NHSC application

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from what i was told the hardest year to get the scholarship is your first...they feel it is asking a lot of you to know what you want to be and they want to make sure you can hack it early on. As far as the $$ thing goes....i'm not as sure as pactodoc about that (i don't want ptod to come out throwing punches:)) just because my school is $32+ thousand a year...
having experience in an underserved area (knowing what you are getting into) and knowing what you want to do will help a ton. Good luck!
(from what i understand min. payback is two years)

EWEST....i couldn't agree with you more....well said!
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I could be wrong!! But bottom line is I don't think the NHSC cares one way or the other if you are 1st, 2nd, or 3rd year, because they know the odds of anyone knowing what they want to do as a residency is pretty remote anyway. I think they try to really look at people's backgrounds and see if they fit the criteria for what they are looking for. There are tons of 1st year students, as well as 2nds. I am not so sure how many 3rds get accepted, but I know they do. I hope JHUG is right about the 2 year payback!
 
Directly upon completion of your training, you will choose a practice site in a federally designated health professional shortage area identified as having the greatest need. Period of service is 1 year for each year of support you receive, with a 2-year minimum commitment.
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here's the link if you're interested....

http://nhsc.bhpr.hrsa.gov//join_us/scholarships.cfm

PtoD is right, it really boils down to your fit the criteria for what they are looking for.
 
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Bottom line is that you won't know until probably May whether you are getting an interview, and then you won't know until nearly September whether you received the scholarship. Good luck and ask me any questions you might have.


well, if you dont know until September when you will receive the scholarship, what does FAO do if you classes start in July/August for the tuition.

I am going to be submitting my application next week...any pointers on the application?
thanks in advance
:idea:
 
detach,
as for the application...just be honest. They ask the same question a few different ways, and- as you can see, some are really odd questions...
i was worried about the time thing as well... you'll have to fill out the loan applications as if you aren't even interested in the scholarship...if you get it your school will send the $$ back to the loan and the scholarship will pay the tuition (and the monthly stipend retro to july AND the $$ your school sent in to the scholarship for other reasonable costs (ORC)). You may get loan stuff in the mail (balances for $0.00) and that really bothered me (mostly bc i didn't want to have anything to do with the word "loan") but you won't have to reapply and that cuts the cord with fasfa.
It all works out as far as the time thing goes...and i'll tell you, if feels GREAT to have no/minimal loans!!!!:clap:
 
Thanks for the help. I am submitting the application tomorrow. I have been holding on to it all week and I think I have been trying to analyze it too deeply..so here goes. But it is great to have a forum like this to post questions, experiences, ideas and of course to receive advice.
I wish everyone well through this application process.
 
I sent my application in too. I am very glad this thread was set up because there is no where else to talk with other people applying to the scholarship or people who have been through the program. I wish everyone good luck getting interviews.
 
Don't forget that the application for NHSC is due this Friday, March 26th!!!!! :idea: :idea: :idea:
 
Did they increase the minimum payback to 3 years? I'm a NHSC scholar currently in residency but at least when I was applying the minimum payback was only 2 years and I opted to only accept the first two years of the scholarship for that reason.
 
No, I think you are right Rural. Jhug squared me away awhile back and I think I was confused with the military scholarship.
 
Aaah ok. I know some other things did change regarding the scholarship for physicians since I accepted mine so I figured this might be another way my contract differs from the ones being signed in 2004.
 
rural, i can only imagine how busy you must be....but i/we would love to hear your experience on finding a site to work in and how the nhsc works at your end of the deal....i wish you the best and if you find a minute, drop us an update!
 
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Well I finally got my self addressed envelope in the mail that NHS have all my completed information and nothing is missing. What a relief:clap:

For past scholars, how early did you get an interview and what was the earliest time you heard you obtained the scholarship?
My classes at Unecom start on July 26...so this means I still will have to apply for loans and reject them later if I get the scholarship?


:(
 
yep,
i found out about the interview in april/may and interviewed in june. I found out the second week of class which was the end of august/september. it was easy to cancel the loans, the school does most/all of the work for you...you guys start in july?
 
Great thread! I am applying to med school in June and am considering applying for the NHSC scholarship as well, but am still not sure if it is right for me. People here have posted a lot of helpful information though. One question (for PACtoDOC or others): earlier, it was mentioned that being disadvantaged was helpful in qualifying for the scholarship, particularly if one qualified for federal disadvantaged fin aid in u-grad; does this mean Pell grants and Perkins loans (both of which I receive) or something else? Also, what factors do they consider in determining if someone is "disadvantaged" (social, economic, minority status, other)? I grew up mostly in foster care and living with various relatives and generally was not very well off financially, so I suppose I was socioeconomically disadvantaged as a child, but I am not a minority. Finally, I have worked in a clinic for the past 6 years that receives federal funding to serve low income/uninsured patients (which constitute the majority of our patients); does this count as working with the underserved, even though the area the clinic that I work in is located is not geographically considered underserved? Thanks!
 
