NHSC Scholarship.. is it worth it?

[yorkiepoo]

Has anyone gotten the National Health Service Corps Scholarship? If yes, did you accept it? Have any trouble getting in touch with people from NHSC? What is your situation like?... married, single, male, female? Where would you like to be placed?.. East coast, West Coast, city, small town, middle of nowhere? I'm trying to decide whether it makes sense to take it or not... so tempting... but such a huge commitment! I would really not want to be placed working at some prison in the middle of nowhere 1000 miles from my family, miserable, single and isolated.

Anyone else accepting or declining the scholarship?

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[armorshell]

Did you actually get the scholarship?

 

[Contach]

What should I be doing in my final year of Undergrad to set myself up for a NHSC scholarship in D1?

Thanks.

 

[armorshell]

What should I be doing in my final year of Undergrad to set myself up for a NHSC scholarship in D1?

Thanks.

Be native american and pray a lot. When I applied there were ZERO NHSC scholarships available for dental school.

 

[loved]

Be native american and pray a lot.

Yeah I don't get that.. why don't they tell us how many dental scholarships are available?? I would not want to waste time applying if there were no funds for dental students in the first place.

If I recall correctly, don't you sign something on the application that says you will accept if offered the scholarship? Thus, you can't decline it after it has been offered?

 

[igsli]

i'm an MD who accepted the nhsc scholarship in 2000 for 4 years. it was the worst mistake of my life. as dentists, you have to take a job in a super high need area (HPSA score of 19 or higher)- most of the jobs are in prisons. it is very difficult to find a site in a decent location, so unless you have a spouse who is very mobile in terms of employment, don't take it! i currently work at a federal prison. there is a dentist there also paying back his scholarship. he has a horror story- he thought he was paying back a year until the scholarship told him that year didn't count. so he had to move states and work at another site, and start repaying his time all over again. remember there is always loan repayment after dental school and the criteria are far less strict. another problem is that if you want to do any type of dental residency, such as endo, you basically can't. there are people who are dentists that basically went into default on the scholarship because they didn't want to pass up endo residencies. the consequence is that you have to pay back three times the amount of the scholarship plus interest!

 

[Lurchdubious]

I have a friend who got the scholarship for all 4 years (married, one kid). He just graduated in May and is now working in an underserved area which is 20 minutes from a fairly major city and he's less than 3 hours from where he grew up. He's making a good salary and has zero debt. It worked out perfectly for him and he is happy. Sounds like a good deal to me!

 

[Offhegoes9]

I wouldn't do it either. As Igsli pointed out, if you plan on working in public health then you can always apply for loan repayment during your last year, and these commitments are typically only two years. The criteria (HPSA scores) for these loan forgiveness programs are usually not as limiting either, so you have more say in where you want to live and practice.

I currently work in a public health clinic, and I received a two year loan forgiveness contract. I love my job. I feel lucky to be treating patients who REALLY need a dentist, and I am compensated well for it, not to mention receiving full benefits, insurance, compensation for CE courses, etc. I will probably apply for the same loan forgiveness program next year, when my current contract expires. The area where I work is only about thirty or forty minutes from St. Louis, so I don't feel like I am stuck out in the middle of nowhere either.

Last thing I want to say, is when I started dental school, I had no idea what I wanted to do when I graduated, and I had never even heard of NHCS scholarships or loan forgiveness etc. My decision to work in public health was something that I stumbled upon when I was in my third year. My point is that a lot can change for you over the next four years, and you may decide that you want to specialize, or go into private practice, or that public health isn't for you. Being tied down with a four year commitment right out of school may turn into a mistake.

Good luck with school!

 

[youngmc27]

I wouldn't do it either. As Igsli pointed out, if you plan on working in public health then you can always apply for loan repayment during your last year, and these commitments are typically only two years. The criteria (HPSA scores) for these loan forgiveness programs are usually not as limiting either, so you have more say in where you want to live and practice.

I currently work in a public health clinic, and I received a two year loan forgiveness contract. I love my job. I feel lucky to be treating patients who REALLY need a dentist, and I am compensated well for it, not to mention receiving full benefits, insurance, compensation for CE courses, etc. I will probably apply for the same loan forgiveness program next year, when my current contract expires. The area where I work is only about thirty or forty minutes from St. Louis, so I don't feel like I am stuck out in the middle of nowhere either.

Last thing I want to say, is when I started dental school, I had no idea what I wanted to do when I graduated, and I had never even heard of NHCS scholarships or loan forgiveness etc. My decision to work in public health was something that I stumbled upon when I was in my third year. My point is that a lot can change for you over the next four years, and you may decide that you want to specialize, or go into private practice, or that public health isn't for you. Being tied down with a four year commitment right out of school may turn into a mistake.

Good luck with school!

I would love for you to post any info on how you found out about this program. It sounds like something that I should consider

 

[Offhegoes9]

My pleasure youngmc27!

