Hi! I’m currently applying for an HPSP with the Air Fore and I was just wondering if you could tell me more about how the process was for you?
Sure! Keep in mind that I applied for Navy HPSP 4+ years ago, so the process was likely a little different. @aspiringdoctors did Air Force HPSP and @heartbeatsandrainstorms is also Air Force so they might be able to better answer USAF questions.
I got in touch with a medical recruiter as soon as I submitted my AMCAS application to start the process. I was aware that there was a limited number of scholarships available and wasn’t sure how competitive they’d be. I was pretty certain I wanted to be in the Navy so I started as soon as I could.
There was a lot of paperwork to fill out, medical appointments, labs, etc. I was fingerprinted, background checked, and interviewed by current Navy physicians. As soon as I got my first acceptance, I let my recruiter know because you need to have an acceptance in hand to be offered a scholarship. My packet was otherwise complete before I got an acceptance, so as soon as I had that, it went forward and was reviewed by the next board (I have no idea how that part of the process works--its like a black box to me). I think I was notified in late November or early December that I was officially offered a scholarship.
At about the same time as I was offered the scholarship I was told that I needed a medical waiver for USU. I wanted USU more than HPSP so I aggressively pursued that. In January/February my recruiter started dogging me about signing my official contract, but I didn’t want to do that if it meant USU would no longer be an option. I started communicating more with USU and got my medical waiver and unconditional acceptance a few days later. At that point, I notified my recruiter that between HPSP and USU I had chosen to accept the USU offer, thanked her for her time, etc.