Mistress,

All of those things are very noteworthy and no one is going to question your stats or background. Just be honest and prepared to back it up at your interview. NHSC is a great way to have no debt and serve your fellow humans!
 
Mistress, they ask that you have the med school to which you have been accepted send verification of "disadvantaged status." This is a financially based classification in the case of the NHSC. Med schools will determine elligibilty based on the tax returns of you and your parents.
 
One caveat though...the disadvantaged status does not have to be NOW, but can be earlier in your life. I was disadvantaged growing up and in college but graduated making 6 figs annually. Coming back to medical school I was far from disadvantaged but my school still wrote a letter stating I had been in the past. Read the fine print; this qualifies!! It worked for me!
 
Does being offered and/or simply receiving pell grants and/or perkins loans qualify you as being disadvantaged?? If this is the case then does that make a big difference when applying. It's too late now anyways to do anything but it might be good to know if I have to reapply next year....:(

Josh
 
I really don't know. You should ask your Financial Aid Department. If you have a cool counselor they should just write you a letter on your behalf.
 
has anyone been offered an interview yet?
 
:confused:
I was wondering the same thing( and started to get nervous about it)....but I assume they start sending letters by the last week in April/early May.
 
Is this scholarship open to those who are US citizens, but attending med school outside of the USA?
 
I was wondering if anyone knew anything about the interviews? I had no idea that the interviews would be in the summer...I am leaving the day after graduation to work in a health care center in Belize. Does anyone know what happens then or are the interviews over the phone? I was just wondering because they never said anything about having to be in the country for the interviews that I remember. I just assumed the interviews would be done in April because obviously most people are not going to be around the summer before they start medical school!
 
I'm scheduled to interview in June. I got the invite today. I had to pick a location and date online. Who else is interviewing?
 
LP1CW said:
I'm scheduled to interview in June. I got the invite today. I had to pick a location and date online. Who else is interviewing?
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LP1CW -

how were you notified of the interview? snail mail, email, call?? thanks for the info.

boogie
 
Fedex delivers the letter. If you are not home, they will not leave it. The letters were mailed out this year on April 19th. I received mine today (the 21st) and I am on the East coast. Last year I was on the West coast and received it a day later than a lot of the people on the board. Good luck! Jenn
 
Hello,
getting quite nervous since I have not received an interview invite yet-anyone receive one who is living in Maine?


thank you,
datcha :(
 
Jennifer, you interviewed last year? Give us the heads up? What can we expect? Is it a panel, one person, MD?

Also, do you know the how many people they interview? I mean, what are our chances of getting a spot if we get an interview. I heard that it's hard to get a scholarship as a first year student.
 
It is not hard at all to get a scholarship 1st year. It happens to many and even most. The panel is usually 2 people who are trained interviewers and you will get the EXACT questions as everyone else in the country. You will also have to be sure to watch as they write down your responses by hand to make sure you don't talk too fast (they might miss something). Before you walk in the interview room, your chances are about 1/3 of getting the scholarship. If you are a great talker, and have lots of volunteer stuff, then you are probably more like 70% likely to get it. If you are timid and walk in without anything but your desire for the scholarship, then you are about 1/10. You should probably be able to tell how you did when you walk out.
 
Thanks PactoDoc, Did you get the scholarship? And, if so, great.

Do Physicians interview us? What kind of standard questions should we expect, anything out of the ordinary? I'm guessing the question of why you feel called to serve underserved communities is the larger question.

Also, I heard they favor DO's over MD's? Is that just a rumor? And do they like older applicants, non-traditional.

I'm young, 21, 22 this summer. I thought that that might hurt me. I have lots of research experience and some volunteer work. So, I feel that I might not be a good fit. And I'm going to attend Allopathic. But my interest is psychiatry and that's an option. I wonder how psych. applicants are viewed.
 
Listen now, this scholarship is a typical government run scholarship that doesn't care about anything other than what they are "looking for". You will have to play their game in order to win. You should go in there being humble, caring, and proove you are a conscientious person who wants to help needy people. Now I am not telling you to fabricate your words, but I can tell you that there is no verification process. I was completely truthful but my story was very unique and I often wondered why they required no documentation of the cool things I had done in the past. MD=DO, but DO is not > MD. The reason more DO applicants apply in contrast to the normal MD/DO ration is simply because many DO students like myself go into school knowing that is what we want to do (primary care). Jut play the game, and dig way into your cortex to recall every good deed you ever did as a person. They are not physicians interviewing you and they will be asking you things just like on the application, and then some. I impressed them by being able to be bilingual, which for anyone is a huge plus!! Find your assets and show them off.
 
