The NHSC

[AnnaB]

Hi Everyone, Merry Christmas.
I posted this question on another forum, but had no response. I thought I'd try here. Is anyone planning on financing med school through the National Health Services Corps??? It's where you exchange a few years of your time after residency in an underserved area for the Corps to pay for med school. There's also a 1000$/month stipend. I can't seem to find anyone to talk to about this. I'm debating this vs. the Air Force and wanted to get as much info as possible. If anyone has any info on it, I'd appreciate it!!!! Thanks, Anna

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[chrsburr]

Hi Anna,
Well, maybe I can help you a little. I am a NHSC Scholar and I really love the program. Let me try and go through the advantages and disadvantages as I see them. The disadvantage first: 1) You must be sure you are going to do primary care (for me that was a nobrainer) because once you sign the contract you are obligated to complete the program with a primary care background (primary care entails: family med, internal med, peds, ob/gyn, psychiatry)
2) You need to be sure you have no problem taking care of underserved patients in a rural or inner city setting
3) You need to be sure that you don't mind obligating yourself to the length of time that you agree to
4) If you don't find a position in an underserved area after residency by the time your service goes into effect then the program selects one for you; that means you could be working on an indian reservation, federal prison system, or maybe alaska (but none of these options bothered me- I can do anything for 4 years)
5) The program I believe is fairly competitive with 1 to 7 or 1 to 8 applicant to acceptance ratio
Now that I have depressed you, here are the advantages:
1) The program is topnotched and they set you up financially
2) NO or little student loans when done with medical school
3) The program gives you the opportunity to set up your own job after residency as long as it is in an underserved area so that gives you the opportunity to decide where you want to work in the nation
4) The program is truthful on where they stand and they pay you well ( I received a lump sum to pay for my books and equipment as well as my back time for my stipend)
5) You receive your monthly stipend on time every month
6) Even if you accept the program you are still eligible at some schools to borrow from the federal Stipend program (I believe)
7) Overall I would rate this program as one of the best for paying for med school and allowing you to take care of people (especially underserved)
I am sorry that I can not compare the military scholarship with this. But I can say that I have dealt with the military before and I find they tend to tell you one thing and do another. But that is my own opinion.
Well, Good luck with whichever route you go.

 

[jdm]

I am also looking to apply for an NHSC scholarship, and am pleased to hear your experience has been what I was anticipating. I understand the appl'ns will be released mid-January.

 

[Yosh]

Where can we get the applications from?

I am an MS1 and am strongly considering applying

 

[SawBones]

I received the NHSC paperwork when I started medical school and noticed that you can still sign up for it after you graduate and finish residency. So if you aren't sure if you want to do primary care, then you can just go into debt the traditional way (Stafford loans). At the end of your training you can reconsider the NHSC. So, if you want to specialize, fine -- forget the NHSC and pay off your loans on your own. Or, if you practice primary care and want to join the NHSC, then you sign up, get assigned to a underserved area, and they pay back $25,000 on your loans yearly for the first two years, and $35,000 each year after that. Pretty cool program.

Financially, you are probably better off to sign up at the beginning of medical school. However if you aren't 100% sure you want to do primary care, then joining the NHSC after training is still a pretty attractive option.

(Double check this information -- This was at least three years ago when I read this)

 

[AnnaB]

Thanks everyone for the info. Does ANYONE know how I can get a list of the updated places one can choose to work after residency??? I've been to the NHSC website and can't seem to find out how I can see this list. I'll have to maybe find a phone number and call to get more specific info. Thanks, Anna

 

[Wifty]

The following link will take you to where you can search for current openings in the NHSC program. They also tell you what sites are eligible for loan repayment. Hope this helps!

<a href="http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/nhsc/Main/new_home.htm" target="_blank">http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/nhsc/Main/new_home.htm</a>

Also, check your state. Some states have a similar program (WA being one) and they are less competitive to get into.

Wifty
KCOM Spouse 2006 and 'links' collector