To do HPSP or to not...

[andrade.steph]

Hi everyone,
I just had a zoom conference call with a recruiter from the HPSP. Everything seemed to be painted like sunshine and rainbow up until I logged into SDN and read some threads about dentists that have gone through the HPSP route and HATED IT! Actually, there were several threads of people saying how terrible it actually is. However, one thing i did notice is that they were really old threads so i wanted to see if anyone who has recently gone through the HPSP has any advice or anything they wish they were educated on before applying. If i asked myself why i would want to accept the program, my first response would be the money. Coming out of dental school debt free seems like a dream HOWEVER, is it really?!

I thought i would add: I am applying to dental school this cycle and would be considering the 4 year HPSP.

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[Big Time Hoosier]

What does it hurt to apply? There’s no guarantee you’d even get it. The HPSP across all services probably has around a 50% acceptance rate. And they seem to be reducing the number of slots significantly, so the acceptance rate could even be headed lower.

Big Hoss

 

[SirBrotherJam]

I am not saying that my time in has been, as you put "sunshine and rainbows" but yeah no debt is nice. I however married a woman that did have dental school debt of around 275k. Ask yourself, do you want to pay 3k or more a month for 5-10 years? It is noticeable, I can tell you that much. Plus, I joined for the adventure, seeing the world, and serving those that literally fight for your freedom, and I have done all that and more. If you want that you can get it or you can sit back and have an uneventful 4 years. Yeah you put up with idiots, but you are going to get that anywhere. My s%% filter is about full so I'm getting out, specializing with the gi bill, and set to have wife's loans gone before separating. Military is great for the resume. Also consider tricare for healthcare, no DEA fees, etc.. See @Big Time Hoosier for some other details. He does a good job of laying out realistic expectations.

 

[Maintainer]

What does it hurt to apply? There’s no guarantee you’d even get it. The HPSP across all services probably has around a 50% acceptance rate. And they seem to be reducing the number of slots significantly, so the acceptance rate could even be headed lower.

Big Hoss

In addition, as there is a possibility that the vaccine would not be come out next year, more applicants may choose this option to reduce the economic burden. Especially the students whose parents support their living expenses.

 

[apicalforamen]

If you have kids or think you will have kids before you leave AD and you know you want to specialize - HPSP is the way to go. As a personal experience, I will serve a 7 year commitment and be a licensed specialist when its all said and done with $0 in debt (in fact, you will be the highest paid resident in the country given they pay your full salary in residency). The reason I mentioned kids is because you can transfer your GI bill and boom, college paid for since you didn't have to use your own on specializing in the CIV world.

 

[SirBrotherJam]

The reason I mentioned kids is because you can transfer your GI bill and boom, college paid for since you didn't have to use your own on specializing in the CIV world.

Would like OP to know that yes you are the highest paid resident, but probably the lowest paid specialist. Also, you have to be in for 6 years min before you can agree to transfer GI bill to dependents with 4 year commitment... so that is only an option if you are staying for 10 years at a minimum. Joint military places such as Walter Reed are among some of the most expensive in the country.

 

[apicalforamen]

...but probably the lowest paid specialist.

Correct, but how much debt are our civilian counterparts in who went from dental school to residency? All I'm saying is if you play your cards right, you can walk out debt free and thus making more than any civilian counterpart once your commitment is up.

 

[DaniellaDavis]

The general advice is to not do it JUST for the money. Do it to serve the country, to help fellow servicewomen/men, for adventure, an interesting experience, unique training, etc. Additionally, there are a lot of benefits when it comes to food, housing, health care, dental care, retirement benefits, etc. The financial benefits are undeniable...getting a stipend while in school is sweet, plus you will be higher paid as a resident.

Bottom line, if you're joining for more than just the money, I'd say go for it. If you're doing it just for the money, don't.

 

[Tooth Ferry]

Correct, but how much debt are our civilian counterparts in who went from dental school to residency? All I'm saying is if you play your cards right, you can walk out debt free and thus making more than any civilian counterpart once your commitment is up.

