Second thoughts on HPSP, advice?

[s432000]

Hi everyone. I've been on this site for a while and made a few posts a few years ago about military medicine. To start off, I've always been interested in serving and come from a military family going back to WWII. For me, wearing the uniform is a personal obligation. In fact, during high school, I was planning on enlisting but a late birthday that required parental consent set aside those plans. I thought about doing ROTC but was advised against it from one of my professors who practiced military medicine since premed and ROTC is a huge commitment. That's when I begin setting my eyes on HPSP and the guard as well. I believe my first few posts on this site were questions regarding both of those.

Anyways, come now and I've been fortunate to hold an acceptance at a DO school, and this school has an average COA of $100k/year. I'm also fortunate enough to be selected for the 4 year Navy HPSP scholarship. That being said, I'm now having some doubt if I should move forward. My parents were initially very supportive, but they've become concerned about the whole PCS situation and deployments, and limited time to visit me. By the time I would leave the military, assuming I did a 3 year residency, my parents would be in their 70s. I expect to do residency at a military hospital, be moved around in the military and also expect deployments to be a thing, but part of me feels a bit odd about the parental situation. I would like to get married in my 20s and possibly start a family too, and I know it can be difficult to balance in the military. I would still like to serve and am open to serving in the guard/reserves since the balance is better, but the financial benefits aren't as good vs HPSP.

Now I know people say don't do HPSP for the money, and my number one reason for doing it is because I want to serve and continue my family's tradition. But the financial benefits are something that are still nice. As someone who is 100% intent on serving, but still wants to have some time for family, would taking the reserves/guard route be a better option?

Although active duty will have its constraints, do you think it would still be a good option? Would it be wise to take MDSSP to help with housing during medical school and then take HPLRP as well? Or would the better option be to take the loans, combine STRAP and HPLRP during third year of residency?

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[orbitsurgMD]

Hi everyone. I've been on this site for a while and made a few posts a few years ago about military medicine. To start off, I've always been interested in serving and come from a military family going back to WWII. For me, wearing the uniform is a personal obligation. In fact, during high school, I was planning on enlisting but a late birthday that required parental consent set aside those plans. I thought about doing ROTC but was advised against it from one of my professors who practiced military medicine since premed and ROTC is a huge commitment. That's when I begin setting my eyes on HPSP and the guard as well. I believe my first few posts on this site were questions regarding both of those.

Anyways, come now and I've been fortunate to hold an acceptance at a DO school, and this school has an average COA of $100k/year. I'm also fortunate enough to be selected for the 4 year Navy HPSP scholarship. That being said, I'm now having some doubt if I should move forward. My parents were initially very supportive, but they've become concerned about the whole PCS situation and deployments, and limited time to visit me. By the time I would leave the military, assuming I did a 3 year residency, my parents would be in their 70s. I expect to do residency at a military hospital, be moved around in the military and also expect deployments to be a thing, but part of me feels a bit odd about the parental situation. I would like to get married in my 20s and possibly start a family too, and I know it can be difficult to balance in the military. I would still like to serve and am open to serving in the guard/reserves since the balance is better, but the financial benefits aren't as good vs HPSP.

Now I know people say don't do HPSP for the money, and my number one reason for doing it is because I want to serve and continue my family's tradition. But the financial benefits are something that are still nice. As someone who is 100% intent on serving, but still wants to have some time for family, would taking the reserves/guard route be a better option?

Although active duty will have its constraints, do you think it would still be a good option? Would it be wise to take MDSSP to help with housing during medical school and then take HPLRP as well? Or would the better option be to take the loans, combine STRAP and HPLRP during third year of residency?

Your family's military tradition should not be your main concern. It is nice to consider it, but the military is a changing organization, and what an older family member experienced will probably have little bearing on what you will experience as a military physician.

As for your concerns about being able to see your parents when needed and the possible separation imposed by PCS and other daily realities of military life, I have to tell you that you should be willing to accept that or consider some other way of serving besides HPSP. The only advantage of HPSP is money up front. That is the main event, the really only reason to choose HPSP over any other commissioning pathway. You want to do a military residency. That's great, but really understand that the majority of HPSP accessions do not do military residencies. There are simply not enough PGY2 slots to go around, and by a significant margin. For a generation, HPSP has been used by the military to supply a steady stream of GMOs to do fleet/field duty and only secondarily (read: very secondarily) to provide a pool of applicants to fill their dwindling numbers of residency slots. Understand all that clearly, because that is exactly how it works and how it will be for you.

