Nhsc 2014

[deleted367183]

Hey! I thought I'd start a thread for those considering applying this cycle. I am committed to primary care, also the urban poor, but I want to stay somewhere in the East, so I hesitate.

First question...what is the alternate job posting site with the weird URL? 3rt or something like that?

Thank you. Looking forward to sharing some info!

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[deleted367183]

OK, I have found the job listing site I was thinking of. It is 3RNet, the National Rural Recruitment and Retention Network, but it also has city jobs posted.

The main job listing place is, of course, on the NHSC site: http://nhscjobs.hrsa.gov/.

 

[Ts1991]

I am very interested in applying, but after reading some of the horror stories on here, I'm starting to rethink. I mean, I realize good and well that we are being sent to locations that are undesirable (or they wouldn't have to try so hard to get us there), that's not the part I'm worried about. I'm worried about the difficulties in transferring, the horrific cost of breaking contract, lack of cooperation from NHSC when people have issues or need help figuring things out, those sorts of things. Does anybody have positive experiences to share instead of the mass of negative ones I have seen on here?

 

[Ts1991]

Also, just curious, what is the monthly stipend on the scholarship?

 

[deleted367183]

I believe in the $1300 range...it is in one of the pdfs, I believe.

 

[simpler2]

As long as you plan in advance, there are plenty of "desirable" locations. The only people I have heard of really get screwed in their placement waited last minute to work on their job search.

For anyone not sure about the idea of primary care or working in health provider shortage areas, I would strongly discourage application for the scholarship. It is such a competitive scholarship and there are so many persons who are working to commit their life towards primary care in HSPAs. It always pains me to talk with colleagues who were turned down (many who are working in sites that qualify for NHSC scholars) and then hear about a scholar who was on the fence and tries to weasel their way out of their commitment as they enter the workforce.

 

[deleted367183]

Simpler, my thought is to canvass my region, starting way ahead, to find places willing to fill out the paperwork to become an NHSC site. Do you know of people who have done it this way?

 

[aklark]

Best of luck to everyone!

 

[simpler2]

Simpler, my thought is to canvass my region, starting way ahead, to find places willing to fill out the paperwork to become an NHSC site. Do you know of people who have done it this way?

On the site end, getting a HPSA score compatible with those needed by NHSC scholars is no easy task. There's a schedule for how often you can be rescored as a site as well. Our COO is very savy when it comes to working with HRSA and getting our clinics decently high HPSA scores. If the organization(s) you're looking at have no experience doing this, then I would not count on them working to get the appropriate HPSA status on your behalf. I see you are looking at the "East"...I would think the only places that will work out are going to be very dilapidated (e.g. detroitesque) cites or out there rural locations. I'm in New Mexico and came here knowing there have always been many high HSPA job opportunities. You can find nice positions in the east but its going to be a bit more of a gamble for where you end up.

 

[hello2]

Anyone know when the application cycle closes? I see on their website that it opened on March 21 last year, but it does not give a date for closing, it just says the application is now closed. I assume it is sometime before September, since that is when they give out the awards. But if there is no deadline, that would mean they look at applications on a rolling basis, and therefore applying earlier is better? Thanks.

 

[Seifu2011]

Anyone know when the application cycle closes? I see on their website that it opened on March 21 last year, but it does not give a date for closing, it just says the application is now closed. I assume it is sometime before September, since that is when they give out the awards. But if there is no deadline, that would mean they look at applications on a rolling basis, and therefore applying earlier is better? Thanks.

According to the Application & Program Guidance PDF the application submission deadline was on May 14, 2013. I wonder if the dates will remains similar this year.

Hey! I thought I'd start a thread for those considering applying this cycle. I am committed to primary care, also the urban poor, but I want to stay somewhere in the East, so I hesitate.

First question...what is the alternate job posting site with the weird URL? 3rt or something like that?

Thank you. Looking forward to sharing some info!

This! I'm also committed to serving the urban poor as a primary care physician (Peds or Ob/Gyn), and I share the same concerns as you. I'll be a MS1 in the Fall. I've decided to go ahead and fill out the application. Do you, or anyone else viewing this thread, happen to know if the application is binding? As in, if we are in fact granted the scholarship do we have time to think about accepting or not, or does submitting an application automatically bind us to it? A lot of things can change in between May (tentative submission deadline) and September (tentative scholarship notification)!

Thanks, all.

 

[ReeseC]

The application isn't binding. I'm pretty sure you have a week or two to think it over. Last year, people actually found out they had received the scholarship in July and early August. I found out that I didn't receive it at the very end of august/beginning of september.

I plan on reapplying this year. Does anyone have any experience reapplying? Is the application the same for first-time applicants as it is for re-applicants? I kind of want to get started on my essays as soon as I finish my first block this semester.

 

[smq123]

Do you, or anyone else viewing this thread, happen to know if the application is binding? As in, if we are in fact granted the scholarship do we have time to think about accepting or not, or does submitting an application automatically bind us to it? A lot of things can change in between May (tentative submission deadline) and September (tentative scholarship notification)!

Just being awarded the scholarship is absolutely not binding; you have to agree to accept it. So yes, you have time to think it over.

I plan on reapplying this year. Does anyone have any experience reapplying? Is the application the same for first-time applicants as it is for re-applicants? I kind of want to get started on my essays as soon as I finish my first block this semester.

There is no difference in the application process just because you are reapplying. Sometimes they will change the application process (i.e. use different questions, etc) but there's nothing special about it if you're reapplying.

 

[ReeseC]

The application opened last week!

I've started working on my essays. To anyone that has received the award, how did you keep your essays from being redundant? It seems like it's easy to get a lot of overlap between them. Also - did you write a full single-spaced page for every essay? I did this last year, but Like I said, I found it a little bit difficult in terms of making each essay fresh.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[snlassen]

Thanks for starting this thread! I have some questions about the application process. I'm planning on calling in on the Application Help Conference Call this Thurs night, but if anyone here has any insight I'd love to hear from you.

1) What kind of tone should I strike in the essays? Formal? Casual? Anecdotal?
2) Does anyone know how many dental spots there are vs dental applicants? I saw the stats for total spots and total awards in past years, but i'm wondering how competitive it is for dentists specifically.
3) I'm a DS1 currently and when they ask for an unofficial transcript, should I upload my undergrad transcript or my dental school transcript? My dental school transcript has like, 3 grades on it since many of the courses I'm took during the fall overlapped into winter semester.

Thanks in advance!

 

[cooliyak]

Hey, there is another thread on this same topic that might be a little more active:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/nhsc-application-2014-2015.1060051/

 

[RocDiva4040]

Hey anyone else anxiously waiting on news? From past threads it seems like they check your credit report in early July if you're a finalist. Does anyone know if we receive any information prior to that?

 

[CaptRetired]

Hey anyone else anxiously waiting on news? From past threads it seems like they check your credit report in early July if you're a finalist. Does anyone know if we receive any information prior to that?

Absolutely waiting... anxiously. It sure would relieve a lot of worry about how I'm going to pay for the classes. If nothing else, I'll be able to focus on the class instead of wondering how much it's costing me!

I haven't seen previous years, do you get a notification that they're checking your credit?

 

[RocDiva4040]

Absolutely waiting... anxiously. It sure would relieve a lot of worry about how I'm going to pay for the classes. If nothing else, I'll be able to focus on the class instead of wondering how much it's costing me!

I haven't seen previous years, do you get a notification that they're checking your credit?

Yep I feel the same way. I don't think that you get a notification. I think some people just checked their credit report in July and saw that it was there.