Well if you're paying $300,000 in federal debt (conservative figure if you're at private school or have previous debt), that should be around $4,000 a month for 10 years, or $48,000 a year for the standard payment. Most of my peers are in REPAYE or income-driven repayment so that number is lower even if the total amount repaid is higher.

If you specialize, you will 100% be the lowest-paid specialist in the country. That being said, it is generally much easier to get into a military specialty than a civilian one. You do the math on your personal situation and goals to see if the numbers work for you and your needs. Free insurance ($0 premiums), child-birth costing almost nothing, subsidized everything vs. not having control of where you live, moving around a lot, endless paperwork, etc.

It's definitely not for everyone and you certainly need to know what you're getting into.

 

[apicalforamen]

Well if you're paying $300,000 in federal debt (conservative figure if you're at private school or have previous debt), that should be around $4,000 a month for 10 years, or $48,000 a year for the standard payment. Most of my peers are in REPAYE or income-driven repayment so that number is lower even if the total amount repaid is higher.

If you specialize, you will 100% be the lowest-paid specialist in the country. That being said, it is generally much easier to get into a military specialty than a civilian one. You do the math on your personal situation and goals to see if the numbers work for you and your needs. Free insurance ($0 premiums), child-birth costing almost nothing, subsidized everything vs. not having control of where you live, moving around a lot, endless paperwork, etc.

It's definitely not for everyone and you certainly need to know what you're getting into.

Sure, maybe if you stay in for a full 20. You can do the math and after ~11 years the army turned CIV practitioner is now out earning the the “traditional” specialist.

 

[inked.cuse]

I'm in the same boat as the poster of this thread. Im currently in the process of applying to the HPSP and am excited yet have some worries. The money being the most direct and short term draw of course, but I also know that there are alot of benefits like health care coverage, housing, travel, etc (as mentioned above). Many of my concerns are related to the unknown(s). Im worried about not matching into a specialty and having to do GMO. Also worried about when I decide to have children, how they handle maternity leave and every thing that comes along with that. And to expand on that, as a woman, Ive heard some terrible stories about how females are treated in military (specifically army) culture.

Anyone care to shed some light on some of my concerns? Or just have additional info / personal experiences they wish to share ?

 

[SirBrotherJam]

I'm in the same boat as the poster of this thread. Im currently in the process of applying to the HPSP and am excited yet have some worries. The money being the most direct and short term draw of course, but I also know that there are alot of benefits like health care coverage, housing, travel, etc (as mentioned above). Many of my concerns are related to the unknown(s). Im worried about not matching into a specialty and having to do GMO. Also worried about when I decide to have children, how they handle maternity leave and every thing that comes along with that. And to expand on that, as a woman, Ive heard some terrible stories about how females are treated in military (specifically army) culture.

Anyone care to shed some light on some of my concerns? Or just have additional info / personal experiences they wish to share ?

I really cant speak to matching etc. from a medical side (as this is a dental tread), but I will say, at least from a Navy standpoint, you can be a flight doc for a year and experience some really cool things... such as logging required flight time in F-18s and SH-60s helos. Looks good on a resume too when applying to military/civilian programs too. Being a female and having babies shouldn't really effect much, just need to have good timing. Obviously, it is frowned upon if you become pregnant KNOWING you will be deploying. Causes a mess and usually someone has to hotfill that billet. Some girl had a baby on our aircraft carrier while deployed and she had no idea she was pregnant lol. If you are at a 3 year shore command/non-operational command, as we call it, then there really shouldn't be an issue with maternity leave. I can also tell you first hand that women tend to get more leeway with orders. Usually the single males get screwed first, then the married males, then the females. I guess squeaky wheel gets the grease and I tend to go with the flow. Again just my NAVY opinion.
If you are looking for a nice non deployable military experience that is good to families.... go Air Force.

 

[jjdd]

I always advise applying to all 3 branches and giving yourself options. You can always say no and walk away but if you don’t apply early than you won’t get it. My two cents

 

[Tooth Ferry]

I'm in the same boat as the poster of this thread. Im currently in the process of applying to the HPSP and am excited yet have some worries. The money being the most direct and short term draw of course, but I also know that there are alot of benefits like health care coverage, housing, travel, etc (as mentioned above). Many of my concerns are related to the unknown(s). Im worried about not matching into a specialty and having to do GMO. Also worried about when I decide to have children, how they handle maternity leave and every thing that comes along with that. And to expand on that, as a woman, Ive heard some terrible stories about how females are treated in military (specifically army) culture.

