Just curious! I will be reaching out to a recruiter soon, but any thoughts? Army is my preferred branch.
Too late for HPSP for Class of 2018?
- Thread starter hev
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Definitely not too late. I believe a few of my classmates signed army after classes already started.
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For Army probably not. It takes a few months usually to get everything done and submitted. Army has the most spots of any service and unless there is a big increase in applicants from where it has been the past few years I don't think they would be full yet. Air Force and Navy will probably be filled in the next couple months, though I don't claim any inside knowledge.
Make sure you visit the military medicine forum on SDN and read the stickies. You need to read the accounts of physicians that have working in the military, and not all of it is pleasant. Recruiters are not able to give you the full picture. If you join I hope you do so with a better knowledge of what you are getting into. Good luck.
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yes i have some thoughts on that because i actually filled out all the paper work for both air force and army and ended up withdrawing my application last second because i did my research. i am all for people wanting to serve their country but i don't believe in sacrificing your medical education during your residency years for it though. if you want some financial support go through the FAP program that the military offers and do a civilian residency. but if you truly want to do the HPSP through the Army and you have some pretty decent stats then i think you should still apply because you still might have a shot. but again i say avoid the HPSP route and do a civilian residency instead and by your fourth year if you still want to go into the military then do the FAP or choose another loan repayment program that the military offers.
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My packet will be processed for the Navy on the 14th of March. My recruiter said the review boards are nowhere near closing due to the max scholarships being given out. And the navy had left over scholarships last year that weren't given out. You're far from too late on the HPSP application. Just have all your ducks in a row and get things done quickly and efficiently to have your best shot.
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As a side note in deciding whether to pursue it or not, there are hundreds of threads and posts related to the topic everyone is going to have their own opinion that they treasure. The HPSP and subsequent experience you gain from it will be entirely of your own making. You can make it a horrible one or a great one. There will be countless opportunities that civilian docs won't have access to (flight medicine, dive medicine, marine corps medicine to name a few). I seriously doubt the military is going to give you a subpar medical education in residency. Their goal is to keep you as a physician, not run you off. From all of the navy physicians I have spoken to(Navy was my preferred branch), none of them have been upset or had a bad experience. They have actually loved their educational experiences (which included the GMO tours normally experienced) and they have had great reasons for sticking with or choosing mil med. They haven't been shy about the pros and cons either, there are going to be pros and cons anywhere you go. And I've been lucky enough to have a recruiter who told me up front that he doesn't care if I take the scholarship, he's going to give me all the info I need and get everything done in a quick and efficient fashion (which he has done, along with answering any questions I've had). I guess in summary if you're looking for someone to bounce questions and ideas off of, feel free to PM me. I spent months researching the decision before getting in to contact with the Navy and if offered Ill be accepting the scholarships without hesitation. Good luck!
