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NHSC 2014


Guest RainbowUnikittyPAC

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Just want to clarify some things:

   Can you apply while in school or after graduating?

   How difficult is it to get a position in the location you prefer?

   How does the "years of payback" affect the salary you would receive?

Thank you!

 

I can answer some of your questions, and I think others can weigh in, too. 

 

Can you apply while in school or after graduating: for the scholarship program, you would apply for one or two years of your program. For the loan repayment program, you would apply after graduation or close to graduation (not sure)

 

And that's the one I know. :) 

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You can apply for scholarship with only one year of school remaining but you will pay back a minimum of two years' time so there's no point.

 

For loan repayment, you must first graduate, pass your boards and get a job in a facility that qualifies (higher HPSA score). No guarantees that after you do all that you will get an award. And any time put in before the loan repayment awards are given does not count toward your obligation. The clock starts ticking once the award is given.

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Relax. It's too early to know. Traditionally anyone who is considered a finalist or an alternate is notified in late August/early September and asked to re-sign the contract stating that if you get the award you will agree to the terms. Then traditionally, late September to early October recipients are notified.

 

The year I won my award there was another recipient who did not know she got the scholarship until sometime in November when a large lump sum of cash as deposited to her bank account from the government.

 

Worrying over whether or not there is any significance in whether or not or when a credit check was done or not done will not speed up nor change the outcome. It really is too early to hear.

 

Good luck and be patient.

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Last year's finalists were notified July 23rd (at least from the posts I've seen). It even states in their scholarship/application PDF that people will be notified beginning in July. Since credit checks were done earlier this year than last year I assumed finalists would be notified earlier.

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@PAK - I'm not sure where you did your research on "last year's finalists" but be aware that sometimes the MD/DO students hear much earlier. If you look on THIS forum for PA students applying last year you will see that as of August 22 people were still anxiously awaiting news and were reporting that their NHSC status was "under review". The first person to post on the PA forum that a PA student got an award was August 30. Every year is different and they seem to be getting more and more efficient (I heard of my award the first week of October back in 2009) but it's just too early to fret.

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hi @woodsters

 

Yes, I am aware that sometimes MD/DO/NPs are awarded at different times, sometimes earlier. I also DID get my information from THIS forum for PA students. If you look at the PA STUDENT GENERAL DISCUSSION section it has a NHSC 2013 thread and a couple of people received finalist emails on July 23rd last year. They then accepted the award and received the final notification of being a recipient on August 30th. A girl in the class above me received the award last year and was notified as a finalist in July too. 

 

I'm not writing on this thread to give false information but only to stay updated and to share how I feel about the NHSC scholarship process as a 2014-2015  applicant. I apologize if I have bothered you with my posts. Below are a few posts I copied from the thread from last year that I mentioned above...

 

logonaut

Posted 24 July 2013 - 01:29 AM

I submitted my application just before the deadline and received an email from the NHSC on Tuesday, July 23, telling me I needed to log in to my NHSC applicant account to receive and update. When I logged in, I received the following message, as well as some instructions regarding additional steps to be completed: "Congratulations! Your application has been identified as a possible recipient for a 2013 NHSC Scholarship Program (NHSC SP) award. This is not a guarantee of an award... Your overall Application Status is: Finalist for Award."

 

PAApplicant

Posted 24 July 2013 - 09:31 AM

Hey yall! I got an email yesterday as well saying that an update has been made on my application so I just checked it and it says I am a finalist! We have to submit a W4 and another verification of enrollment/good academic standing by the 31st. Hopefully we'll find out officially soon after the 31st!

 

PAApplicant

Posted 30 August 2013 - 05:18 PM

I just received the acceptance email this afternoon!! Hoping for good news for you all too!!!

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I'm not bothered by any of your posts. It's just that several of you seem to be sitting on the edge of your seats a little early. Be aware that a "finalist" notification simply means that you are "not rejected". They lump future recipients and alternatives into the category of finalist. It's much, much better than getting a rejection letter but doesn't in and of itself mean anything else other than you are a "yes" or "maybe" and not a "no".

 

Good luck.

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Just thought I'd share this post from the SDN forum.

Hey Everyone,

Considering the questions floating around on this thread, I ended up reaching out to some NHSC administrators with more direct knowledge of the applicant review process. Here is some of the info I was able to get. I hope you find it helpful.

Re: Credit Checks

The person I spoke with wasn't able to disclose what it meant for an applicant to have their credit checked. That is, they wouldn't confirm whether all individuals received credit checks or whether it was for those who advanced to the finalist round.

Re: Timeline

The person I spoke to said that they are still diligently reviewing applications for the NHSC SP. As there are many applications to review, individuals' applications may be at different stages in the review process. 

Their goal is to get decisions released by Mid-August, but this is only a tentative date and goal. I was reminded that, of course, the official notification date as stated in the guidance is Sept. 30. 

My own editorial comments:

It might be important to mention that even though applicants got their credits checked earlier this year, I'm not sure whether we can expect them to follow the same timeline as last year. This is because in early June, HRSA went through some restructuring such that the Bureau in charge of the NHSC (BRCS) just merged with another bureau (BHP) to form the Bureau of Health Workforce. 

I have a feeling that things might actually move more slowly this year considering the new administrative protocols and organization of leadership they may need to establish, hence the goal of August.

Also, the people at the bureau are soooooo nice and responsive! Good luck to you all! Getting this scholarship would be such an honor and privilege!

 

 

 

I think this agrees with what woodsters is saying...we just gotta be patient and not think our chances are out just yet.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey everyone! Check your emails and/or the portal! NHSC has begun offering the awards. The deadline to accept the award is 8/3.

 

So excited for this opportunity! =]

 

 

Does this mean you have been accepted as a finalist- if so congratulations!? Mine also still says under review-- how do you know people are hearing back? How exciting that people are hearing, beginning to worry.... 

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