Anyone care to shed some light on some of my concerns? Or just have additional info / personal experiences they wish to share ?

You're in the wrong forum - this is military dentistry. I'd recommend you go onto the Military HPSP Facebook page. There's tons of active duty docs there who are happy to chat with anyone interested!

 

[D1Bound]

Hi everyone,
I just had a zoom conference call with a recruiter from the HPSP. Everything seemed to be painted like sunshine and rainbow up until I logged into SDN and read some threads about dentists that have gone through the HPSP route and HATED IT! Actually, there were several threads of people saying how terrible it actually is. However, one thing i did notice is that they were really old threads so i wanted to see if anyone who has recently gone through the HPSP has any advice or anything they wish they were educated on before applying. If i asked myself why i would want to accept the program, my first response would be the money. Coming out of dental school debt free seems like a dream HOWEVER, is it really?!

I thought i would add: I am applying to dental school this cycle and would be considering the 4 year HPSP.

I was in your shoes. It was very difficult for me to finally sign my contract and commit to employment so many years in the future. I still get anxiety about it sometimes, but I know it's going to be a really unique experience with world class training. The residency possibilities and the experience in a young career are invaluable. I'm using my stipend right now to help pay down my debt I came in with prior to dental school. I'm actually able "start" my life through the military route because I'll be putting money in the bank rather than struggling to fight payments and accruing interest immediately when I graduate. Also, think about this. Every single dentist I spoke to both veteran and non veteran suggested I do this program. Shouldn't that tell you something? Ask all of your tax paying mentors what they're opinions are. They'll set the record straight.

 

[ESPN907]

I was in your shoes. It was very difficult for me to finally sign my contract and commit to employment so many years in the future. I still get anxiety about it sometimes, but I know it's going to be a really unique experience with world class training. The residency possibilities and the experience in a young career are invaluable. I'm using my stipend right now to help pay down my debt I came in with prior to dental school. I'm actually able "start" my life through the military route because I'll be putting money in the bank rather than struggling to fight payments and accruing interest immediately when I graduate. Also, think about this. Every single dentist I spoke to both veteran and non veteran suggested I do this program. Shouldn't that tell you something? Ask all of your tax paying mentors what they're opinions are. They'll set the record straight.

I never met a dentist that did it that said they would’ve done things differently and every dentist I’ve met that didn’t do it said if they could go back they would do it in a heart beat...so it was a pretty easy decision for me

 

[D1Bound]

I never met a dentist that did it that said they would’ve done things differently and every dentist I’ve met that didn’t do it said if they could go back they would do it in a heart beat...so it was a pretty easy decision for me

That echoes my experience. Something for the OP to think about. Military dentistry is a fantastic place to begin and launch a career. It isn't for everyone long term, and also long term it isn't as lucrative, not even close. But, dentistry is changing. If corporate continued to change how things are done, and someone didn't like how things were headed, maybe a career in the military wouldn't be a bad option to have in someone's back pocket. It's a guaranteed check, housing allowance, health care, etc. I'm so glad I made the decision to do it.

 

[axiumgod]

All I’m saying is... being HPSP let me buy Orascoptic EyeZooms today without breaking a sweat at the price tag lol.

 

[yappy]

If you don't make it a career it probably doesn't matter either way long term. Just do what you prefer. I hope that people who volunteer for military service do so out of patriotism.

 

[D1Bound]

If you don't make it a career it probably doesn't matter either way long term. Just do what you prefer. I hope that people who volunteer for military service do so out of patriotism.

Short term you minimize a lot of risk by not taking on a huge amount of debt. I think that’s worth something. I love the United States and I’m excited to be able to say I literally work for the greater good of my nation, I get to be in the largest, most powerful military ever seen in all of man kind, but I’ve got to get paid. I’m worth it, so I need to be paid well. People should look to serve others, but in their poor years, they’ve got to serve themselves first. The OP needs to go with whatever is offering them the best deal because this is a huge financial hurdle to walk into.

