NHSC Scholarship 2020-2021

Started by cupbored
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Are you applying to the NHSC this year?

  • Yes

    Votes: 205 65.7%

  • No

    Votes: 35 11.2%

  • Maybe

    Votes: 40 12.8%

  • Already got it!

    Votes: 32 10.3%
  • Total voters
    312
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cooliyak said:
- yes you can
-match? As in like for a residency or for your service years? Service years, you are not matched and nobody places you. You choose where you go.
-for the past several years it has been the same. This year they changed the essay prompts
-depends. I know some people who were disqualified for changing schools. I know others who have successfully changed. Communication is key. If you successfully switch, I wouldn’t think it would have any affect on your chances
-it may affect your chances. They will not pay any tuition for a degree that is not the qualifying program
-I don’t think it matters. If you don’t include the prompt, though, you need to somehow distinguish between your essays, so I would number them at the very least. There may be more instructions once you get inside the portal.

If I were you, I would thoroughly read the application guide. Some of your questions have easy to find answers. Plus, you need to know the specifics of the scholarship before you apply so you know what you are getting into:

Click to expand...
for the service years and choosing where you go, do they just give you a list of sites and you just choose from there? also is it first-come, first-serve? And can you make a case for going to a specific site (Exp: family, financial reasons, etc.)?
 
futuredoctor123456789 said:
for the service years and choosing where you go, do they just give you a list of sites and you just choose from there? also is it first-come, first-serve? And can you make a case for going to a specific site (Exp: family, financial reasons, etc.)?
Click to expand...
It is up to you to research sites and apply to ones with openings. It is basically a normal job search. You find an opening, you apply, you interview, you accept. The only additional things that you have to worry about is to make sure it is an “NHSC active site” and that the HPSA score is one that qualifies for you. You will be assigned a HPSA score the beginning of your last year of schooling.
You can search for sites/jobs on this site:

Health Workforce Connector

connector.hrsa.gov connector.hrsa.gov
 
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This year I don't see any directions to include your name, birth date and such info on every "Supporting Document."

Last year I noticed that this was a point of confusion among a lot of applicants. Anybody else notice this?
 
drogekt said:
This year I don't see any directions to include your name, birth date and such info on every "Supporting Document."

Last year I noticed that this was a point of confusion among a lot of applicants. Anybody else notice this?
Click to expand...

Last sentence on page 41 states "Each document submitted must include the applicant’s first name, last name, discipline, and last four digits of their social security number."
 
Anyone else kinda terrified of potentially having to work in a prison? Since most of the NHSC approved sites are in prisons across the country
 
Mhzzz said:
Anyone else kinda terrified of potentially having to work in a prison? Since most of the NHSC approved sites are in prisons across the country
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Prisons are definitely in the minority of approved places to work. You will only work in a prison if you want to. And sometimes, not even if you want to. I wanted to work in a super max federal prison, but the one I had in mind ended up not having a high enough HPSA score.
 
anondent20 said:
That's what I assumed. Just wrote Dental on all my papers.
Click to expand...

This application is so stringent. I am going to reread the entire booklet again to make sure I don’t miss anything.

I was just told that LOR my professor submitted didn’t have a letterhead due to the school being shutdown. I am probably going to ask them what to do in this case? Anyone face something similar?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN
 
dentengr said:
This application is so stringent. I am going to reread the entire booklet again to make sure I don’t miss anything.

I was just told that LOR my professor submitted didn’t have a letterhead due to the school being shutdown. I am probably going to ask them what to do in this case? Anyone face something similar?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN
Click to expand...
Who told you that the letterhead was missing? Someone from the NHSC after the letter was submitted?
 
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dentengr said:
This application is so stringent. I am going to reread the entire booklet again to make sure I don’t miss anything.

