Hi guys. I’m new to the forum, but I’ve been religiously listening to Doctor Ryan Gray’s podcasts since I started this premed journey.
I am currently enlisted in the Army Reserve as a health care specialist. If I get accepted to a medical school in the future, can I apply for the HPSP program even when I haven’t finished my 6 year contract with the Army Reserve? I asked few recruiters, and they said I can, but I honestly can’t trust recruiters…
Also, it seems almost impossible to find a psychiatrist who would let me shadow them, but I am incredibly interested in psychiatry. How does one find an opportunity to see what it is like to be a psychiatrist? Thanks guys!
I would talk directly with the Medical Officer recruiters. They would probably have an idea as to what reg to reference. At least for the Air Force, there is a reg that outlines eligibility criteria, paperwork required, etc. It was pretty easy to do once I figured out what all I had to, but finding the reg was miserable. I would imagine that the requirements are similar to an OTS package, but I don’t know how the army does stuff on the paperwork side of the house.
I believe you would end up having to work with a recruiter anyway to prepare your HPSP package to compete at the board. I almost had to do that until the recruiter found out that since I was an active duty officer, I had to work directly through headquarters.
@Kennymac wrote:
I would talk directly with the Medical Officer recruiters. They would probably have an idea as to what reg to reference. At least for the Air Force, there is a reg that outlines eligibility criteria, paperwork required, etc. It was pretty easy to do once I figured out what all I had to, but finding the reg was miserable. I would imagine that the requirements are similar to an OTS package, but I don’t know how the army does stuff on the paperwork side of the house.
I believe you would end up having to work with a recruiter anyway to prepare your HPSP package to compete at the board. I almost had to do that until the recruiter found out that since I was an active duty officer, I had to work directly through headquarters.
Oops. I totally forgot about this post.
That sounds like a long process… Yeah, I think it would be easier to talk to a medical officer recruiter. Thank you for serving our country sir.
The gist of the process (at least for me) was:
- Chain of command approval to pursue it
- Receive approval from personnel command folks that I would be released from current contract if accepted
- HPSP package boarded and selected
- Full separation from active duty (was going from active line to reserve medical corps)
- Recommission on the day following ETS date
Sounds like a lot but it was pretty straight forward. Most of the time was just waiting for answers. Good luck.