Switching from Air Force HPSP to Army HPSP

[bleeker10]

Ok so I was in the process of applying for the Air Force HPSP. At MEPS I was told my file was going to be delayed because of exercise induced asthma I had when I was a kid. I turned my medical records from high school into my recruiter, who sent it to the Air Force's SGO. I found out today I am medically disqualified from the Air Force because of asthma that I had when I was a kid and don't have anymore. I want to switch to the Army for the HPSP because my recruiter said I would have a better chance of getting a waiver for my asthma from the Army's SGO. So my questions are:
1) Will I have a better chance getting a waiver for asthma and subsequently getting the HPSP in the Army?
2) Is it too late to even apply or get accepted for the HPSP this year or should I wait until the fall to apply? I am starting med school at the end of July and am worried about loans for school.

Thanks

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[DoctaJMa]

I filed for the Navy HPSP and was medically disqualified for shoulder surgery I had 6 years ago. I am currently in the process of filing for the Army HPSP. I would give it a shot cause I was told the same thing about having a better chance with them. However, if you are going to apply I would start very soon cause they are gonna start running out of scholarships. Get ahold of a recruiter soon. GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[bleeker10]

Thanks for the help. My Air Force recruiter said he would forward all my paperwork to the Army recruiter. I just have to find the nearest one.

Congrats on LECOM-Seton Hill. Was that your first choice? PBL seems like a really cool idea but I couldn't handle it. I don't like to read from textbooks a lot. So I decided on LDP at LECOM-Erie

 

[punkiedad]

Thanks for the help. My Air Force recruiter said he would forward all my paperwork to the Army recruiter. I just have to find the nearest one.

Congrats on LECOM-Seton Hill. Was that your first choice? PBL seems like a really cool idea but I couldn't handle it. I don't like to read from textbooks a lot. So I decided on LDP at LECOM-Erie

Bllerk, sorry to hear about your DQ....a couple thoughts, cause I have been going back and forth as well. I started the AF HPSP then switched to ASR.

--I would find a local recruiter for Army then have them call MEPS and get your file. They may move a lot quicker getting the paperwork than the AF giving it up. It is a bigger deal for them to get it in.

--Not sure if you have checked out the ASR program, but I would seriously consider it. It is Army National Guard. Very good benefits. If you are interested, check out the military medicine forum about the Amry National Guard's new med school program thread or PM me. You may have already looked at it, but if not give it a look.

See you in July..................

 

[ValeRx]

What makes you think that if you were disqualified from the Air Force (the least physically active branch) that you would be qualified to join the Army (most physically active branch, aside from the Corps)? I've been in 8 years now and if I remember correctly, medical DQ from one branch means that you are DQ from ANY military service.

 

[psychbender]

What makes you think that if you were disqualified from the Air Force (the least physically active branch) that you would be qualified to join the Army (most physically active branch, aside from the Corps)? I've been in 8 years now and if I remember correctly, medical DQ from one branch means that you are DQ from ANY military service.

The Air Force is filling all of their scholarships, the Army and Navy are not (or were not, haven't checked the stats recently). If the Air Force knows that they will fill your spot anyway, there is no incentive to go through the extra steps to grant a waiver. The Army or Navy can either not fill the spot, or fill it with someone that will, in all likelihood, be perfectly physically capable, but will have to have some extra work done to medically clear. I, and a whole bunch of other people I know, had to get waivers for inconsequantial crap to get in, and still managed to do just fine on the APFT.

 

[bleeker10]

I am going off of what my Air Force recruiter told me. I was asking if anyone else had a similar experience. I am going to talk to an Army recruiter about it and see if I can apply in the Army. I understand the Army is physically demanding but they may have different standards for med students/doctors than enlisted men. I am hoping they do anyways

 

[ValeRx]

The Air Force is filling all of their scholarships, the Army and Navy are not (or were not, haven't checked the stats recently). If the Air Force knows that they will fill your spot anyway, there is no incentive to go through the extra steps to grant a waiver. The Army or Navy can either not fill the spot, or fill it with someone that will, in all likelihood, be perfectly physically capable, but will have to have some extra work done to medically clear. I, and a whole bunch of other people I know, had to get waivers for inconsequantial crap to get in, and still managed to do just fine on the APFT.