Hi LP1CW,
I agree with PAC that the ratio is probably 3 interviews to 1 scholarship. I disagree, however with the other odds. Many of the people in my program applied for the scholarship last year, and only two people were awarded it. Some of the people who did not get the scholarship were Peace Corps volunteers, amazing interviewers, and top of their class at great schools (90% of the people who did not receive the scholarship are bilingual, both of the awardees were English only). I honestly cannot tell the difference between the people who are scholars and who are not. I say, just be yourself and if you get it, great. If you want to know anymore specifics, send me a private message. I hope this helps, Jenn
 
I can't speak for what happened with Jenns classmates, but when I went to Baltimore this year for the annual "new scholars" conference it was littered with people who were bilingual, Peace Corps ex's, liberal-tree huggers, ex-military, and tons of minorities. One trend was that there were a lot of somewhat older students in their early 30's like myself. If you get the scholarship be sure and go to this conference, as it is paid for you. There is no other chance EVER for you to get together and network with others on the scholarship and actually meet and talk with the REAL leader of NHSC, including Dr. Weaver himself. I am so happy to be on this scholarship and I cannot imagine doing med school the expensive way. Good luck everyone and PM me if you need anything.

Matt
 
My wife and I applied at exactly the same time and both had complete applications. I got a letter saying my application was complete and she didn't. And today I hear an interview invitation came in the mail for me. What could have happened to my wife' s application. ARe they disorganized or something. Also, do you get to choose where you interview. I live on long island, where would be the neareast place for me to interview? Thanks.
 
Not to point out the obvious but did you call and check with them in March about your wife's file? Call now and raise hell!!!
 
It's hard to believe it, but it's been a year since the last interview season...

I applied last year as a matriculating M1, and interviewed in Cleveland in May. I left the interview feeling VERY good about things, but alas, when August rolled around I got the axe and no scholarship for me. I've been told that as a matriculating med student, your chances for the scholarship are at a slight disadvantage because they aren't 100% sure that you have had the experience in medicine enough to know that you can promise primary care. If you've had a year or two of medical school under your belt, you might be more likely to know for sure that primary care is your cup of tea. I'm not sure whether or not I believe that philosophy or whether or not NHSC really does give a rat's bottom whether or not you are a M0 or M1 or M2 or PA0 or PA1 etc etc but that's just what I was told by a few people.

Now, a year later, and almost a year of school under my belt, I am applying again, with an even greater determination that this program is suited for me. After a year of school, I am even more interested in primary care and even more interested in the underserved populations of the US.

I echo everything everyone else said about the interviews being very canned and sterile. They are hired interviewers who have specific things they are looking for, so they won't be impressed or touched by your stories about your experiences. They will, however, put a checkmark in the category that NHSC is looking for if your story touches on a particular interest they want. So don't feel bad if they aren't smiling or laughing etc. Their job is to take notes and then formulate your answers into some sort of scoring system to see how good of a fit you are for the program.

If you do your research on SDN, you will find that people have listed some types of questions they ask you. Be prepared. Don't have word for word answers, but try not to be unprepared and have no clue how to answer their questions. They are all very "answerable" questions... just take some creativity and insight while still maintaining your ability to point out aspects about you that would really suit rural/urban underserved team emphasized healthcare.

So that said... time to prepare myself for another interview in May... hope this one is enough to assure them of my desire to serve.

Good luck everyone!

Scott
 
I applied also as a 1st year MS, and took the scholarship at the end of year 1. Its cool because they award the scholarship around 15 Sept and then back pay you all the way to July!! Then the next month you get your first stipend along with all the ancillary money for books and stuff (which was another 3K for me!!) It is different for each school because expenses vary. I can see why they would want an MS1 vs a premed because they only have to pay 3 years and still get 3 years of service. My bet is that they look at how cheap your school is and cross reference that along with what year you are applying. My school tuition is only 8K per year, so you do the math and see why they may have chosen me for a 3 year scholarship!!!
 
I am currently an in my residency and am also a 4 year scholar. I ask each of you to think VERY strongly before accepting the scholarship. Prior to medical school I was extremely positive I wanted to be an office based primary care physician, it was the reason I went to medical school. I had experience in both medical offices and hospitals and wanted nothing to do with the acute care setting once I finished residency.
Anyway, by my fourth year of med school, I was much more interested in critical care. Now as a resident, I dread my continuity clinic days and outpatient months. I love being in the NICU. There are some other specialties I am considering as well. Practicing primary care pediatrics for 4 years is a thought I can not even fathom, but to break my contract I would have to pay back 3x what they paid out PLUS interest in 12 MONTHS. So unless I win the lottery, its not looking so good. Yes I could return to fellowship after my committment but from a practical point of veiw that is easier said than done.

