NHSC, or perhaps something better

[LapisLazuli]

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alright, i have a question about this whole gov't-paying-your-way thing. i know HPSP makes you do your residency in some sort of military setting, but does NHSC also pigeonhole you into some chintzy gov't residency? with NHSC, can you do residency anywhere you want, or do they limit you to some cheesy set of hospitals in the midwest? in other words, can i do NHSC, then get a residency at like bellevue-ny or mass general, and then fulfill the 4 years of service?
i want to do some real service in underprivileged areas, but only for 4 years, not my entire life. i don't think having your entire career limited b/c of 4 years of tuition is a very good deal, but is that what NHSC is offering? i understand you need to specialize in some primary care field, that's obvious, and that's what i'll do anyway, but they don't even spell out what specialties are off limits? is endocrinology? certain types of surgery? preventive medicine? i def don't want to do family med my whole life...

if anyone knows the deal, i would really appreciate some help. thanks.

 

[DMO]

Through my god-given clairvoyance.......I know you are/were a hard-core Diablo II player........you playa 😉

 

[andrea]

Hey! I'm on NHSC and the deal is that you can do your residency anywhere, but are limited to only three years. Primary Care includes family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, or ob/gyn.

 

[Ms. Dawson DO]

but isn't ob/gyn residency 4 years?

 

[LapisLazuli]

andrea,

you leave me no choice but to reveal my own ignorance:
what exactly is "internal medicine"? i thought internal medicine was nothing but the sum of its subspecialty parts, like endocrinology, cardiology, etc.
there's a separate field thats just "internal medicine"? that sounds redundant and useless. and why wouldn't underserved areas need endocrinologists and cardiologists? do these specialties count as internal med for NHSC or not? (the site does not answer this.)
thanks.

 

[LapisLazuli]

also, what do you mean "limited to three years"? can't i come back for more years after i've finished my service commitment?

 

[Adcadet]

non-subspecialized Internal Medicine people are generally called "internists" and tend to provide primary care. Some internists choose to specialize in cards, endocrinology, gastro, etc etc, and don't do primary care.

 

[mpp]

Yes, after your service commitment you can specialize in anything you want. Those residencies listed are 3 years in length (except for Ob/Gyn which is 4 years). You must do your service when you finish this 3 or 4 year residency. After your service is completed you can do whatever you want (subspecialize, find a different residency, move to Zimbabwe...)