 

[ESPN907]

All I’m saying is... being HPSP let me buy Orascoptic EyeZooms today without breaking a sweat at the price tag lol.

Did you get the total amount reimbursed? I’ve heard they only reimburse up to $1,400? I’m waiting for mine to come back to see what they end up doing, my q-optics were over $1,400 so I’m hoping they reimburse it all lol. Either way I used a credit card that had a $300 bonus cash back offer so it’ll be whether or not that $300 ends up in my pocket or not at the end of the day

 

[axiumgod]

Did you get the total amount reimbursed? I’ve heard they only reimburse up to $1,400? I’m waiting for mine to come back to see what they end up doing, my q-optics were over $1,400 so I’m hoping they reimburse it all lol. Either way I used a credit card that had a $300 bonus cash back offer so it’ll be whether or not that $300 ends up in my pocket or not at the end of the day

Nah I haven’t submitted the reimbursement yet but I’m only banking on getting $1,400 back. Would be pretty clutch if they ended up covering more though haha. I’ve got a cash back deal on my card too so all in all I’m paying less than half of the actual price out of pocket so I can’t complain lol.

 

[D1Bound]

Nah I haven’t submitted the reimbursement yet but I’m only banking on getting $1,400 back. Would be pretty clutch if they ended up covering more though haha. I’ve got a cash back deal on my card too so all in all I’m paying less than half of the actual price out of pocket so I can’t complain lol.

Which credit cards???

 

[D1Bound]

Did you get the total amount reimbursed? I’ve heard they only reimburse up to $1,400? I’m waiting for mine to come back to see what they end up doing, my q-optics were over $1,400 so I’m hoping they reimburse it all lol. Either way I used a credit card that had a $300 bonus cash back offer so it’ll be whether or not that $300 ends up in my pocket or not at the end of the day

Enlighten in on which card you use, I want that

 

[axiumgod]

Which credit cards???

I have a Discover card, 5% back on certain charges and 1% back on everything else. I basically just charge everything to my card and let the cash back accumulate

 

[ESPN907]

Enlighten in on which card you use, I want that

That was a BoA card, funny cause that’s the only thing I ever did with it...currently taking advantage of waived fees on some Amex cards, another military benefit

 

[D1Bound]

That was a BoA card, funny cause that’s the only thing I ever did with it...currently taking advantage of waived fees on some Amex cards, another military benefit

Wow I know nothing about military specific cards

 

[SirBrotherJam]

Wow I know nothing about military specific cards

It isn't military specific cards. It is actually the Service Members Civil Relief Act. Most cards companies will have some benefit to it. Discover lets you get 5 point something percent on APR. American express gives you fees waived, and yes even the holy platinum card (has travel benefits) that weights like a pound and normally has a $550 annual fee is included. Very common card with active duty members with very good benefits. Speaking of benefits with HPSP, look into getting a clinical camera while in school. I believe they reimburse up to $1500 unless that has changed. My school used their cameras, so I got a free recreational camera (which I let a radar accidentally destroy while serving on a ship... don't bring nice electronics even remotely close to a radar).

Basically apply for all the goodies... worst thing they can do is say no!

 

[D1Bound]

It isn't military specific cards. It is actually the Service Members Civil Relief Act. Most cards companies will have some benefit to it. Discover lets you get 5 point something percent on APR. American express gives you fees waived, and yes even the holy platinum card (has travel benefits) that weights like a pound and normally has a $550 annual fee is included. Very common card with active duty members with very good benefits. Speaking of benefits with HPSP, look into getting a clinical camera while in school. I believe they reimburse up to $1500 unless that has changed. My school used their cameras, so I got a free recreational camera (which I let a radar accidentally destroy while serving on a ship... don't bring nice electronics even remotely close to a radar).

