Are you eligible for HPSP?

Posted on by KirstenJayne
  • Age
    • All services require applicants to be between the ages of 18-36, and the Navy requires that a candidate be no older than 42 by the time you begin Active Duty after graduating from medical school.  
  • Citizenship
    • HPSP requires you be an American citizen. If a noncitizen wishes to serve, they can serve through the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest Program with the Army, which expedites the citizenship process for applicants.  
  • Education
    • It is recommended that an applicant have an undergraduate GPA of 3.5 and an MCAT score of 27
    • Applicants must have earned or are in their final year of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited program in the United States, Canada, or Puerto Rico
    • Acceptance into HPSP is tentative pending an applicant’s acceptance or enrollment in an accredited MD or DO degree program in the United States or Puerto Rico
  • Physical Fitness
    • Applicants must pass a physical exam at a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS). To read about my MEPS experience and for some tips about the process, click HERE

So you’re eligible, now what?? It’s time to contact a recruiter. If you don’t hear back right away, don’t lose faith! It took me several weeks of playing phone tag with my recruiter before my application process began. If you are unsure about which branch to join, I would encourage you to reach out to all the branches and discuss your options with a recruiter.  

Air Force

https://www.airforce.com/careers/specialty-careers/healthcare/training-and-education

Army

http://www.goarmy.com/amedd/education/hpsp.html

Navy

https://www.navy.com/joining/college-options/hpsp.html

3 thoughts on “Are you eligible for HPSP?”

  1. Hi there,

    I’m applying for medical school at the moment to start this coming summer (2017). I just met with an Army recruiter to talk about the HPSP. In general, it seems like an incredible opportunity, a great way to attend medical school without accruing a large amount of debt and to serve the country and others who serve. However, during the meeting I felt a bit rushed to make a decision about applying for the scholarship right then and there. How did you decide that you wanted to pursue the HPSP? Were you ever hesitant about applying for it or accepting the offer? What advice can you give to those considering the HPSP for medical school?

    Thank you!!

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    Reply

    1. Hi Lizzie! Thanks for reaching out to me.

      I feel like my experience talking with recruiters was very similar to yours. If you think about it, a recruiter’s job is to convince you to join so of course they’re going to want to sell you on the program. I think I probably played phone tag with my recruiter for about 3-4 months before I finally submitted my application.

      The best advice I can give you is to start by researching HPSP on the Air Force, Army, and Navy websites and compare the programs against one another. I would also try to seek out information from blogs or Student Doctor Network for some more candid discussions about being in HPSP, but take these opinions with a grain of salt. Then formulate a list of questions that are important for you to answer before you can decide if HPSP is right for you.

      I was very hesitant during the application process! After all agreeing to HPSP is committing at least 8 years to the military, that’s a major life decision! I got my recruiter’s email address and sent him a long list of questions prior to me agreeing to move forward with the application process. I think it’s only appropriate that you have all of your questions answered and you’re 100% sure of your decision before you decide to apply.

      I ultimately decided to go forward with the application because I wanted to be a military doctor. I liked the unique opportunities available to me while in medical school (rotating on military bases, learning to fly a plane, going to leadership courses, etc.) and I felt a calling to serve my nation! While the scholarship and stipend is a nice incentive to join, I don’t think that should be the sole deciding factor on whether or not one should apply to HPSP.

      If you’re going to be applying to medical school this summer you have plenty of time to decide on HPSP. I began my application to HPSP in July the year I applied to medical school and sent in my final application in September.

      Good luck on your medical school applications! Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any other questions 🙂

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