I was just told that LOR my professor submitted didn’t have a letterhead due to the school being shutdown. I am probably going to ask them what to do in this case? Anyone face something similar?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN
Click to expand...
yeah I think the main ones for the app are:
-need to include first name, last name, last 4 of SSN, and program on all documents
-5 pages max for the CV/resumé
-all 3 essays have to be under 2,500 characters, Times New Roman, 12 font
-letterhead for rec letters
-hand signature on the docs that need to be signed.
 
legacybush said:
Who told you that the letterhead was missing? Someone from the NHSC after the letter was submitted?
Click to expand...
both my letters were submitted and the NHSC hasn't contacted me about them yet. i don't think they see it until you submit your app. and I also don't think they'll tell you if something was wrong in the app. i read on the guide that if something is missing, they won't let you know. you just automatically get disqualified.
 
cooliyak said:
It is up to you to research sites and apply to ones with openings. It is basically a normal job search. You find an opening, you apply, you interview, you accept. The only additional things that you have to worry about is to make sure it is an “NHSC active site” and that the HPSA score is one that qualifies for you. You will be assigned a HPSA score the beginning of your last year of schooling.
You can search for sites/jobs on this site:

Health Workforce Connector

connector.hrsa.gov connector.hrsa.gov
Click to expand...
can you explain more about the score? How do they assign scores and what does it mean?
 
legacybush said:
Who told you that the letterhead was missing? Someone from the NHSC after the letter was submitted?
Click to expand...

After reading the guidelines, I emailed my professor to confirm he used a letterhead. That’s when he informed me that he can’t access the letterhead due to the school shutdown and therefor did not do that.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN
 
Last edited:
Thedentist079 said:
can you explain more about the score? How do they assign scores and what does it mean?
Click to expand...
HPSA stands for Health Professional Shortage Area. It is the calculation that HRSA (the government agency that runs the NHSC) uses to determine need in a particular area or at a particular site. If you get the scholarship, you will be assigned a HPSA score your last year of training. You will need to find a site that has a score equal or above what you are assigned.
 
hey for any current NHSC scholar, could someone answer this question:
-Since most students start classes in July and awards wouldn't be determined until September, if you receive the award, would you receive the monthly stipend for those previous months or are you responsible for those costs? If you purchased books, equipment, paid part of the tuition, received partial loans, medical insurance, etc before receiving the stipend, how would that work in terms of getting a refund and having NHSC cover those costs?
 
futuredoctor123456789 said:
hey for any current NHSC scholar, could someone answer this question:
-Since most students start classes in July and awards wouldn't be determined until September, if you receive the award, would you receive the monthly stipend for those previous months or are you responsible for those costs? If you purchased books, equipment, paid part of the tuition, received partial loans, medical insurance, etc before receiving the stipend, how would that work in terms of getting a refund and having NHSC cover those costs?
Click to expand...
Guys, this exact question and others like it are all answered in the program guide. Please look through and if you can’t find the answer to your question then feel free to post it here.
 
Can anyone put up a template of where they placed their information on their documents? Do you place them at the top of each document or at the bottom?
 
flossboss314159 said:
I put the info going across the very top of each document as a header. I used this website to edit the PDFs and then re-downloaded the new version to my computer.
Click to expand...
I put it on the top left corner for each document but on the passport I put it on the right because the left side was dark blue so it was hard to see. as long as it's somewhere on the side on each document you should be fine
 
legacybush said:
Guys, this exact question and others like it are all answered in the program guide. Please look through and if you can’t find the answer to your question then feel free to post it here.
Click to expand...
I see the information about tuition/loans, but I don't see anything about books, equipment, medical insurance, etc. Say you pay those out of pocket or using another scholarship award that you received, would you receive a refund for those?
 
futuredoctor123456789 said:
I see the information about tuition/loans, but I don't see anything about books, equipment, medical insurance, etc. Say you pay those out of pocket or using another scholarship award that you received, would you receive a refund for those?
Click to expand...
You would not be able to receive another scholarship beyond this one if you get it. Federal regulations will not allow scholarships to exceed the schools estimated cost of attendance without an appeal.
As far as your question goes, as soon as you receive the scholarship, the NHSC pays your school back for the tuition and fees. Your school then refunds the loans for those items. Your stipend will be backpaid to July. Anything approved outside of tuition/fees and your living stipend is considered ORC (other reasons costs) and will be paid to you at the end of October. You will then be able to reimburse yourself with that money or pay back the additional loans you have remaining at that point.
 
