need to understand that military residencies work the same way that civilian residencies worked over a generation ago: you apply for internship, then at the end of your intern year you apply AGAIN for the rest of the residency. A lot of people get turned down on that second round of applications and get stuck working as a physician with only one year worth of training. That's called a GMO tour. This isn't something that happens to one or two people, this is something that happens to a huge percentage of military Docs. Now in some ways this is a good thing: if you don't get what you want in the military and you're pretty sure you can get it in the civilian world you can just do an internship, spend your 4 years as a GMO, and then start your residency 4 years late. It's definitely not an ideal option, though.

I took HPSP and I still think it's a good deal, but please understand what you're getting into in advance or you're going to feel like you got screwed.

 

[Jolie South]

Yes you do. This is the most important thing to understand about HPSP: you HAVE to apply to military residencies. Now you will have the option to request a deferal (i.e. beg the military to let you do a civilian residency) but they can and almost always do say no.

Now applying for military residencies isn't an all together bad thing. The military has a great program of medical education. The board pass rates are very high, the military residencies pay twice as much a civilian residencies not even counting the full benifits, and (though there are exceptions) most military docs I've met have been pretty satisfied with the quality of training they recieved. The problem is that your odds of getting a residency might be much lower than your odds of getting the same residency in the civilian world. EM, for example, is WAY more competitive in the military.

Finally you need to understand that military residencies work the same way that civilian residencies worked over a generation ago: you apply for internship, then at the end of your intern year you apply AGAIN for the rest of the residency. A lot of people get turned down on that second round of applications and get stuck working as a physician with only one year worth of training. That's called a GMO tour. This isn't something that happens to one or two people, this is something that happens to a huge percentage of military Docs. Now in some ways this is a good thing: if you don't get what you want in the military and you're pretty sure you can get it in the civilian world you can just do an internship, spend your 4 years as a GMO, and then start your residency 4 years late. It's definitely not an ideal option, though.

I took HPSP and I still think it's a good deal, but please understand what you're getting into in advance or you're going to feel like you got screwed.

Not in all branches/specialties. The specialty I'm interested in has a lot of categorical spots in the AF.

 

[xmsr3]

Indeed, GMO is largley a problem for the Navy, somewhat for the AF (they allow more civilian deferals). The Army is large enough that for most specialties people go straight through.