NHSC Scholarship 2013

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JuneBugg

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Thought I'd get a 2013 NHSC thread started here! I hope everyone that is applying isn't having difficulty getting all the documents together. I'm realllly interested in this scholarship and have gotten nearly everything submitted, but I am starting to worry because I feel like I've heard more bad than good about this scholarship. What is the latest info as far as the competitiveness of receiving the scholarship, and the likelihood of getting in a a somewhat decent rural clinic job after completing school?

Any and all tips, complaints, questions are welcome on this thread!

Thanks in advance.
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I am also planning on applying for the NHSC scholarship. You should be very certain that you wouldn't mind working in primary care, or else your might now like your job. The benefits of the scholarship are already known, but some people use it as a free ride stepping stone to get out of debt free, e.g. "I will say on the application that I am interested in internal medicine or pediatrics and after my service obligation I will be debt free and pursue a cardiology fellowship." This was not the purpose of the program, as the U.S. wishes to fill a void of primary care doctors in underserved/rural communities that don't pay as much/aren't as appealing for life/aren't safe place to be.

Regarding job placement, you interview at a qualified federal certified health site just like any job. Jobs depend on specialty for location. For example, a family medicine doc will find more jobs than an internal medicine or pediatrics doc because of the popularity of internal medicine and pediatrics among graduates.

Hope this helps!:)
 
I keep talking myself in and out of applying for this scholarship opportunity. I am interested in psychiatry and neurology as of now, but of course this may change. It's too early for me to know for sure without during rotations. I've been talking to physicians where I work and they are been giving me pros and cons for both applying and serving out the contract.

Like the above poster said, you have to be sure you want to go into primary care. Also, a clinical professor told me (a couple of her friends did it) that you may not get to choose where you serve and may be moved around multiple times over the course of completing the contract. This was the case for one of the friends.

I think it is great it will be a great opportunity though!
 
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thehoneybadger said:
You should be very certain that you wouldn't mind working in primary care, or else your might now like your job.

Hope this helps!:)
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I definitely want to work in primary care, I've wanted to be a pediatrician since I was 16 or so! I'm not married and I don't have any kids, so nothing like that should tie me down to one location (although I am in a serious relationship, so I hope the scholarship wouldn't affect his job too much. If we have to move, I mean.)
 
how difficult is it to get this scholarship for someone like me? Im a first year, so far I have fairly decent grades (definitely not top %). I did underserved volunteering as a pre med, but haven't done any since med school.
 
Didierdrogba said:
how difficult is it to get this scholarship for someone like me? Im a first year, so far I have fairly decent grades (definitely not top %). I did underserved volunteering as a pre med, but haven't done any since med school.
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I hear it's very competitive. They are planning on giving out about 190 scholarships this year, and in past years they have had anywhere from 1200-3000 applicants. So yeah. Pretty tough. It really helps to be from a disadvantaged background (see their criteria online) or to have had EFN scholarships while in school. If not, then I am fairly certain that the essays count for the most points. That's just my opinion though.
 
So even if you have done volunteering in an under-served area, but you aren't from a disadvantaged background, you basically have no shot?
 
SilverCat said:
So even if you have done volunteering in an under-served area, but you aren't from a disadvantaged background, you basically have no shot?
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I'm not from a disadvantaged background. Many of my fellow current scholars who are serving their obligation did not, either.
 
How many years are you required to serve after residency? Also, if you already have a site in mind where you would like to work, for example, a free clinic, how hard is it to get a specific site?
 
Hey guys,

I am applying for the NHSC scholarship this year as a PA student. I start PA school in July. I have about a year and a half experience working with the Indian Health Service and I am from Montana and want to work in primary care in our rural region. But, I am still working on my essays. For me, my personal statement was easy compared to these essays! I don't know why, but I can't seem to get these done! Hopefully I can get them done this week and my letters will get submitted soon so I can submit!


This is my dream and it would be so life changing to get this scholarship and kick off my primary care career.