There are typically two or three ways to receive a loan repayment contract. The first is thru the National Health Service Corps, website http://nhsc.bhpr.hrsa.gov/. This is a federal program, and on that website you can do a search for job opportunities by state and by occupation. If you find a job you are interested in, there is usually contact information listed. Call the contact listed and see about setting up an interview. They will probably want you to send a cover letter and resume as well. If things go well and you are offered and accept the job, you can apply for loan repayment (look under the application tab on the website). Keep in mind that this by no means guarantees you loan repayment. As it was explained to me by a staff member at the NHSC, they will go thru all the applications and begin awarding the loan repayment contracts (usually 2 year commitments, $50,000 total) by looking at the Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) score and awarding from the highest scores down. So, if the job you are interested in has a high HPSA score, you are more likely to be awarded a repayment contract. Get in touch with someone at the NHSC for more info. They will probably be able to give more specifics about the program.

Another way to receive a loan repayment contract is directly thru your state. Some states offer loan repayment programs, which are similar to the NHSC program. The criteria may vary a bit from state to state, but where I live I just had to be working full-time at a community health center in a health professional shortage area. I would suggest contacting your state's primary care association, or it's department of health and senior services. Just give them a call and ask about loan repayment, if they offer it etc. If your state has such a program, the contracts will most likely be awarded in a similar fashion (highest HPSA scores down).

A third way is thru the Indian Health Services, website http://www.ihs.gov/. Of course these jobs are only available in states that have a native american population (ie. California, New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma, Alaska etc.) I don't know as much about this program, but I would suggest exploring the website and giving them a call. Thru this program, I believe you will be working on a native american reservation, at a public health clinic that only treats this population. I think this program is really cool, so if you live in a state that qualifies, I would recommend looking into this. I knew someone who did this program in New Mexico, and she really enjoyed it. I believe she commuted to the reservation (maybe a 40 minute drive to and from work).

Also, don't hesitate to talk to your dental school's public health director. He/she will surely know more about what programs are offered in your area that I do, and offer some suggestions of their own. They may also be able to get you in touch with some people who have graduated from your school and who are working in one of these programs.

Hope this helps! Good luck with school.

 

[youngmc27]

thanks

 

[dans105]

I know this post was ages ago, but if you're still around or if anyone else can help...

What is the salary like for one of these Loan Repayment programs?

 

[whodat4life]

I know this post was ages ago, but if you're still around or if anyone else can help...

What is the salary like for one of these Loan Repayment programs?

I'm interested in this too. +1

 

[TheArtLong]

I'm interested in this too. +1

One tribal clinic director quoted 120k + LR + "good benefits" at a location that is a 4-5 hour drive from a major airport in the middle of the country. The location is quite rural, and there is a casino.

 

[TheArtLong]

.

 

[A6project]

I have also heard about HRSA sends scholars to very secluded areas where you have nothing to do.

I don't mind working in an inner city of phx, dallas, chicago, etc. Yet being 100 miles away from a city sounds awful.

How do you find out the scores(location sites for high need area) for HRSA scholars and thier sites? Just call?

 

[deleted390966]

i'm an MD who accepted the nhsc scholarship in 2000 for 4 years. it was the worst mistake of my life. as dentists, you have to take a job in a super high need area (HPSA score of 19 or higher)- most of the jobs are in prisons.

 

[A6project]

honestly, i would rather work in a prison than in a rural area where a closest city is 100 miles far away. At least prisons are relatively near a big city so u will have a life.

 

[mike3kgt]

honestly, i would rather work in a prison than in a rural area where a closest city is 100 miles far away. At least prisons are relatively near a big city so u will have a life.

Rural practice is very enjoyable. Patients are nice, trusting, and good-hearted people. It's easy to live rural, albeit boring, it's cheap, and for a couple of years, it's very nice.

Plus, in rural practice, you don't have to count instruments before and after .

 

[A6project]

Rural practice is very enjoyable. Patients are nice, trusting, and good-hearted people. It's easy to live rural, albeit boring, it's cheap, and for a couple of years, it's very nice.

Plus, in rural practice, you don't have to count instruments before and after .

sir, are you currently doing HRSA -national health dental corps? or know about it??
If you don't mind, I would like to send you a PM to ask a few questions.

 

[Atticus]

http://nhscjobs.hrsa.gov/Search_HPOL.aspx

This should give you an indication of the types of places that scholars and loan repayment individuals can end up. For scholars going into the workforce this year, they must enter a site with a minimum score of 17, but this number changes every year. I am a recent recipient of the scholarship and when I get out, it may be 14 or 24-- no one really knows.

From what I have heard (and what they have said), in the final year of school, they send you to a conference where you meet with an individual assigned to whatever geographic region you're interested in. They will then inquire as to what type of setting you prefer (urban, rural, etc) and try their best to match you with something that you'll be happy in.

Remember, the NHSC was founded with the idea of retaining providers where they are needed the most. If they know that you want to be in an urban site, they will do everything they can to help find you an urban site because they want you to ultimately continue your service long beyond your scholarship commitment.

Quick sidenote-- Many people talk about how they would never want to live in a really rural area, or a really urban area... All I have to say is to remember the long term benefit:

100% of school, PAID
100% of books, lab fees, health insurance, and all other reasonable costs, PAID.
$1300 Monthly stipend.
Interview travel expenses, PAID.
10K in relocation expenses following graduation.

I can't be the only one that thinks that the financial benefit alone is considerable enough to live in a less-than-desirable area for 4 years. For me, it is just an added benefit that I want to work in an underserved community even after my commitment.

Anyway, I hope this helps.