Military sweetens the deal to entice medical students

A beefed-up scholarship program now offers a $20,000 signing bonus as well as full tuition and an increased monthly stipend.

By Myrle Croasdale, AMNews staff. July 7, 2008.

Katie Doyle could have borrowed $200,000 to get through medical school. Instead, when she enters Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., this fall, she won't borrow a dime.

Doyle accepted a military scholarship that will pay her tuition, books and other school fees. A monthly stipend will cover living expenses. The scholarship, called the Health Professions Scholarship Program, or HPSP, also comes with a new $20,000 signing bonus.

In exchange, Doyle will serve four years as an Army physician when she completes her medical training.

Medical student enlistment in the armed services through the HPSP has dropped in recent years, but military leaders now hope to turn that situation around.

The Navy began offering the signing bonus in June 2007, followed by the Army in February and the Air Force in April. Military officials believe the $20,000 bonus will encourage other medical students to commit to becoming military physicians.

The scholarship, offered by all three military branches, covers tuition at any U.S. medical school plus school-related fees for textbooks and lab equipment. In exchange, students take officer training during medical school breaks, do a military residency and then practice in the military for four years.

"The HPSP is our primary pipeline for bringing physicians into active duty," said Sandra Yerkes, MD, director of the Navy's HPSP and a retired captain.

It's a mechanism the military can't afford to see falter, with the program supplying 80% to 90% of military physicians, officials said. The recent downturn is most evident in the Navy and Army, which saw steep declines in medical student recruitment in 2005. The Air Force, which historically has exceeded its recruiting goals, saw its first slip in 2007.