Questions about HPSP

[anamarylee]

---

Members do not see this ad.

First thanks to all the doctors who have posted about their experiences. It has helped to clear up a lot of the questions I've had about this whole process.

I'm interested in primary care, either OB/GYN or Family med. Because of the whole issue of malpractice in the civilian sector in Puerto Rico, OB is not a very enticing prospect (Residency salaries start below $30K, malpractice insurance is sky-high) down here. Becasue of a recent change in my personal life, HPSP is now a possibility. I'm starting my MSII this month, again, after taking a medical leave of absence last year. The prospect of not having to worry about taking out loans for 2 more years (I already have 2 years, plus whatever I borrow this year) provides great peace of mind, which right now, I could really use.

My brother and sister-in-law are both in the AF. They have been trying to convince me to do the HPSP for over a year but because of my relationship with my now-former fiancee it was simply not an option. Now it is.

So my questions are:

How is the match process conducted? Do you apply only for a specialty or a specialty and location? I know assignments are depending on the needs of the AF, not mine, but I want to know the experiences of other people regarding location for their residencies.

About IRR, If my scholarship is for 2 years, I owe two years of active duty. How long after my 4 year residency and 2 years of active duty do I remain in IRR?

If anyone has experience in OB/GYN or family practice in the AF and can post about their experiences it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for all your help. 🙂

PS. I already read lukeballard.tripod.com/HPSP.html

 

[thenavysurgeon]

hi..

i can answer a couple of your questions...

but first, a comment...

I would not characterize OB/GYN as a 'primary care' specialty. It is very different practice than FP...involves some surgical training, a sometimes brutal call schedule, time in the OR etc...its not primary care. Stick with peds or FP if you're interested in primary care.

Resident salaries are low, even in the US. I would not expect to earn more than 40K per year no matter where you do your training.

Malpractice insurance for OB/GYN is high, especially in some geographic regions. Your malpractice insurance should be much lower for the primary care practices (FP and peds)

Now on to HPSP...

1. all HPSP contracts are 8 years long. Your active duty commitment would be 2 years for a 2 year scholarship, and then you would have 6 years of IRR to repay...this assumes you do your training outside of the miltary. Additional active duty obligation is incurred if you train in the military's wonderful and top-quality training programs.

2. what are your views of the military and its activities? If you're interested in the money alone, and not the 'opportunity' to serve in the military, then the HPSP might be the wrong choice for you. Examine this closely before you sign your name on the dotted line.

3. Are you prepared to do a GMO tour of one or more years, before you are allowed to complete your training?

TNS

 

[anamarylee]

1. all HPSP contracts are 8 years long. Your active duty commitment would be 2 years for a 2 year scholarship, and then you would have 6 years of IRR to repay...this assumes you do your training outside of the miltary. Additional active duty obligation is incurred if you train in the military's wonderful and top-quality training programs.

Part of the appeal is doing my residency in the military, so what does additional active duty obligation entail?

2. what are your views of the military and its activities? If you're interested in the money alone, and not the 'opportunity' to serve in the military, then the HPSP might be the wrong choice for you. Examine this closely before you sign your name on the dotted line.

Besides my brother and sister-in-law, my aunt's husband is in the Army. Plus I have a friend from middle school who is in the AF. My views on the military: I am so proud of my little brother and his wife for the work they do. The whole idea of military life appeals to me on a basic level, not 100% sure why, it's just a "vibe" I get from it. The money alone is not the issue. I have $40K in debts already, with $16K more for this year, plus a mortgage (I'm not afraid to get into debt, as long as I know I'll be able to get out of it, eventually). I'm not gonna lie, the money is part of it (I would NOT do it for free, or an unfair salary), but not the sole reason. Peace of mind at the end of the month is a big part of it (right now I don't have my loan yet, dont' even know if I'll qualify cause of the medical leave, and the balance on my credit card keeps me up at night), not just in med school but during residency and beyond.