The military talks a lot about taking care of its troops, but when it comes to mission versus personal concerns, mission comes first. If your parents get sick, you can't just cancel your clinics and head to the airport.

If you want my $0.02 having read your post, I think you should not join via HPSP. If you change your mind later, there are other, better pathways into the military.

 

[armytrainingsir]

The reserves will be there when you finish residency.

That’s as much mil med I can recommend in good conscience to anyone these days.

 

[j4pac]

I’d try to go in with a goal. I wanted to serve and wasn’t that concerned with the destination…so the military works for me. I loved being a flight surgeon and was fine with it delaying getting through residency.

But if you’re doubting now, I wouldn’t do it. There will likely be other options to serve.

 

[DOswag]

Plenty of other options to serve. HPSP is a long commitment and there's no way to predict what the future of military and medicine within the military will look like 7-8 years from now. FAP at least allows you to join after you've matched a residency so you won't have to go GMO/FS. Reserves or Guard have options as stated above but allow you to work a civ job and likely make a lot more money but still scratching that itch to wear the uniform. Or you could just work at the VA after training for a few years to work with veterans. Depending on specialty can get student loan repayment and pay isn't terrible with the VA, good bennies too, still lots of admin though compared to most civilan jobs.

 

[militaryPHYS]

If you are having doubts then best to choose the option with the fewest doubts.

Ultimately it sounds like you are just looking for other last minute random people’s opinions and you got them. Just remember that only you are responsible for the final decision you make. Control what you can control and be honest with yourself about what stresses you out the most. Each person is different when it comes to this. Ask yourself what decision will help you sleep best at night and go with that one. Don’t worry about what anybody else says. Good luck!

 

[TheEarDoc]

Hi everyone. I've been on this site for a while and made a few posts a few years ago about military medicine. To start off, I've always been interested in serving and come from a military family going back to WWII. For me, wearing the uniform is a personal obligation. In fact, during high school, I was planning on enlisting but a late birthday that required parental consent set aside those plans. I thought about doing ROTC but was advised against it from one of my professors who practiced military medicine since premed and ROTC is a huge commitment. That's when I begin setting my eyes on HPSP and the guard as well. I believe my first few posts on this site were questions regarding both of those.

Anyways, come now and I've been fortunate to hold an acceptance at a DO school, and this school has an average COA of $100k/year. I'm also fortunate enough to be selected for the 4 year Navy HPSP scholarship. That being said, I'm now having some doubt if I should move forward. My parents were initially very supportive, but they've become concerned about the whole PCS situation and deployments, and limited time to visit me. By the time I would leave the military, assuming I did a 3 year residency, my parents would be in their 70s. I expect to do residency at a military hospital, be moved around in the military and also expect deployments to be a thing, but part of me feels a bit odd about the parental situation. I would like to get married in my 20s and possibly start a family too, and I know it can be difficult to balance in the military. I would still like to serve and am open to serving in the guard/reserves since the balance is better, but the financial benefits aren't as good vs HPSP.

Now I know people say don't do HPSP for the money, and my number one reason for doing it is because I want to serve and continue my family's tradition. But the financial benefits are something that are still nice. As someone who is 100% intent on serving, but still wants to have some time for family, would taking the reserves/guard route be a better option?

Although active duty will have its constraints, do you think it would still be a good option? Would it be wise to take MDSSP to help with housing during medical school and then take HPLRP as well? Or would the better option be to take the loans, combine STRAP and HPLRP during third year of residency?

Don't do HPSP. The military is not going to be compatible at all with what you posted as your wishes. The military doesn't care about your wants, needs, or your family. They care about the mission. Even in the Reserves/Guard the mission always comes first. I've left for military stuff with children in the hospital, spouse in the hospital, missed deaths, births, anniversaries, etc.. Uncle Sam doesn't care. They might talk about supporting soldiers and their families, but only when it's convenient for them. I am not bitter. I knew that going into putting on the uniform and it's just part of the gig.

My advice would be do all the things you want to do now and then when you finish your education do guard or reserves to scratch that itch, get a good bonus and bennies, and get somewhat as much back from Uncle Sam as they will take from you.