Here are my stats, I hope I am a competitive applicant! : 3.72 GPA, 1.5 years working at IHS clinics, volunteering at various homeless shelters, and 2 church mission trips to Washington D.C.

Good luck to all!

Cheers!
 
SilverCat said:
How many years are you required to serve after residency? Also, if you already have a site in mind where you would like to work, for example, a free clinic, how hard is it to get a specific site?
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It depends how many years you got the scholarship for.

If you got the scholarship for 4 years, you owe 4.

If you got the scholarship for 3 years, you owe 3.

If you got the scholarship for 2 years, you owe 2.

If you got the scholarship for 1 year, you owe TWO.

Keep in mind that just because some place is a free clinic, doesn't mean that you can serve your obligation there. It has to be approved by the NHSC, and must have the minimum need score (currently a HPSA score of 16) in order for you to work there.
 
Thanks! I'll apply, but I don't think I stand a very good chance.
 
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For all of you guys that are applying- do you guys have tons of experience working with underserved populations? Or do you have other community service that you think will make you a competitive applicant? I want this sooo bad, but I am not sure I even have a chance!! One girl I talked to who had it worked in a free clinic for 4 years, was from a disadvantaged background, and lived in Wyoming- If that is the applicant they want I am screwed! ha!
 
medgirl91 said:
For all of you guys that are applying- do you guys have tons of experience working with underserved populations? Or do you have other community service that you think will make you a competitive applicant? I want this sooo bad, but I am not sure I even have a chance!! One girl I talked to who had it worked in a free clinic for 4 years, was from a disadvantaged background, and lived in Wyoming- If that is the applicant they want I am screwed! ha!
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From everything I've read (mostly from past posts by smq123), there's hope. All my clinical experience has been with the underserved, but definitely not 4 years worth and I'm not from a rural/disadvantaged background.

The way I look at it, this scholarship would be awesome to get but fortunately for us the new NHSC loan repayment option is a big improvement on the old one (as in, you now get 120,000 during residency, which helps tremendously in cutting those loans before they balloon too much) in exchange for working pretty much anywhere in the US. (Thank you Obama!)

It would be great (and somewhat rational) to have more of these scholarships available to entice medical students into primary care, but as the resources are limited the NHSC has to try to ferret out the applicants who really will keep working with the underserved in the long term, to get a better return on their investment. So I think if you can convey a sincere interest that might get you just as far or farther than someone with priority background who comes across as using this as a stepping stone to other things...

But in the end, who knows...

Best of luck to everyone applying
 
Is there any kind of scholarship that is similar to this one for EM? Could an EM trained doc potentially work in a free clinic out pt setting? I feel like now a'days a decent chunk of traditional EM is 'fast-track' primary care issues anywho.
 
Bones DO said:
Is there any kind of scholarship that is similar to this one for EM? Could an EM trained doc potentially work in a free clinic out pt setting? I feel like now a'days a decent chunk of traditional EM is 'fast-track' primary care issues anywho.
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I don't know if there are similar scholarships for EM. Most EM trained physicians could not do outpatient - not only is their training deficient in that aspect, but many reputable clinics (even underserved ones) will not hire you. They prefer (some even require) that you be FM/IM/PEDs/psych/OB board eligible. Finally, you do need NHSC approval of your residency choice, and they will flip their lid if you do an EM residency.
 
Hey all, best of luck to everyone applying! Does anybody know the interview process for NHSC? I didn't see anything about it in the application guide packet, but read some information about it in old posts here on SDN. The posts are from a while back, so I was wondering if anyone knows if there are interviews or not. Thanks!
 
They used to do interviews but stopped a few years ago. Not sure when.
 
Good luck all! Does anybody know what the application process timeline is? Basically, is it a rolling admissions type of thing or do we all find out at once?
 
flyinkstar89 said:
Good luck all! Does anybody know what the application process timeline is? Basically, is it a rolling admissions type of thing or do we all find out at once?
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Based on what I've read, we all find out at once, and it won't be until most of our programs have already started, in September-ish.