Maybe I'm looking to make a radical change after the recent events in my life (last 4 months have been a 180). Perhaps knowing exactly what the future holds, not having that level of uncertanty, is part of the HPSP appeal.

3. Are you prepared to do a GMO tour of one or more years, before you are allowed to complete your training?

Does this mean at some point in my residency take time off to complete a GMO tour? For a year I would do it anywhere in the world. Longer than that would depend on the location. As long as I know I'll finish my residency, I'm ok with doing it. Assuming that would count towards the 2 years of active duty I have to repay.

Thanks Navysurgeon for the feedback. Really appreciate it. 🙂

 

[iatrosB]

Part of the appeal is doing my residency in the military, so what does additional active duty obligation entail?

For each year of military residency, you incur one year of active duty obligation. The new obligation years are served concurrently with your HPSP obligation however. So in your case you will probably add more time because you are only doing a two year scholarship and most residencies are 3+ years. If you do a three year residency, you owe three years now instead of the two years from your scholarship.

 

[kaikai128]

About IRR, If my scholarship is for 2 years, I owe two years of active duty.

Are you positive that a 2 year scholarship only requires 2 years of active duty payback?

I am positive that my recruiter (he may be wrong) told me that the minimum active duty payback would be 3 years. Therefore, if I elected to go with a two year or one year scholarship, I would still owe three years of active duty.

Edit: Maybe the reason for the 3 year is as described below...I don't know, but I know my recruiter said that there was a minimum of 3 years active duty.

 

[FliteSurgn]

Are you positive that a 2 year scholarship only requires 2 years of active duty payback?

I am positive that my recruiter (he may be wrong) told me that the minimum active duty payback would be 3 years. Therefore, if I elected to go with a two year or one year scholarship, I would still owe three years of active duty.

Edit: Maybe the reason for the 3 year is as described below...I don't know, but I know my recruiter said that there was a minimum of 3 years active duty.

The official wording..."Participants are commissioned as officers in the inactive reserve of the Army, Navy, or Air Force and are required to serve one year on active duty for each year of scholarship assistance with a minimum obligation of three years."

 

[kaikai128]

The official wording..."Participants are commissioned as officers in the inactive reserve of the Army, Navy, or Air Force and are required to serve one year on active duty for each year of scholarship assistance with a minimum obligation of three years."

Yay, I wasn't talking out of my a$$...I looked online for that, but couldn't find it. Thanks.

 

[edmadison]

Just to correct one point, the use of GMOs has been sharply curtailed in the AF and Army. Only the Navy feels above the oversight of our nation's legislature. Army (and I'm pretty sure AF) OB/GYN are straight through programs, thus no PGY-2 reapplication. Accordingly, you would likely not get assigned to a GMO billet. HOWEVER, you could still get sent to Iraq to a GMO job temporarily (6m-1yr).

OB/GYN may be one of the best choices for someone going into the military. My rough impression working with the OBs for two months is that there program is very similar to civilian programs: High volume practice, much high risk stuff, I don't know about GYN-ONC or Repro, though.

Ed

 

[DrBloodmoney]

I would strongly urge you to research all 3 branches and choose the best fit for yourself (daunting when you don't have direct experience with the military). The scholarship is the same for all three branches, however, life after med school will be vastly different depending upon the branch you choose.

For example, the Army has a wider variety of residency options for specialties than AF or Navy. The Navy will certainly earn you a good chance at becoming a GMO. The AF has nice bases but your options for residency will be limited.

 

[anamarylee]

OB/GYN may be one of the best choices for someone going into the military. My rough impression working with the OBs for two months is that there program is very similar to civilian programs: High volume practice, much high risk stuff, I don't know about GYN-ONC or Repro, though.

Oncology is not my cup of tea and repro is not that appealing to my at this time. I love OB/GYN but the whole malpractice insurance issue has me really thinking if I want to make this field my life's work. The only option locally is to work for the public hospitals and public health down here... sucks. The military seems to provide a happy medium for me.

Thanks to everyone for your comments. I will bring all of these points to the recruiter when I see her.