Yes but we are talking about a medical disqualification. A med DQ from one branch is generally a med DQ from all branches. Not just a simple one like a surgery that may DQ you from jump status/flight status but one that bars you from enlistment/commission.

edit: I'm not saying someone can't hang with PT or what not, just the fact that if the AF DQ'd for asthma, does it make sense that the Army wouldn't?

 

[mslall]

Yes but we are talking about a medical disqualification. A med DQ from one branch is generally a med DQ from all branches. Not just a simple one like a surgery that may DQ you from jump status/flight status but one that bars you from enlistment/commission.

edit: I'm not saying someone can't hang with PT or what not, just the fact that if the AF DQ'd for asthma, does it make sense that the Army wouldn't?

A Med DQ from one branch should be equivalent to a med DQ from another branch. Since the Air Force generally fills all of their scholarships there is no need for them to "do the extra work" to get someone medically cleared. Sure, if all things were equal, it doesnt make sense that you could get DQ'd for asthma in the AF but get a waiver for it in the army. But all things aren't equal and the army generally hasnt been handing out as many scholarships as the AF (why I dont know, but we wont go there). So they (army/navy) can either 1) do the paperwork to get your conditioned waived, and they gain a physician that is usually just fine or 2)not fill the slot. In the Air Force the options would be 1) do the paperwork to get you cleared or 2)just give the slot to someone who is already cleared without the hassle of the paperwork.

Not saying it necessarily makes sense from the physical/medical perspective, but its less of a hassle for the Air Force.

edit: just to clarify, I'll be Army, and totally agree that a DQ in one branch should be a DQ in all branches, but thats just not how it works.

 

[ValeRx]

Ok you missed my point. My point is that I am pretty sure that exercise-induced asthma is a non-waiverable DQ from all military service. So if the AF DQ'd him, the Army will too. If asthma is waiverable then sure, he may have a chance of getting into the Army.

 

[psychbender]

Ok you missed my point. My point is that I am pretty sure that exercise-induced asthma is a non-waiverable DQ from all military service. So if the AF DQ'd him, the Army will too. If asthma is waiverable then sure, he may have a chance of getting into the Army.

Per the OP, this appears to be childhood asthma. So long as the asthma was before the age of 12, it is not supposed to be considered a current medical condition, and a waiver is not needed. However, sometimes the people at MEPS don't pay attention to this, and decide to DQ anyone who was ever prescribed an inhaler for any problem. Such DQs still require the applicant to go through the waiver process, which one service may not do if they can hand the spot over to someone that does not have such a DQ. This was my situation, and I was able to get the Army do grant me a waiver. Had I applied Air Force, I likely would have just had a straight DQ/rejection, as the AF exceeded quota my year, whereas Army ended up somewhere around 70%. Since they still needed bodies, it was worth the effort to go through the waiver process to get another student. This is my point.

 

[bleeker10]

Well regardless I am gonna try to get into the Army. It never hurts to try and I have nothing to lose. Thanks for all the replies.

 

[bbm2001]

Hello, I was wondering, I'm in the process of applying to HPSP right now. I'm actually transfering from the national guard. I had everything to go with the National Guard, but they ran out of money. However, the recruiters are always so vague so its difficult to actually figure out when everything will be approved. Thus far, they have all my paperwork and I've done MEPS. I was wondering, how long was your process and what did you have to do/turn in to them? Also I was wondering if you knew if its too late to receive the aid for this Fall 2009 semester or if I would have to wait until Spring 2010? Thank you!

 

[HackFuJones]

heres the deal, u can get a waiver for your asthma if it was a childhood illness and not active anymore. However, u need to be truthful with yourself and actually see if u can pass the Army PT test even if u get accepted because if you cannot, u will not be allowed to progress beyond internship which would screw your medical career over big time. So, go look up what you need to do for your age group when u start internship, usually its somewhere around 45 pushups, 50 situps, and 16 min 2 mile minimum requirements. If you cant do it because of breathing troubles, I dont recommend applying. Hope that helps u.

 

[bleeker10]

Alright so I was able to switch to the Army and was accepted into the HPSP in the May board. The key for me was instead of going to MEPS again, my recruiter had me fly to BAMC and do a physical there. I did pulmonary function tests and chest x-rays. Everything came back normal and I was able to get waivers for my asthma. As for the PT test, I need to work on my pushups and situps and get my mile time down about a minute and a half. Since I haven't been working out at all in the past few months, I think I can do it if I can work out 5-6 days a week. That's the goal for now anyways. Thank for all the help