Bottom Line: Even if you are 100% sure of your future career choice don't be so anxious to sign the dotted line. I was sure too but things change and now I am locked in to a career I am not looking forward too.
 
I was just wondering if anybody on this forum is a dental student currently on the NHSC scholarship. What are your thoughts about the scholarship and interview process?? Thanks.
 
I just scheduled my interview for June. When I filled out my application, there was nothing about the disadvantaged status. What did I miss? How do I fix this?
 
I don't believe there is a blank that says "disadvantaged", but there are places where you can say that you have received federal loans for disadvantaged students in the past. Your financial aid office has to verify it though.
 
Don't think that will work for me PactoDoc. I did not go to college until I was an adult, and I did that on my VA benefits - so I never had federal loans for disadvantaged. What do you thank should be my next step?
 
Hi Pac,

Can you give us a list of some of the questions that we might encounter? Also, are they receptive to people wanting to going into Psychiatry? That's an option. Most people talk about family meds and not about psych. I'm assuming, since it's listed, they are looking for psych.
 
lp1cw, just a note, please take it for what it is worth as information, not a suggestion. In understanding psych placements, a search today on the NHSC website for psych scholar opportunities only found 30 sites, most in the west and a whole lot of those are either IHS or prisons. They must not have a lot of psych scholars. They require psych scholar sites to have a HPSA of 18, whereas most other discliplines only require a score of 14. Doesn't quite seem fair, but that is the game. There are tons of loan repayment sites though, 253 on todays search. If your fine with a very limited selection and going anywhere, then great and good luck with the scholarship, if not, then just something to consider.
 
loan repayment is a better bet for the nhsc. First, you've already made it...second, it costs them a lot less (which means they can spread out $$ better) I believe that is why they have more sites for lrp. For a time, they cut way back on scholarships and put all their $$ into lrp, as of the last few years they are kicking scholarships out in bigger #'s.
As for the interview, i had a lot of confrontation/how do you deal with a tough co-worker/issues between cultures type of questions. They are trying to see if you could handle working in a small area where your kinda limited as to who you could work with....other questions were about work experiences, hobbies, where i want to live...accomplishments in life. My interview was by two people the nhsc hired to interview (they'd done it for 10+years) they weren't medically inclined. I had a pic of my family (i have a batch of kids) and that seemed to lighten things up a bit...i really enjoyed my interview.
like DCD said, don't take the scholarhip if you aren't totally sure you want to do primary care. I personally believe that is why it is tough to get the scholarship as a starting med student (i did, so did pactodoc...so it is very possible) i just think it is asking a lot of a starting student to know what they are going to do in 7 years. good luck!!!

DCD, i'd love to hear how things go with the placement/next step....
 
I can't say I know too much about placement yet. I am finishing my intern year and other than occasionally perusing the opportunities list, I haven't put much thought into it. I am wasting way more energy trying to get out of my contract and thinking about fellowships. Anyway, I do know people who have contacted sites they may be interested in to see if position may be open in 2 years. There is also a 3rd year in my program who got a job in an aproved clinic without much effort that met her criteria (east coast, urban). I believe there is a conference offered when you are ready to begin the placement cycle. We used to be able to attend one confrence a year in a variety of fun places; I went to Seattle and Orlando, but budget cuts took care of that.

People who have said the interview is a game are right, although I know lots of people with way better credentials who did not get the scholarship. I would say be honest though. Everyone told me to say that I wanted to be in a rural area, which I definitely did not. I told them I wanted to be in an urban area and I got the scholarship. Just be yourself.

One other thing that I do reccomend is doing a search rotation. There is information on the website. You do not have to be a scholar but you are pretty much guarenteed a spot if you are. I did a summer program between 1st and 2nd year in NJ which was ok (more health policy than clinical) and in 4th year I did a rotation in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. They paid for everything, airfare, housing, meals and since often it was myself and a NP or PA I pretty much had full autonomy and did some really cool stuff along with your average URI stuff. The doctor would sign my charts when he came in, but when he was there we did a lot of teaching. It was one of my favorite rotations. However, there is nothing to do in the Aleutian Islands!
 
I just signed up for an NHSC Scholarship interview for June 24 at 10:30am in Philadelphia. But if any other NHSC interviewee out there would like to trade a spot in Kansas City or Minneapolis (or a May 21 spot in Chicago) with me, please email me at [email protected] - Thank you! And congrats to everyone who got an interview, BTW!

Peace,
Lincoln :)
 
Hi everyone,

I was going to look at the interview times etc leftover, but I was wondering once you press submit after you choose a location are you stuck with that choice or does it ask you at the end or anywhere if you want to change anything...I'm trying to decide between a location that has an early june interview date or the last possible june one. I'd go with the early one, but i'd have to fly home. any thoughts thanks :)
 
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