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cooliyak said:
You would not be able to receive another scholarship beyond this one if you get it. Federal regulations will not allow scholarships to exceed the schools estimated cost of attendance without an appeal.
As far as your question goes, as soon as you receive the scholarship, the NHSC pays your school back for the tuition and fees. Your school then refunds the loans for those items. Your stipend will be backpaid to July. Anything approved outside of tuition/fees and your living stipend is considered ORC (other reasons costs) and will be paid to you at the end of October. You will then be able to reimburse yourself with that money or pay back the additional loans you have remaining at that point.
Click to expand...
awesome thanks!
 
Does anyone have any tips for the CV portion of the app? Is it just our regular CV or should we tailor the bullets in some way to the app?

Would appreciate any guidance. Thank you!
 
pholicious said:
Does anyone have any tips for the CV portion of the app? Is it just our regular CV or should we tailor the bullets in some way to the app?

Would appreciate any guidance. Thank you!
Click to expand...
I tailored mine more towards healthcare roles but have a few roles that I did since graduation that arent healthcare related. but try to focus more on the healthcare part - whether that's your role in medicine, nursing, dentistry etc.
 
My recommender just texted me. He said that the instructions on his end were that " if it’s not on letterhead you need to sign it."

So it's ok if it's not on letterhead. But if so, it needs to be hand-signed. Planning on calling NHSC to straighten this out.
 
Walking back my last post the support rep said that we should refer strictly to the manual. He wasn't aware of any instructions which say otherwise.

I'm figuring it's better safe than sorry. Get a letterhead if you can.
 
drogekt said:
Walking back my last post the support rep said that we should refer strictly to the manual. He wasn't aware of any instructions which say otherwise.

I'm figuring it's better safe than sorry. Get a letterhead if you can.
Click to expand...
The worst part about this whole process is the application. So many contradictions, so many vague or unclear instructions...
 
I found out my recommender doesn't even have access to letterhead. And he's a doctor working at the hospital every day.

When you applied cooliyak, did you get letterhead? It can't be do or die... 🙄
 
drogekt said:
I found out my recommender doesn't even have access to letterhead. And he's a doctor working at the hospital every day.

When you applied cooliyak, did you get letterhead? It can't be do or die... 🙄
Click to expand...
I have no idea about my academic letter, but I would assume it was on letterhead. My non-academic for sure was not on letterhead. He sent it to me after my application was submitted. It also did not have a signature.
 
For Letters of Recommendations, I'm stuck.

The guidebook says our letter should be from an academic faculty from my latest program. Unfortunately, my recent graduate program that I've completed was short and there wasn't enough time to build a relationship with any faculty.

Would a letter from my undergraduate program work? I have a strong relationship with one of my academic faculty who knows me well and can attest to my academic skills and my volunteer experiences.
 
cupbored said:
For Letters of Recommendations, I'm stuck.

The guidebook says our letter should be from an academic faculty from my latest program. Unfortunately, my recent graduate program that I've completed was short and there wasn't enough time to build a relationship with any faculty.

Would a letter from my undergraduate program work? I have a strong relationship with one of my academic faculty who knows me well and can attest to my academic skills and my volunteer experiences.
Click to expand...
I would say yes, but you could always call to ask. My academic letter came from my supervisor at work (I was an academic advisor). Nobody said anything about it.
 
As long as your essays and other application materials don't dwell too much on your grad program to make them wonder "how would his professors speak to that."