Wow. A fee of $550 waive, every year, for many years, that seriously adds up. Goodness gracious I love the military. My Chapter 7 reimbursement guideline says to get a camera reimbursed it has to be required by every student in the class. But it also says only 9k of my dental kit gets reimbursed......but they reimbursed the whole thing. My MODS advisor said that the Chapter 7 PDF I am looking at is out of date and they have not changed it yet. I don't know how to know what exactly the rules are because every time I try to ask and get confirmation from my advisor she just says look at the Chapter 7. Basically she has no idea.

 

[yappy]

Wow. A fee of $550 waive, every year, for many years, that seriously adds up.

Seriously? I hope you're being sarcastic. It's not wise to consider a job because of credit card perks. 100k-200k income difference? sure. Credit card points or waved fees? Hard no.

 

[SirBrotherJam]

Seriously? I hope you're being sarcastic. It's not wise to consider a job because of credit card perks. 100k-200k income difference? sure. Credit card points or waved fees? Hard no.

Bro, don't forget the other sweet perks of occasional free meals, standing and getting recognition at events, TSA precheck, free baggage waived at airports, tax free at military stores, Tricare, don't have to buy your own scrubs, oh and the obvious: serving country, school paid for, and helping those that fight for freedom. I SERIOUSLY hope you are being the satirical one here.

 

[D1Bound]

Seriously? I hope you're being sarcastic. It's not wise to consider a job because of credit card perks. 100k-200k income difference? sure. Credit card points or waved fees? Hard no.

The income difference isn't a big deal when you consider loan forgiveness, not fighting against interest payments on those loans, and the fact that I could still moonlight and add as much income on the side as I want. It's a great deal short term, no doubt about it.

 

[D1Bound]

Bro, don't forget the other sweet perks of occasional free meals, standing and getting recognition at events, TSA precheck, free baggage waived at airports, tax free at military stores, Tricare, don't have to buy your own scrubs, oh and the obvious: serving country, school paid for, and helping those that fight for freedom. I SERIOUSLY hope you are being the satirical one here.

I love bennies and I love America

 

[Maintainer]

What would be the best card for HPSP reservist?

 

[ESPN907]

What would be the best card for HPSP reservist?

Most people go Amex platinum or chase Sapphire reserve...I plan to take advantage of a bonus offer every year while receiving benefits

 

[Maintainer]

Most people go Amex platinum or chase Sapphire reserve...I plan to take advantage of a bonus offer every year while receiving benefits

Thanks. I thought I would get an annual fee waiver but.. it is only for active duty. Well. at least I know I will get those cards once I graduate for sure.

 

[ESPN907]

Thanks. I thought I would get an annual fee waiver but.. it is only for active duty. Well. at least I know I will get those cards once I graduate for sure.

You just need to apply during ADT...

 

[bodie13182]

Does anyone know that after you finish dental school and if you get into residency program through them do you have to serve additional years in the navy? I’m asking for a friend.

 

[Maintainer]

Does anyone know that after you finish dental school and if you get into residency program through them do you have to serve additional years in the navy? I’m asking for a friend.

If you get into residency right after graduation, there is no extra payback year as the residency period is considered a neutral year (You don't owe anything). So you just have to serve 4 years that you've owed for HPSP (not residency) after finishing your residency.

 

[SirBrotherJam]

If you get into residency right after graduation, there is no extra payback year as the residency period is considered a neutral year (You don't owe anything). So you just have to serve 4 years that you've owed for HPSP (not residency) after finishing your residency.

Let's not make this confusing. Yes you owe time if you do a residency, however it can be paid back concurrently with your dental school obligation IF the timing is right. Most don't get into residency (excluding PGY-1) right out of school, but can happen with certain disciplines such as OMFS, perio, prost (at least looking at past years selectees). If you get into a residency such as listed previously, your time in will be neutral and payback will not start until you have completed your training.
Most Navy programs will have you pay back the time of training + 1 year (excluding OMFS which remains at 4 or 6 years respectively). Endo which is a 2 year program has a 3 year commitment after you graduate. PGY1 programs are a neutral year so one would be looking at 5 years of total AD time before you could get out. Bottom line you CAN get away with no added commitment, but unlikely.

 

[Lankers]

Full time out of service is paid back consecutively as well (from my understanding).