Hope this helps. I guess we all have to sit around twiddling our thumbs for another 4 months. Sounds all too familiar!
 
Does anyone know how many people applied this cycle? Good luck to those of you that did!
 
thehoneybadger said:
some people use it as a free ride stepping stone to get out of debt free, e.g. "I will say on the application that I am interested in internal medicine or pediatrics and after my service obligation I will be debt free and pursue a cardiology fellowship."
Click to expand...

Believe me, after you do 4yrs in underserved primary care you WILL want to go on to a fellowship, and you will also have pullen all your hair out by then.
 
JuneBugg said:
'm not married and I don't have any kids, so nothing like that should tie me down to one location (although I am in a serious relationship, so I hope the scholarship wouldn't affect his job too much. If we have to move, I mean.)
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So you are in a serious relationship now as a med-student; then have 3yrs of residency ahead of you and then 2-4yrs of "repayment term". If this relationship works you chances are you will be married by end of med school (as many people do), and you will hate your life when NHSC controls where you can live.
 
Here is a post from a physician going through NHSC program and what they really think about it; worth a read from those that have gone down this path: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=952879

In my opinion this program does pay, but limits your freedom in the most important aspects. i.e. type of specialty you will go into, and where you will live. Those things are not worth the money they are paying at this point.
There are plenty of jobs out there where you can get your loans repaid. These jobs not only offer loan repayment, they also offer high salaries. Whereas NHSC offers loan repayment, locks you into a terrible workplace, and keeps your salary low. Why do it?
Keep all your options open.
 
Igor4sugry said:
Here is a post from a physician going through NHSC program and what they really think about it; worth a read from those that have gone down this path: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=952879

In my opinion this program does pay, but limits your freedom in the most important aspects. i.e. type of specialty you will go into, and where you will live. Those things are not worth the money they are paying at this point.
There are plenty of jobs out there where you can get your loans repaid. These jobs not only offer loan repayment, they also offer high salaries. Whereas NHSC offers loan repayment, locks you into a terrible workplace, and keeps your salary low. Why do it?
Keep all your options open.
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You do it because it fits with your personal interests and your desire to give back through public service in this way.
I agree with your sentiment that people shouldn't just pick it for financial reasons since it isn't a good deal but NHSC truly does impact many of our nation's underserved communities and builds public health leaders... and as a bonus, it helps students financially.
 
Mosonik said:
You do it because it fits with your personal interests and your desire to give back through public service in this way.
I agree with your sentiment that people shouldn't just pick it for financial reasons since it isn't a good deal but NHSC truly does impact many of our nation's underserved communities and builds public health leaders... and as a bonus, it helps students financially.
Click to expand...

Undeserved is a broad term. As long as you don't work in a middle to upper class suburb you will treat people that are insurance wise "undeserved". And you will not have to be signing away next 3-4 years as well as have artificially depressed wage.
 
JuneBugg said:
I hear it's very competitive. They are planning on giving out about 190 scholarships this year, and in past years they have had anywhere from 1200-3000 applicants. So yeah. Pretty tough. It really helps to be from a disadvantaged background (see their criteria online) or to have had EFN scholarships while in school. If not, then I am fairly certain that the essays count for the most points. That's just my opinion though.
Click to expand...

How did you find out that they were only giving out 190 scholarships?
 
You should also take into consideration what field you think you might want to practice in...even though that's hard to know for sure if you're just starting out in med school...but if you're for sure wanting peds or ob/gyn it will further limit your options of places you can practice, since not as many locations are looking for providers in those areas compared to family practice.

I would encourage people who are concerned about locations to check out their job portal to get a better idea of the types of facilities and potential areas: http://nhscjobs.hrsa.gov/
 
ss0913 said:
How did you find out that they were only giving out 190 scholarships?
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It's in the Application and Program Guidance on their website I believe. I can't remember the exact source but I'm fairly certain that's the number that was quoted.
 