Otherwise recruiting somebody that knows you well is going to work better right? How long ago was undergrad? 2005, that could raise a flag, but if it was more recent you're good
 
cooliyak said:
I would say yes, but you could always call to ask. My academic letter came from my supervisor at work (I was an academic advisor). Nobody said anything about it.
Click to expand...
drogekt said:
As long as your essays and other application materials don't dwell too much on your grad program to make them wonder "how would his professors speak to that."

Otherwise recruiting somebody that knows you well is going to work better right? How long ago was undergrad? 2005, that could raise a flag, but if it was more recent you're good
Click to expand...

Thank you! My undergrad was completed in 2018, so it's still fairly recent.
 
drogekt said:
My recommender just texted me. He said that the instructions on his end were that " if it’s not on letterhead you need to sign it."

So it's ok if it's not on letterhead. But if so, it needs to be hand-signed. Planning on calling NHSC to straighten this out.
Click to expand...
Seconding this, my recommender said the same but he was able to submit with both just in case. On the webinar Wednesday, NHSC staff acknowledged that accessing letterheads/getting handwritten signatures might be hard right now with COVID-19 and they will have a certain level of flexibility with that.
 
cupbored said:
For Letters of Recommendations, I'm stuck.

The guidebook says our letter should be from an academic faculty from my latest program. Unfortunately, my recent graduate program that I've completed was short and there wasn't enough time to build a relationship with any faculty.

Would a letter from my undergraduate program work? I have a strong relationship with one of my academic faculty who knows me well and can attest to my academic skills and my volunteer experiences.
Click to expand...
I honestly think that would be fine esp if it was pretty recent that you did your undergrad also.
 
@cooliyak- how do you suggest formatting a CV for the application?

I'm a non-traditional student, decided to go back to school after working for 5 years, so just wanted some insight on how to include all the necessary information.
 
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predentals said:
@cooliyak- how do you suggest formatting a CV for the application?

I'm a non-traditional student, decided to go back to school after working for 5 years, so just wanted some insight on how to include all the necessary information.
Click to expand...
I would include anything and everything that is relevant to either your experience in the field that you are going into (med, dent, nursing, etc), academics, or volunteer experiences. I included things that I otherwise would not have for a job application. For example, I included my volunteer experience at hospitals, blood drives, Meals On Wheels (meal delivery service for elderly), even Boy Scouts all the way back to my childhood. I was trying demonstrate how service was in my blood and not just recently.
Formatting isn’t so important. Just find a template you like and start filling it out with your information and make sure it isn’t over 5 pages long.
 
cooliyak said:
I would include anything and everything that is relevant to either your experience in the field that you are going into (med, dent, nursing, etc), academics, or volunteer experiences. I included things that I otherwise would not have for a job application. For example, I included my volunteer experience at hospitals, blood drives, Meals On Wheels (meal delivery service for elderly), even Boy Scouts all the way back to my childhood. I was trying demonstrate how service was in my blood and not just recently.
Formatting isn’t so important. Just find a template you like and start filling it out with your information and make sure it isn’t over 5 pages long.
Click to expand...
Perfect, thank you!!
 
hey y'all, quick question! can an electronic signature sub in for a handwritten signature?

i noticed on the guide, one of the section states: "This electronic signature has the effect of a handwritten signature, and once countersigned by the Secretary or their designee.."

just double checking
 
futuredoctor123456789 said:
hey y'all, quick question! can an electronic signature sub in for a handwritten signature?

i noticed on the guide, one of the section states: "This electronic signature has the effect of a handwritten signature, and once countersigned by the Secretary or their designee.."

just double checking
Click to expand...

To me, electronic signature is totally different from a handwritten signature. Why risk it?

I think the sentence you're referring to is solely talking about the Secretary's signature on the scholarship offer for us because he/she is not hand-signing all the offers.
 
anondent20 said:
To me, electronic signature is totally different from a handwritten signature. Why risk it?

I think the sentence you're referring to is solely talking about the Secretary's signature on the scholarship offer for us because he/she is not hand-signing all the offers.
Click to expand...
Thanks! just texted both of my professors to double check
 
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