I'm crossing over from the dental side to ask...

Has anybody received an email saying that they did not receive the scholarship?

I called a few days ago to ask an unrelated question and, at the end of the call, the person on the phone said, "you can hear anytime between now and September 30th. Some have already received a response from us..."
 
Nothing for me...though I was wondering the same thing. :luck:
 
JAWSSS said:
I'm crossing over from the dental side to ask...

Has anybody received an email saying that they did not receive the scholarship?

I called a few days ago to ask an unrelated question and, at the end of the call, the person on the phone said, "you can hear anytime between now and September 30th. Some have already received a response from us..."
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I didn't get one! I guess that can be a good thing.
 
JuneBugg said:
I didn't get one! I guess that can be a good thing.
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You didn't get an email?

Or you received an email saying that you did not get the scholarship? When did you get the email?
 
JAWSSS said:
You didn't get an email?

Or you received an email saying that you did not get the scholarship? When did you get the email?
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No email from them yet. Hopefully people will start hearing soon. I know they said between now and Sept 30th we'll get an answer from them, but from what I've read about past years 95% of us won't know until September 30th.
 
So I was looking at the Customer Service Portal this morning (where we can view our submitted applications) and I noticed that one of my documents that I uploaded had a different name than what I originally labelled it as. More specifically, when I scanned/uploaded my Transcripts, it was saved simply as 'Transcripts' and this morning I looked at it and it was 'Last name, Middle name, Transcripts'. I opened it up and it was my Transcript, but a SCREEN SHOT of the first and third page of it. On the third page some person wrote "capture screenshots with submitted transcripts. Page 1 & 3 recovered. Page 2 embedded. Applicant eligible for future review" then an initial and a date. Also my final cumulative GPA was circled.

I would really love to know people's thoughts on this, my heart skipped a beat when I opened up the document and found a screen shot of my transcripts. Am I allowed to even talk about this? I didn't give away any identifying information...
 
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Just checked. Mine had no such marks.

Whoa, It's the first sign of life from the NHSC.... Lets see what happens!
 
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My credit report was checked today by: CBC/DHHS/BPHC (a.k.a. NHSC) according to my credit tracker notifications...

:scared:

Anybody else?
 
JAWSSS said:
My credit report was checked today by: CBC/DHHS/BPHC (a.k.a. NHSC) according to my credit tracker notifications...

:scared:

Anybody else?
Click to expand...

Same here! Mines was checked July 3rd apparently. Looks like the process is slowly chugging along... More good news maybe?
 
jordanhoo said:
Same here! Mines was checked July 3rd apparently. Looks like the process is slowly chugging along... More good news maybe?
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Did you guys actually pull up your credit report? What do you use to monitor it if not?
 
You can check who has requested your credit history by pulling your credit report up on annualcreditreport.com

Yeah, June 3rd sounds about right... Every year the medical students get notified about finalist positions before the dental students. From everything I have read on the internet... Getting your credit history checked is a good thing.
 
JAWSSS said:
Anybody else?
Click to expand...

I took a chance and checked my reports today -- figured it wasn't a bad thing to do since I haven't done it in over a year. Looks like they haven't checked mine (yet - I hope). I'm an allopathic applicant and applied closer to the deadline - wasn't sure if they've looked at my application yet (??). Still crossing my fingers!
 
iramla said:
I took a chance and checked my reports today -- figured it wasn't a bad thing to do since I haven't done it in over a year. Looks like they haven't checked mine (yet - I hope). I'm an allopathic applicant and applied closer to the deadline - wasn't sure if they've looked at my application yet (??). Still crossing my fingers!
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I'm sure they are just checking randomly. It is just nice to finally see signs of life from the NHSC. :luck: :luck: :luck: :luck: good luck everyone :luck: :luck: :luck: :luck:
 
Why am I the ONLY one that was checked on the 15th?... Minus the nursing SP applicants! haha!
 
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